Aurora Summerfields School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 February 2024

Pupils are well looked after in the school's safe and nurturing environment. Staff prioritise supporting pupils' emotional well-being. Many pupils have experienced a disrupted education prior to joining this school. Pupils settle well into school life. This is in part because staff spend a significant amount of time getting to know each pupil and to understand their special educational needs and/or disabilities and interests. Pupils are remarkably courteous and considerate towards each other, staff and visitors. Skilled staff support pupils to better manage their emotions and behaviour. Over time, pupils learn to make positive behaviour choices. On the rare occasion that pupils fall out with their classmates, staff expertly support them to resolve their differences. The school is resolute that pupils will achieve the best possible outcomes. This is a challenge as pupils have many gaps in their knowledge and understanding. However, this does not deter the school. Staff support pupils to catch up with their missed learning across the curriculum. Pupils are prepared well for their next steps into education, employment or training. Pupils enjoy an extensive, coherently planned range of opportunities beyond their academic learning. Pupils develop important life skills through activities such as shopping at the nearby supermarket. They value the roles and responsibilities that they have as school councillors and eco-councillors. Pupils feel that these roles give them a real voice in day-to-day school life.

What the school should improve

• In a very few subjects, the previous curriculums did not fully meet the needs of pupils admitted to the school. This may have hindered how well some pupils achieved in these subjects. The school should finalise their curriculum thinking in these subjects so that pupils learn successfully.
• The proprietor has not ensured that its procedures for checking on the quality of education have kept pace with the growth of the school. It has not addressed some weaknesses in the school's curriculum as quickly as it could. The proprietor should ensure that its arrangements enable any emerging issues to be dealt with as swiftly as possible.

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