Maple Medical PRU

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 February 2024

Pupils feel valued, understood and cared for. They say that they 'fit' here. As a result, they attend well, feel safe, read well and are successful in their learning. Pupils and families are overwhelmingly positive about the difference that the staff and education at the school make to them. Pupils' behaviour and the respect pupils and adults show one another are strengths. The school does everything possible to engage pupils in school life and education when they join the school. Many pupils previously have not been attending school regularly or at all. Staff work closely with families, with good success, to ensure that pupils are in school as frequently as possible. The education in the hospital school is rooted in establishing good relationships so that children and their families are comfortable and receptive to the learning that is on offer. Books, story time and reading across subjects feature highly. The school provides routine and normality for children when they are ill. Some pupils are at the school for short periods of time. Some complete the rest of their education here. This school is improving the curriculum to meet the demands of the changes in school provision and the needs of pupils, however long they may be part of the Maple family.

What the school should improve

• Leadership at all levels to support curriculum improvement is not clearly defined. Work to improve aspects of the quality of education can sometimes occur in isolation. The subject expertise of staff is not, therefore, capitalised on. This lack of oversight means that less breath in the curriculum for some pupils has not been addressed. Leaders should work together to understand everyone's role in fulfilling the vision to ensure that the curriculum offer for all pupils is the very best it can be.
• Some aspects of the curriculum are still in development, in response to changes in the provision and in leaders' vision. While leaders have defined key concepts pupils will learn over a period of time, they have not set out the detail in some subjects that pupils will cover and practise as they progress through school. There is sometimes inconsistency in the ambition for pupils in broadening their learning. The school should continue its work to refine the sequencing detail in the curriculum so that all pupils achieve well across a broad and balanced curriculum.

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