Tor Bank Special School

Overview

Tor Bank School continues to demonstrate a “high level of capacity for sustained improvement in the interest of all the learners.” The inspection confirmed that the school is capable of effecting improvement through self-evaluation and effective planning, particularly regarding assessment for learning and the preventative curriculum. The ETI will continue to monitor how the school sustains this improvement.

Strengths

• The school has implemented an appropriate assessment for learning strategy, including standardised visual aids and a “three phase staged approach” to support pupil progression.
• A “cohesive approach” has been established for the preventative curriculum, using “action research” to evaluate pilot schemes before wider implementation.
• Visual aids and social stories are used “skilfully” to support learning objectives around emotions, bodies, and personal safety.
• Evaluations highlight “improvement in the pupils’ understanding, communication skills and their growing confidence in body awareness.”
• The school has “well-established links with a number of external agencies” and a special school cluster to share resources.

Areas to improve

• The report identifies the need to “develop further AFL within the planning” and for staff to devise a recording template to monitor pupil progression.

Safeguarding

The school provided evidence that arrangements for safeguarding continue to “reflect the guidance issued by the relevant Departments.”