The Retreat

Overview: The Retreat is a small, independent day school for up to four pupils aged 11 to 18, providing education for girls who have been the victims of trauma. The school has a strong focus on supporting pupils' emotional and educational needs, creating a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, valued and understood. The school has high expectations of pupils, often surpassing what pupils thought possible, and learning is purposeful and personalised to help each pupil close gaps and achieve qualifications that reflect their true ability.

Strengths:

• Pupils are met with warmth, compassion and unwavering belief in their potential from the moment they step through the door.
• Staff understand pupils' needs deeply and create a calm, nurturing space where trust can grow.
• Behaviour is exceptional, built on mutual respect and connection, and pupils feel safe and valued, which fosters pride, focus and a genuine desire to learn.
• The school prioritises reading, providing daily opportunities and targeted support to help pupils improve their reading confidence and fluency.
• The school creates a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, valued and understood, and staff use positive, carefully considered approaches and strategies to build strong relationships and foster trust.

Areas to improve:

• The school has not ensured that pupils have sufficient opportunities to reflect and respond to the checks on their learning and complete follow-up tasks, which limits pupils' opportunities to correct mistakes and effectively deepen their understanding.
• The delivery of the PSHE curriculum and SMSC programme is sometimes variable, and some pupils struggle to recall key themes and lessons accurately, which limits their ability to fully internalise essential concepts and prepare effectively for life in modern Britain.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.