The Damara School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 September 2025

Pupils attending this school receive life changing support, care and attention. They are taught to regulate their emotions and behaviour. Many pupils begin to attend school regularly for the first time in years. Pupils learn different strategies, such as breathing techniques, to calm themselves down when they are upset. This means that they are supported to quickly refocus on learning. The school is calm and pupils work hard. The school has a family feel, all pupils and staff regularly coming together during the school day to share successes and social times. Pupils are given the chance to share news or interesting things every day. Pupils listen intently to others with interest. They genuinely take care of each other, particularly looking out for those who are new or unwell. This makes pupils happy. Pupils and staff celebrate small changes in pupils' lives, for example complimenting new glasses. The school also has high expectations for pupils' academic success. Pupils make rapid progress, filling gaps in previous learning. Most pupils are on track to take age- appropriate qualifications, such as GCSEs. They are taught by skilled teachers, who engage pupils' interest in their learning.

What the school should improve

• In spelling, pupils' knowledge and skills are not as secure as they should be. This is because some improvements to the English and phonics curriculum are more recent. As a result, pupils have had less opportunity to secure some aspects of their spelling learning. The school should ensure that the new phonics programme is embedded and leads into a well-designed spelling curriculum.

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