Aurora Meldreth Manor School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

Being a pupil at this school means joining a friendly community that values happiness and safety. Pupils enjoy a calm environment and access to beautiful grounds, including a sensory garden and outdoor gym equipment. They feel secure because staff are caring. The school prioritises well-being with activities like hydrotherapy and sensory play, which boost pupils' happiness and sense of security. Behaviour is typically positive, with a strong focus on understanding and managing emotions. Lunchtimes are peaceful, allowing pupils to enjoy meals together. They participate in activities that build social skills and teamwork, such as inter-school sports festivals to showcase their talents. When challenges arise, pupils receive support to make positive choices, fostering a supportive and inclusive culture. The school aspires to have high expectations for pupils, including students in the sixth form. However, these are not fully realised. Pupils make progress in practical life skills and physical development, using equipment like standing frames and specialist seating to engage in lessons. For too many pupils, opportunities to practise and build on what they know are limited. For example, the current approach to phonics delays progress for those able to develop reading skills.

What the school should improve

• Pupils are not consistently provided with opportunities to use their communication strategies to express their wants, needs, and ideas. This limits their ability to develop essential communication skills, which are crucial for building independence. The school should create more structured opportunities for pupils to practise communication throughout the day and train staff to support and encourage this.
• Staff often lack clarity regarding the purpose of activities, leading to missed opportunities for pupils to secure and extend foundational knowledge, such as in early reading. The school should ensure that the curriculum and assessment framework are clear and well structured, so that all activities are intentionally designed to reinforce key concepts and meaningfully contribute to pupils' progress.
• The current systems for monitoring how staff deliver the curriculum have not effectively embedded consistent high-quality practices. As a result, pupils experience variable teaching and support. The school should enhance its efforts to develop structured systems for ongoing monitoring and provide targeted training for leaders, improving their ability to implement these strategies effectively.

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