Grace Garden School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 June 2025

For many pupils who attend Grace Garden School, it is a life-changing experience. Most pupils have had a negative experience of education. The caring, supportive staff and 'hand, head, heart' approach used by the school re-engage pupils back into education effectively. Over time, this transforms pupils' attitudes to learning. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Staff are aspirational for what pupils can achieve both academically and socially. Pupils who all have special educational needs and/or disabilities develop important life skills and an understanding of social expectations well. Many aspire to move on to higher education and achieve well from their starting points. Pupils are happy and feel safe. They develop positive and trusting relationships with staff. Staff know pupils and their families well. This helps to develop a holistic view of pupils. Pupils benefit from the rich experience of the 'land and craft-based learning' the school provides through its method of Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE). They are proud of the final pieces of work they produce such as a piece of pottery or a cake made from the produce of the land. This broadens pupils' horizons and supports them to engage more deeply with the world around them.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, the school has not identified the most important knowledge and skills that it wants pupils to learn and in what order. As a result, some pupils do not build knowledge cumulatively, and some gaps persist. The school should ensure that it identifies the precise knowledge it wants pupils to remember so that pupils can achieve well across all subjects.
• Some pupils do not develop the core foundations of writing well enough. Letter formation, spelling and grammatical errors are not routinely identified and addressed. Consequently, this hampers some pupils' writing progress across the curriculum. The school should ensure that the staff have the expertise to develop pupils' foundational knowledge in their writing.

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