Selwyn Hall School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 February 2024

Selwyn Hall provides a haven for pupils. Many have had substantial gaps in their education before coming here. The school prioritises building up trust between pupils and adults. Pupils develop strong connections with staff over time. Learning is tailored to pupils' interests. As a result, pupils want to come to school and enjoy learning. They feel safe and start to take part in more activities over time. Parents and carers typically say things such as, 'My child is thriving,' and, 'My child loves being part of the school community.' The school challenges pupils and shares high aspirations with them when talking about the future. Pupils' understanding in each subject is informally assessed by teachers when pupils start, and this is then used to plan classwork. Pupils are encouraged to develop independence. Adults work with them to build up their confidence for this. Pupils at Selwyn Hall are developing their ability to cope when upset or angry. The school teaches them strategies to help pupils refocus and calm down. All pupils have a 'safe space' they have chosen. Pupils use these, but staff then support them to get back to learning in their class.

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects, the skills to be taught are clearly sequenced over time, but the content taught is personalised for each pupil by their teacher. Systems have not yet been implemented to ensure that the knowledge learned by each pupil is coherently sequenced over time. The school needs to ensure that these systems are in place and used effectively.

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