Pace

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 June 2025

Pace is a calm and welcoming school. Pupils settle well into their education here. They start to see school as a positive place to be. Pupils, supported by caring staff, find it easy to make friends. Pupils feel valued, not only by the staff, but by one another. Over time, pupils are supported to manage their own emotions and to behave well. They are eager to please and enjoy the positive praise that they receive from staff. Although some disruption does occur from time to time, it is managed well so that it does not affect pupils' learning. Pupils feel safe at school. The school has high expectations for pupils. Pupils join the school at different points of their education. The curriculum builds carefully on pupils' next steps and any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) they may have. They achieve well from their starting points. Pupils benefit from trips and visiting speakers, which enhance and enrich the curriculum. The range of clubs on offer, such as cookery, arts and crafts and indoor and outdoor games, have been developed in response to feedback from pupils, parents and carers. These activities foster pupils' talents and interests.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, including in PSHE, the assessment of pupils' understanding does not provide the school with sufficient information about the depth of pupils' knowledge. Gaps in pupils' learning are not quickly identified and addressed. Pupils do not build securely on their previous learning and, therefore, do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that it carefully makes checks to establish what pupils know and can do and use the strategies in place in other subjects to successfully address any gaps in learning in a timely way.
• The school's oversight of some subjects is not consistently effective. Therefore, it is not clear what impact any actions already in place are having or what aspects need further improvement. The school should ensure that there are effective arrangements in place to review the effectiveness of its actions taken to improve the curriculum and establish the right priorities for its future work.

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