Brenkley School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 April 2025

This is a caring and welcoming school. Pupils are proud to attend. The school establishes strong relationships between pupils and staff. Staff understand how to support pupils with both their social and emotional needs and their learning. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils are respectful of each other. Classrooms are calm and pupils focus on their learning well. Leaders, the proprietor and staff have high expectations for pupils who attend this school. The curriculum is ambitious and broad. It enables pupils to achieve well. Pupils' aspirations are high. They typically want to move on to further education and university. The school is effective in supporting pupils to be ready for their next steps in life. The school ensures that the individual needs of pupils are well met. Pupils benefit from a range of additional activities outside of the classroom. Pupils visit the theatre to watch plays that they have studied. They make use of the local environment to study coasts and learn skills such as surfing or trapeze. The school's therapeutic provision supports pupils' emotional well-being effectively. Many parents and carers are positive about the school. They recognise how the school's ambition and care is transformative for their children.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the ways in which staff check on pupils' learning are not effective. Staff sometimes lack a clear understanding of what pupils know and remember. Consequently, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not addressed consistently well. The school should ensure that these checks on learning provide staff with clarity on how securely pupils' knowledge and skills are building as they move through the curriculum.

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