Car Dyke School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 May 2026

Pupils who attend Car Dyke School have complex additional needs. These needs are well known, and staff provide high levels of personal care for pupils. In the past, pupils have had negative experiences in education that have coloured their view of school. They have not attended school on a regular basis or not attended school at all. However, pupils are overcoming some of their personal challenges. They are learning that school can be a happy place. Pupils enjoy aspects of school life such as time on the school's trampoline or a walk in the garden. As a result of the increasingly positive experiences pupils now have, their attendance is vastly improved and they attend school well. They develop a strong sense of belonging and acceptance in this small school. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff are patient and kind when pupils struggle to manage their feelings. Staff step in at the right times and offer alternative activities or pupils’ preferred activities so that they become more settled. There are high levels of supervision. Staff keep an 'eagle eye' on pupils throughout the school day. They make sure that pupils are safe and that bullying is not tolerated. Largely, the school is calm. Pupils are familiar with school routines. They anticipate lunchtime, enjoy outdoor sessions and know that the ‘goodbye song’ marks the end of the school day. While the care that pupils receive is positive, there continues to be plenty of important work for the school to do. Currently, pupils do not fully benefit from the breadth or ambition of the curriculum. This is because staff do not consistently demonstrate the expertise they need to reduce pupils’ significant barriers to learning and help them to experience greater academic success.

What the school should improve

• The proprietor should ensure that they have clear oversight of the school’s work in order to assure themselves that the school is successfully meeting the independent school standards.
• The school should seek the advice and guidance of specialist agencies to further support their work to remove the barriers that prevent pupils from learning as well as they can.
• The school should ensure that staff have the expertise they need to engage pupils successfully in their learning and support them to achieve all that they can.
• The school should further extend the personal development and wellbeing offer so that pupils can develop their personal talents and find new interests.

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