Stone Bay School

Overview

Stone Bay School is described as a foundation residential special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 with autism spectrum disorder and severe learning difficulties. The report states that the school is “moving forward steadily and surely,” with effective leadership sustaining standards since the previous inspection. Pupils generally behave well, feel safe, and are benefiting from new curriculum pathways designed to raise aspirations and prepare them for adult life.

Strengths

• Pupils “enjoy their time at Stone Bay” and are “welcomed and settle well” due to the care and support available.
• Staff “expect the best from all” pupils, resulting in older pupils having a “greater sense of independence” and growing confidence.
• The curriculum is “designed for its pupils,” with small class sizes enabling staff to provide the “care and nurture” that pupils with complex needs depend on.
• Work in promoting language, literacy, and mathematics is “effective,” with a high priority placed on developing communication skills from Reception.
• Personal development is valued equally to academic progress, with PSHE and relationships education “interwoven across the curriculum” to support social and emotional well-being.

Areas to improve

• Ensure “more consistency in the way teachers design learning opportunities” so that activity choices meet the needs of all pupils and prevent disengagement.
• Ensure teachers have “absolute clarity about the small steps in learning” they want pupils to achieve, as learning is sometimes not broken down into small enough steps.
• Plan activities that help pupils “focus closely enough on what staff want them to know and to remember,” preventing staff from moving on too quickly.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”