Dorothy Goodman School Hinckley

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 October 2022

Dorothy Goodman School is a place where pupils are respected, nurtured and taught to be independent. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. Expectations are high. From the early years to the sixth form, pupils develop their reading and communication skills. Across all school sites, pupils learn from well-trained staff who know them well. Pupils benefit from a wide range of well-resourced learning environments, including dedicated sensory spaces and vocational facilities. Staff understand the needs of all pupils well. They ensure that pupils attend the right provision at the right time to ensure their needs are met. Leaders ensure that pupils develop a sense of belonging and feel valued. They also ensure that pupils are well supported by specialist staff and other adults. Those pupils who need it have access to specialist facilities, including a hydrotherapy pool and a therapeutic swing. Pupils' personal development is strong. Relationships between staff and pupils from the early years through to the sixth form are highly positive. Pupils know that they are well cared for. Most pupils are happy at school and say that bullying is not an issue, but if it were, they know staff would support them.

What the school should improve

• New assessment systems are not fully developed. They do not measure the key knowledge to be learned. This means that staff cannot accurately check pupils' understanding and identify gaps in their learning. Leaders should further develop assessment systems to ensure pupils' progress is accurately measured against the curriculum.
• Leaders do not have the information they need to identify patterns in pupils' behaviour. Pupils' support plans are not precise. Leaders should ensure staff have access to the right information so that trends can be identified and pupils' behaviour support plans are amended accordingly.

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