Birchwood School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 June 2025

The school has high expectations for pupils. Pupils enjoy their learning. From their different starting points, they achieve well. Pupils are enthused by the enriching activities that the school provides. For example, as part of a visit to the Beatles museum, pupils learned how to budget for trips. Such opportunities significantly enhance pupils' experience of the wider world. Pupils leave the school ready for future learning and ready to lead increasingly independent lives. Most pupils have found their previous experiences of education difficult. Many have been without education for some time. At Birchwood School, pupils re-engage with learning because staff create a caring environment and a curriculum that inspires pupils to think about their own futures. Staff encourage pupils to be themselves and understand their own needs. Pupils behave exceptionally well. Staff build trusting relationships that help pupils settle into school routines. The school's approach to behaviour management is based on the pupils and their needs. Pupils focus incredibly well on their learning because of the supportive environment that the school creates. When pupils find things more difficult, expert staff support them in regulating their emotions and getting back on track quickly.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not use the information from their checks on pupils' learning consistently well to address gaps in pupils' knowledge. Sometimes, they move pupils on to new content before they are ready. The school should make more consistent use of assessment to plan learning that addresses the gaps in knowledge that pupils have.
• In some subjects, the curriculum does not clearly set out the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that sometimes the activities pupils complete do not match the most important things they need to learn. Consequently, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is clearly mapped out in all subjects to support teachers in designing appropriate activities that enable pupils to learn well.

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