Spen Brook School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 September 2023

Spen Brook School is a special place to learn. Pupils arrive at the school following substantial periods of disrupted education and quickly begin to flourish. The school takes account of pupils' previous experiences to help pupils to re-engage successfully with their learning. Pupils told inspectors that they quickly feel part of this supportive and nurturing setting when they join the school. This makes pupils feel happy and safe. The school has high expectations for what every pupil can achieve. It makes sure that staff fully understand the specific special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) of each pupil. Staff skilfully adapt learning and support to meet pupils' specific requirements. This ensures that all pupils achieve well. The school expects the best from pupils with regard to their behaviour. Staff are trained well to know how to meet each pupil's emotional and sensory needs. Pupils' behaviour in and around school is exceptional. Staff intervene swiftly and effectively if any pupil needs guidance or support to regulate their emotions. The school is relentless in developing pupils' resilience. A multitude of enrichment activities expose pupils to the wider world. These help pupils to develop their self- confidence. These opportunities include group activities, such as den building, to develop pupils' social skills. Pupils enjoy access to extensive activities outside of the formal curriculum. For example, they have raised funds for charities, have used their horticulture skills to create a sensory garden and have visited the beach to go crabbing.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not make explicit links to prior learning. This prevents pupils from drawing on the body of knowledge that they have previously learned. Leaders should ensure that teachers make the connections to previous learning clear so that pupils can build a rich body of knowledge over time.
• Leaders' systems to identify and support pupils who find reading more difficult do not identify and address the precise gaps in pupils' reading knowledge. This means that these pupils do not receive the support that they need to catch up with their peers in reading. Leaders should ensure that teachers are fully equipped to identify and remedy the gaps in pupils' reading knowledge.

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