Wood Bank School

Overview

Wood Bank School continues to be a good school, providing an ambitious curriculum tailored to pupils with complex needs and education, health and care plans. The report highlights positive relationships between staff and pupils, with a culture where staff support learners in a "caring and calm way" and vigilantly address vulnerabilities.

Strengths

• Staff demonstrate a "strong understanding of the additional vulnerabilities" of pupils and report concerns promptly.
• The curriculum is structured into four pathways, with teachers using assessment effectively to place pupils appropriately.
• Teachers utilise visual aids, sensory equipment, and practical activities to support learning effectively.
• Governors provide "effective challenge and support" to leaders, using external data to verify school performance.
• Staff feel well supported, with recent assessment changes helping to reduce workload and a strong focus on well-being.

Areas to improve

• Ensure reading books are consistently matched to pupils’ abilities and provide opportunities for home reading to build fluency.
• Identify the most essential knowledge in some formal curriculum subjects to ensure activities are sufficiently demanding.
• Address barriers to attendance more swiftly to raise the profile of attendance across the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.