Elysium Healthcare Potters Bar Clinic School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 February 2024

When they arrive, pupils are at a point of extreme crisis in their lives. They have experienced previous educational disruption. The school is a respite from pupils' distress. The carefully managed transition process helps them settle. A typical parental comment thanked the school for, 'giving my child something to live for.' Pupils' well-being is at the heart of the school's mission. They are kept safe. Due to significant risks from social media, pupils learn in depth about online safety. They appreciate the strong relationships with staff. Pupils develop trust and behave well. There are high expectations for learning. This is the same when lessons are in the hospital wards. Pupils gain qualifications, such as GCSEs. This helps them move successfully onto their next stage. Pupils benefit from an excellent personal development programme and high-quality enrichment opportunities. They learn widely about possible careers. This helps pupils consider and plan their futures. From the moment they arrive in school, pupils improve their resilience. If they struggle to attend, carefully-planned activities help them engage. For example, a business development project is a bridge into more structured learning. As a result, pupils turn corners. They are better prepared for life in the outside world.

What the school should improve

• There are occasions where staff do not use the specific strategies pupils with SEND need to access the curriculum. This means there are instances where pupils with SEND do not engage with their learning as well as they might. The school should ensure that staff understand how to use effective strategies to support pupils' SEND.
• In some instances, staff have not had the quality of training they need in how to teach the curriculum effectively. This means there are occasions where the activities they set pupils to complete do not enable them to secure their understanding of important content. The school needs to ensure staff get the pedagogical training they need so that they understand how to provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to develop a detailed knowledge of the curriculum

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