The Lighthouse

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 November 2024

Pupils' life chances are significantly improved by this school. All pupils have had a very disrupted education prior to arriving here. However, due to staff's high-quality care and expert knowledge, pupils soon re-engage with learning and attend regularly. Pupils' self-esteem and resilience also improves exceptionally well. This transformation in a short period of time is remarkable. All pupils achieve well from their starting points. They are successfully prepared for the next stage of their education or employment. The school leaves no stone unturned to support its pupils. Pupils value the tailored pastoral care, which precisely meets their needs. Pupils who have previously been socially isolated form friendships, learn to manage their emotions independently and re-gain trust in adults. The school is, therefore, a calm, safe and positive place to learn. Pupils thrive in situations they would have historically found difficult to cope with. This includes navigating busy environments, such as tube trains and theatres. They learn to cooperate with peers in team activities, such as sailing and climbing. Pupils volunteer in the community, for example, at a dementia café. Pupils are incredibly positive about their experiences here. They are motivated to succeed and have hope for their future.

What the school should improve

• In parts of the curriculum, connections to prior knowledge are not always explicitly signposted. This limits how securely pupils make links and build on prior learning across subjects when learning something new. The school needs to ensure that in these subjects, staff know when and how to make these links and detail clearer to pupils so that learning is always in the depth intended.
• Sometimes, the work set for pupils does not fully maximise their learning opportunities. This means some pupils are not able to access higher qualification pathways sooner. The school needs to ensure that staff have the required pedagogical knowledge to move on pupils' learning as quickly as possible so that they achieve as highly as they are capable of.

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