ACE Tiverton Special School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 January 2024

The welfare and education of pupils are at the heart of ACE Tiverton Special School. Pupils are warmly welcomed. This allows them to settle into school life. Pupils receive the care and support they need to help them overcome the significant challenges they face. This means that many pupils quickly gain the confidence and self-esteem they need to achieve success. The school has high expectations for how pupils conduct themselves in class and during social times. Pupils know what is expected of them and strive to do their best. They understand the consequences of poor behaviour. Overall, pupils enjoy school and are keen to experience success in their learning. However, the school recognises that there is more work to do to ensure that pupils achieve as well as they can. For example, pupils sometimes struggle to link their learning across the subjects they study. This can slow the progress they make. The school offers significant pastoral support to pupils and their families. There is a nurturing environment for pupils to re-engage with their education. Pupils appreciate the warm relationships they build with staff. They know who to share any worries or concerns with. This helps them to feel safe.

What the school should improve

• The school has an ambitious curriculum. However, some pupils are not able to make links between their learning across the subjects they study. This can hinder the depth of their learning. The school must ensure that all components are consistently in place so that pupils are able to connect their knowledge more securely.
• The school has not established rigorous systems to assess how well pupils remember the knowledge they have been taught. As a result, pupils' recall of prior learning can be insecure. The school needs to ensure assessment is used effectively to check what pupils know and remember across all subjects.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)