Stone Bay School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

Pupils enjoy their time at Stone Bay. Older pupils who have attended for longer periods of time are very proud of their school and their friends. Those who are new are welcomed and settle well because of the care and support available. Parents and carers appreciate the carefully planned transition arrangements for children joining Reception. Pupils generally behave well here. Staff use positive strategies when pupils need additional support and are skilled at heading off serious problems before they arise. The student council told the lead inspector that they feel safe in school, although sometimes the noise made by others can be distracting. They found it difficult to identify anything that they want to improve. However, their list of positives was long, including horse riding, the school's animal and horticultural area, and swimming trips. Despite pupils' complex needs, staff expect the best from all. New curriculum pathways have been introduced. Aspirations have been raised. While the long-term impact of this is not yet clear, staff's work to prepare pupils for life after school is more focused. As a result, older pupils in particular have a greater sense of independence and both their confidence and their desire to achieve are growing.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes staff are not as skilled as they might be in their implementation of the curriculum. In particular, activity choices do not always meet the needs of some pupils, who then disengage from learning. When this happens, staff struggle to refocus pupils quickly enough and learning slows. The school needs to ensure that there is more consistency in the way teachers design learning opportunities, so that pupils across all phases of the school make the progress they are fully capable of.
• On occasion, teachers do not identify precisely enough the small steps in learning they want pupils to make. When this is the case, some pupils struggle to remember the key knowledge they need. This also means that staff sometimes move learning on too quickly because pupils have not had sufficient time to build on what they already know and remember. Leaders should ensure that teachers have absolute clarity about the small steps in learning they want pupils to achieve before moving their learning on.

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