Southgate School

Overview

Southgate School continues to be a good school, providing a "personalised, aspirational and specialist curriculum" for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders ensure staff know pupils well, fostering "highly secure" relationships and a "caring atmosphere" where pupils behave well and support one another.

Strengths

• Staff deliver the phonics programme "consistently well," with pupils showing enthusiasm for reading and accessing a "well-stocked library."
• The curriculum is organised into pathways adapted to individual needs, with a strong focus on reading and communication.
• Behaviour is managed effectively through "well-established systems" that treat incidents as "learning episodes," maintaining a "calm and purposeful" environment.
• Pupils access a "wide variety of personal development experiences," including cultural, musical, and sporting activities, which help develop strong personal values.
• Staff feel "well supported" by accessible leaders, and governors are actively involved in school life and local SEND provision.

Areas to improve

• The school must provide parents and carers with adequate information on how to support their child’s reading and phonics skills at home.
• The school should ensure all pupils develop a stronger understanding of the risks they may face in the community to prepare them for adulthood.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."