Wigston Birkett House Community Special School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 June 2022

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming school. Pupils say that they feel safe and are happy at the school. Staff are very caring and supportive. They understand pupils' individual needs well. Parents and carers appreciate the help that staff give them and their children. One parent expressed a view that was shared by others when they stated, 'This school has been incredible to both our child and our family as a whole.' Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils know staff will look after them and help them to learn. Staff are very skilled at meeting the pupils' complex needs. Leaders have high expectations that there will be 'no glass ceiling' for any pupil. They want all pupils to be ready for their next steps. They ensure that the school supports all pupils to make progress towards this aim. Pupils' behaviour is good. They engage well with their learning. Lessons are not affected by disruption since staff support pupils to understand and manage their emotions. Distress is minimised because staff understand pupils' needs. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. They are certain that if bullying did happen staff will deal with it quickly and effectively.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not ensured that the mathematics curriculum is precisely sequenced towards clearly defined end points. Teachers do not consider well enough how they take into account pupils' needs and build on what pupils do or do not already know. As a result, pupils often learn about new mathematical concepts before they are ready to do so. Leaders need to ensure that the mathematics curriculum is coherently sequenced to meet all pupils' needs.
• Leaders have not ensured that they have a comprehensive overview of the targets that pupils are set through their IEPs. Leaders and teachers do not always know how pupils' targets have developed over time. Some targets are not always precise enough to allow pupils to make the maximum amount of progress possible. Leaders must ensure that their oversight of IEPs is sufficiently comprehensive so that the targets pupils are set focus precisely on catering for their individual needs. This, in turn, will help pupils to achieve as highly as they should in their learning and development.

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