Elysian, West Horsley

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 July 2025

Elysian provides education for pupils who have high levels of anxiety as part of a social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) need. Before joining this school, most pupils have had long periods out of education. Elysian uses its farm-based setting to help pupils build their resilience and learn to believe in themselves. Each pupil has their own curriculum based on their individual learning and therapy needs. Pupils benefit from the time they have to care for animals and spend time in the open air. This helps them to manage their anxiety and start to engage in learning. Pupils feel safe at the school. This is because they develop warm, trusting relationships with staff. As staff teach pupils how to interact with and care for the animals, pupils start to build their confidence. They soon show independence through feeding the goats, grooming ponies or teaching the dog new tricks. Relationships with other pupils are typically positive. Leaders act quickly to sort out any unkind behaviour. Pupils develop a sense of belonging. They proudly show off the farm to visitors. Pupils enjoy visits to places, such as the garden centre and community café. These activities help pupils to increase their trust in the outside world.

What the school should improve

• Pupils do not have enough opportunity to practise their writing and mathematical knowledge across the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not embed their knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils have more opportunities to practise writing and mathematics when learning in other subjects and around the farm.

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