The Seeds School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 September 2023

This is a school where leaders and staff know the pupils inside and out. Pupils value the sense of community that exists within the school. As a result, they feel valued and trust the staff to help them if they are worried or have concerns. The school are keen for pupils to be the best they can be. To support this aim, they have transformed the curriculum. The school has built on the strengths in the vocational curriculum and redesigned the curriculum in the academic subjects. All of this is having a positive impact on how well pupils achieve. However, leaders at all levels are keen to improve the school even further. Overall, pupils conduct themselves well and, in most instances, engage in their learning. Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils. Staff are alert to any changes in pupils' behaviour and step in quickly to help pupils manage their emotions. Leaders have recently established a behaviour curriculum. This is helping pupils to further understand what appropriate behaviour looks like. Parents are relieved that their children are in a school where their needs are being met. In particular, they value the open lines of communication that exist between the school and home.

What the school should improve

• The school does not have a mechanism in place to identify any gaps in pupils' phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils at the early stages of reading do not get the help they need to become fluent readers. The school should implement a phonics programme that will allow them to identify and fill gaps in pupils' phonics knowledge.
• Too many pupils are persistently or severely absent from school. This has a negative impact on their progress through the curriculum. The school should establish an attendance policy and systems, which use data intelligently, so that they can put in place effective individual and whole-school attendance strategies.

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