Cambian Home Tree School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 January 2024

Pupils usually arrive at this school at the later stages of their secondary education and after prolonged periods of disrupted schooling. This is often their first positive or sustained experience of school. Staff take time to get to know each pupil well. Pupils have a positive rapport with adults. Pupils benefit from carefully made decisions involving a range of professionals about how best to manage their individual needs. Pupils are consulted regularly on school life to ensure they have the best possible experience. They can express their opinions, identity and feelings without judgement. Pupils follow expectations about uniform, manners and work presentation. They are incentivised to attend lessons regularly and understand the consequences of their behaviour choices. The school's determination for pupils to succeed results in many pupils gaining qualifications that they may not have felt were possible at the outset. Pupils especially enjoy creative subjects such as art and music where their talents are actively encouraged. Some pupils would like more qualifications made available to them so they can access more choice in the next stage of their education. Pupils participate in trips and visits in subjects such as history and science. Visitors to school include a local historian and artists.

What the school should improve

• In some lessons, the feedback given to pupils on how to improve their learning is not always specific or ambitious enough. This means it is not always clear to pupils how to exactly achieve the next step suggested by their teacher. Leaders need to ensure all staff improve the precision of feedback given to pupils and check pupils have secured this knowledge to a sufficiently high standard before moving on to something new.
• There are a few subjects that do not have qualification pathways, and there are a few pupils who are not accessing timely work experience. This means not all pupils are being fully prepared for the next stage of education or work. Leaders need to ensure all subjects offer qualification routes and that all eligible pupils access appropriate and relevant work experience in their time at the school.

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