The Ribble Autism School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 July 2025

Pupils are happy here and excited to arrive at school each morning. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Staff understand pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities and respond with compassion and care. This helps pupils be safe and settled and be ready to learn. In the short time that the school has been open, leaders have acted swiftly to establish a positive and tailored learning environment. They are ambitious for what all pupils can achieve and have created the conditions needed for pupils to learn successfully. With the effective support of staff, pupils develop positive strategies to manage their emotions. They behave well and learn how to interact positively with others. As a result, pupils have settled quickly into their new school and show increased confidence and improved communication. They achieve well. Pupils benefit from a growing range of enrichment experiences that extend their learning beyond the classroom. These include swimming sessions, visits to the local library and walks in the community. Staff adapt such activities thoughtfully to meet pupils' individual needs and are steadily introducing new opportunities at a suitable pace for pupils. Pupils are encouraged to express their preferences and explore emerging interests as part of their broader personal development.

What the school should improve

• In some curriculum areas, the school has not ensured that staff have a consistent understanding of how to break down long-term goals effectively into manageable learning steps. This sometimes hinders staff from helping pupils build their knowledge in the most logical, secure way. The school should provide staff with clear curriculum guidance and strengthen their expertise to ensure that pupils learn coherently and achieve strong outcomes.
• The school has not provided parents with sufficient information about their child's learning and development in school. This hinders parents' ability to enhance the school's work and have the best possible impact on their child. The school should ensure that parents have the information they need to know and understand what is happening at school, so they can build on this at home.

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