Vale of Evesham School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 September 2023

Every moment counts when it comes to 'learning for life' at Vale of Evesham School. The school has the highest expectations for all pupils. Pupils arrive with various learning barriers, such as autism spectrum disorder and speech, language, and communication needs. Because of caring staff and determined leaders, these barriers are overcome, and expectations are fulfilled. Pupils leave as confident young adults, eager to be part of the world around them. A strong focus on positive relationships is at the heart of this special community. Staff act quickly when a pupil needs help or finds things difficult. There is a positive, calm environment in the school, where pupils are cared for and valued. Pupils have varying understanding about bullying, but they agree that staff will be there for them if they need help. Pupils are happy and safe because the staff care. Forest schools, horticulture or pop-up cafes enrich pupils' time at school. Trips to places such as castles, the railway, rugby stadiums or local museums inspire an awareness of the community around them.

What the school should improve

• The school does not consistently implement the communication systems pupils need to access the curriculum. While a broad and robust offer exists for developing staff's knowledge and skill in this area, some staff do not ensure pupils are supported with the appropriate spoken language, symbols or signing. This affects how engaged pupils are in their learning. The school needs to ensure that all staff act on the training provided to adapt the curriculum and provision to meet the children's receptive, processing, and expressive skills.
• The school does not yet consistently use assessment information from the Engagement Model to inform how the curriculum is implemented. This means that, in some cases, lessons and interactions with pupils are not always clearly focused on what pupils need to know or how they learn best. The school needs to ensure that the information gathered for the Engagement Model is used well for those pupils on the appropriate curriculum pathway so that lessons and interactions with pupils are based on how pupils learn best and focused on what they need to know next.
• The current curriculum for those students in the sixth form is not precisely planned or sequenced towards preparing students for the next steps. While students are happy, the school is unclear if the provision meets their ambitions or aspirations. The school needs to ensure that the sixth-form study programme is precisely designed, planned and implemented to prepare students for their own chosen next steps.

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