William Morris School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 June 2023

Pupils have settled in well to their new school. Staff take the time to learn about pupils' needs and interests. This puts pupils at ease. Pupils have begun to forge friendships and share mutual interests with their peers. For example, one group goes off site for pony care sessions. Another group visits a local workshop where they craft musical instruments and experiment with silverwork. The school benefits from extensive outdoor space and established gardens. Increasingly, pupils are involved in tending the land by planting and growing fruits and vegetables. They enjoy developing their understanding of science and geography through horticulture. Pupils improve their social and communication skills in therapy sessions. There are opportunities in class for pupils to participate in discussions. Over time, pupils become increasingly confident to contribute. They know that positive, respectful behaviour is expected of them and demonstrate this most of the time. Already, in their short time at the school, pupils have visited a wildlife centre, gone to a pantomime and have been ice skating. Visitors are regularly brought into school to help bring the curriculum to life. Through the student council, pupils make their views known. This leads to real change; for example, their request for a climbing frame has been accepted.

What the school should improve

• Leaders' aims for what pupils will achieve through the curriculum have not yet been fully realised. Some aspects of the curriculum are in the early stages of development. As a result, pupils' learning does not yet build purposefully towards accreditation in some subjects, such as those linked to the school's vocational offer. Leaders should further develop the subject curriculums so that, over time, pupils can achieve their full potential.
• Some assessment practices are not precisely focused on the essential curriculum knowledge that pupils need to learn. Assessment is not often used to promote the retention of knowledge. Consequently, pupils do not embed their knowledge well enough. Leaders need to identify the most crucial knowledge to be learned and make sure that it forms the focus for retrieval and assessment.

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