Olsen House School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 April 2024

Olsen House provides a calm and nurturing, yet stimulating and ambitious environment for its pupils. They receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive every day. Staff are skilled at creating effective relationships with them. Staff spend time getting to know them well and that they understand their specific needs. Pupils behave exceptionally well. Despite at times finding controlling their emotions a challenge, pupils are supported expertly to manage these very effectively. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement and personal development. Many pupils have joined the school after being out of education for prolonged periods of time. The school prioritises ensuring that pupils not only catch up on lost learning, but also on preparing pupils for the next stage in their education, training or employment. In many aspects, the school are successful in achieving these aims. The school provides pupils with a wealth of opportunities which incrementally build up their confidence and self-belief. This allows pupils to tackle experiences which they previously thought were beyond them. For example, pupils thrived on the recent Duke of Edinburgh experience, developing many important life skills.

What the school should improve

• The school does not give pupils who are at the earliest stages of writing enough opportunities to review their written work. This means that they develop weaker writing habits than other pupils. Their letter formation and use of grammar is not as consistent as it should be. The school should ensure that these pupils have enough opportunities to review their written work to improve their overall written communication.

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