The Orchard School

Overview: The Orchard School is a special school that caters for pupils with severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties. The school has made significant improvements since the previous inspection, with a new headteacher in post. The inspectors found that the school provides a supportive and inclusive environment where pupils feel valued and supported to achieve well.

Strengths:

• The school lives by its motto of 'Together we learn', with staff making pupils feel valued and supporting them to achieve well.
• Pupils know that staff want the best for them, and they rise to meet these high aspirations.
• The school rewards pupils for demonstrating 'awesome attitudes', being 'curious explorers' and 'magnificent movers'.
• Pupils develop a love of reading, with the curriculum preparing them for phonics through sound recognition, rhymes and songs.
• The school provides a range of activities to support pupils' personal development, including rock climbing, swimming and the signing choir.

Areas to improve:

• The school has not supported staff in giving pupils opportunities to practise and secure the skills linked to the curriculum and EHC plans, so they can apply these knowledge and skills in different contexts and situations.
• The school has not ensured that staff implement its agreed communication systems consistently, which slows progress for some pupils.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.