Castle Wood Special School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

Pupils are well cared for and happy at Castle Wood Special School. All staff know pupils well. Pupils, parents and carers are made to feel welcome. Consequently, pupils settle quickly when they arrive at the school. The curriculum sets out to support the broad and complex range of needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with multiple and complex learning needs work at the early stages of the curriculum. Staff focus on small steps of learning to support areas, such as physical development, shared attention and vocalisation. However, in other parts of the curriculum teachers are not clear about what to teach and when. This slows down learning, particularly for pupils who are ready and capable of moving on to more rigorous and demanding work. Consequently, the expectations for some pupils are not always high enough. Pupils feel safe in school. They can name adults who will help them. Pupils learn about positive friendships. Any unkind behaviour is dealt with sensitively by staff. Pupils who may need additional support for their behaviour are well supported. Pupils experience a range of broader opportunities, including visits to theatres and residential visits. This builds pupils' confidence and independence.

What the school should improve

• In parts of the curriculum, learning is not planned and sequenced sufficiently well enough to prepare pupils for future learning. The precise knowledge and skills the school wants pupils to learn are not clearly defined in some subject areas. This means teachers are unclear about what to teach and when. This slows down learning, particularly for pupils who are ready and capable of moving on to more rigorous and demanding work. The school should ensure that the curriculum identifies precisely what knowledge and skills pupils should learn over time, so that all pupils can build on their knowledge accurately, successfully.
• The school has not ensured that staff consistently implement the agreed communication strategies in their classrooms. This means that some pupils are not able to consistently communicate their thoughts well enough throughout the day. The school should ensure the intended communication strategies are implemented consistently in all classrooms.
• The delivery of the phonics programme is inconsistent across school. This means that pupils experience variable approaches to the teaching of phonics in different classrooms. As a result, not all pupils build their phonic knowledge in a consistent way or as well as they are capable of doing. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to be able to deliver the phonics programme accurately and consistently.
• The school does not always have an accurate view of strengths and weaknesses within its provision. This means their actions do not always lead to necessary improvements. The school should ensure precise and effective approaches accurately evaluate different areas of their work across school. How can I feedback my views? You can use Ofsted Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school, or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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