Penn Fields School

Overview

Penn Fields School is a special school where pupils develop "trusting and positive relationships" with staff, who are described as "caring, kind and supportive." Leaders have taken "effective steps to improve the quality of education," resulting in a calm environment where bullying is rare and pupils enjoy attending school.

Strengths

• Staff work closely with parents to understand individual needs, using this information to "remove barriers to learning."
• Leaders have established "high expectation[s]" for learning, ensuring pupils study a broad range of subjects in depth, such as art and design.
• Reading is promoted well, with regular checks on phonics and access to a "wide variety of interesting books and texts."
• Sixth-form students receive "quality and timely careers advice," helping them develop skills for future success.
• The school environment is "calm and orderly," with adults using "well-thought-out therapeutic approaches" to support behaviour.

Areas to improve

• For some pupils with the most complex needs, activities are "not always well matched to their needs," which slows learning.
• Teachers are not always clear about the "small steps pupils need to learn," particularly in writing, limiting progress for these pupils.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective," with staff receiving regular training and maintaining good links with families to keep pupils safe.