The Wherry School

Overview

The Wherry School is fulfilling the expected standard of education and care, with safeguarding standards met. The report describes a school where pupils are "safe and well cared for" and benefit from a "highly individualised curriculum" that supports their transition to independence. Leaders demonstrate a "comprehensive understanding" of the school’s context, ensuring every pupil’s needs are met despite significant oversubscription.

Strengths

• Pupils make "appropriate progress from their individual, often low, starting points," with most achieving GCSEs in core subjects.
• Learning is "typically calm and focused" as pupils are taught strategies to manage emotions and understand their autism.
• The curriculum is "well-planned," building from class-based learning to specialist secondary teaching with a strong focus on basics.
• Staff enjoy working in the school and feel "well supported," with professional development that is "evidence- and research-led."
• Post-16 provision includes successful "supported internships," with the first cohort all achieving paid employment.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure all staff teach pupils to "write extended answers across the curriculum" to raise achievement.
• Leaders should ensure support staff are "always deployed effectively to support pupils' learning."
• Attendance could be higher, with leaders working to raise it through detailed plans and professional development.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing "an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns actively identified and managed.