Lift Wishmore

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Pupils are mostly positive about their school. Those who have attended for longer acknowledge the improvements made since the last inspection. Pupils have a favourable view of their school. They particularly appreciate the patience of staff. This is an all-boys school for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are sometimes off-task or disengaged from learning, but staff deal with this well. Pupils readily acknowledge behaviour is not always perfect. However, those who talked to inspectors said they feel safe here, not least because staff understand them and give them space when needed. One older pupil was blunt when he told an inspector, 'It's a small school for boys with SEND, so obviously there are complications with relationships at times'. Others agreed but were also keen to point out that the school has helped them to become more aware and understanding of the impact of their actions on others. Staff have appropriately high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They know pupils well, despite the challenges presented by relatively high levels of pupil mobility and the different pathways some follow. Nevertheless, due to the bespoke nature of the curriculum, pupils are now achieving increasingly well by the time they leave the school.

What the school should improve

• There is some variability in the way that the curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of individual pupils, including with the teaching of reading. Sometimes this prevents pupils from learning as much as they could because tasks do not build securely enough on what they already know and can do. The school should ensure that all teachers understand how to design and adapt tasks for the pupils they teach, so that this is happening consistently well.
• Sometimes poor language is used by pupils, and staff are not consistent in how they address this. As a result, derogatory language is sometimes allowed to continue. The school should ensure the recent training for staff is routinely put into practice across all phases of the school.

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