Langley School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2024

This is a time of positive change at Langley School. Inspirational leaders, dedicated staff and a dynamic vision are driving improvements. All are focused on finding a way to overcome barriers to learning pupils face, caused by special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, this is not consistently the reality for all pupils to get the most from being here. Pupils have a wide variety of needs, including autistic spectrum conditions, sensory processing needs and speech, language and communication needs. Staff are caring and attentive and understand pupils' needs well. However, they do not always provide support that meets pupils' needs as closely as it could. This is a calm, happy school, where relationships matter. Behaviour is positive in lessons and around school. Staff work hard to build positive relationships with pupils and their families. When pupils and their families need help, staff act to provide it quickly. Parents appreciate and value this. Horse riding, forest school visits, trips and a residential enrich the lives of pupils. Cycling, climbing, football and reading tents provide exciting ways to spend lunchtimes and break times. Singing and signing assemblies provide positive opportunities for this community to come together and celebrate.

What the school should improve

• The school has not ensured that all subjects and pathways have an appropriately planned and sequenced curriculum. This limits how well learning builds on what pupils already know and how well they are prepared for future study. The school should ensure that all subjects and pathways clearly define the skills, knowledge and opportunities pupils need at different stages of their time here.
• Sometimes, staff do not communicate the learning intentions well enough. This confuses some pupils, who consequently struggle to get the most from the lessons. The school needs to ensure that learning aims are shared with pupils, frequently reinforced and then assessed to check that pupils are getting the most out of them.
• The school does not consistently implement the communication systems pupils need to access the curriculum. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school must ensure that staff act on training so that they communicate with pupils precisely to meet their receptive, processing and expressive needs.

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