Phoenix Arch School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 June 2024

This is a calm and nurturing place. All pupils have autism. Their care and welfare are a priority for all staff. Pupils benefit from warm working relationships. Pupils are happy and safe. Adults know pupils extremely well. This helps staff to regulate and improve pupils' behaviour. Pupils are friendly and supportive to each other. The school has high expectations for all pupils. There is clear ambition for pupils to become equipped to flourish in the future. Over time, pupils make strong progress in their social skills. Pupils enjoy an increasingly effective academic curriculum. Personal development is at the heart of the school's work. Pupils from all age groups enjoy playing sports together at lunchtime. They benefit from many opportunities to understand the community and the world outside the school. Pupils enjoy many visits to local landmarks and residential experiences. Pupils learn in a lovely environment with outdoor spaces. They are carefully encouraged to become increasingly independent and adventurous. Pupils develop important character traits. These include teamwork and confidence. They use these transferrable skills to overcome challenges.

What the school should improve

• The school's curriculum does not focus sufficiently on helping all children to build their knowledge and skills step by step. This means that some children do not develop and deepen their understanding consistently well across all subjects and areas of learning, including in communication and language. The school needs to ensure that curricular thinking is clearly designed and adapted to meet all pupils' needs, especially those with complex needs.

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