The Valiant School

Overview

The Valiant School is described as a “happy school” with “positive relationships at its core” and a “distinct moral purpose.” It provides a “bespoke educational and pastoral offer” for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, helping them re-engage with learning and prepare for successful returns to mainstream or specialist settings.

Strengths

• Pupils feel “safe and valued” within a culture of “highly respectful relationships” and consistent boundaries underpinned by “restorative practices.”
• Staff take time to understand individual pupils, creating a “careful induction process” that accurately identifies knowledge gaps and SEND needs.
• The curriculum is “broad, engaging” and tailored to the short time pupils spend at the school, prioritising foundational knowledge in core subjects.
• Attendance is high, supported by a “relentless” approach and daily home collections that foster “effective partnership” with families.
• Staff are “highly skilled” at improving behaviour through “sensitive and understanding” interventions.

Areas to improve

• Staff should make more effective use of learning time to ensure pupils securely acquire key phonics and mathematics knowledge.
• The school must further develop how staff assess and monitor “small steps” in learning to support pupils who find learning particularly difficult.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that careful checks of staff suitability contribute to an “effective culture of safeguarding.”