Emily Wilding Davison School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a rapidly improved school. Pupils are valued and nurtured. Skilled staff provide personalised learning and support.

There are high expectations for pupils' behaviour and achievement. The school's core 'RICH-T' values of respect, integrity, compassion, honesty and trust are woven through the school's curriculum. Pupils earn 'golden tickets' when they display these behaviours.

The curriculum is broad and aspirational. It is designed to meet the needs of pupils. Pupils experience a variety of learning opportunities, including vocational and academic courses.

Pupils who access alternative provision learn to engage in education, follow their interests and ...develop their skills.

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and good-natured. The school ensures that pupils are safe and have staff to turn to if they need help.

Pupils learn to behave well. Staff teach them to understand and manage their emotions. Pupils receive strong support for their mental health.

Staff help pupils to reduce their anxiety and develop their confidence.

The school provides various enrichment opportunities. Pupils experience visits to museums, places of worship and theatre performances.

They hold positions of responsibility as school councillors. The school's residential trips and outdoor education activities help pupils to develop independence and learn life skills.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is now a calm and pleasant place to learn.

Staff have the necessary expertise to understand and meet pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

Leaders have developed a new curriculum. Pupils can gain a range of qualifications including at GCSE and NCFE levels.

The content for each curriculum subject has been thoughtfully chosen and coherently sequenced. It is clear what knowledge pupils need to know, when and why.

There is an effective system to check pupils' progress, including for those who attend alternative provision.

Teachers use the information they collate from their assessments to plan pupils' next steps in learning effectively. They identify when pupils need extra teaching or support. Teachers' assessments inform pupils' individual SEND plans.

Each pupil's small steps of learning are identified in these plans. The SEND plans link with precision to pupils' education, health and care (EHC) plans. External professionals, including therapists, work with staff to ensure that pupils' needs are met well.

The importance of reading for pleasure is promoted well. Phonics is taught discretely for those in the early stages of learning to read. Topics of learning are linked to high-quality texts.

Staff seize every chance possible to develop pupils' vocabulary and understanding of language. For example, pupils use persuasive language to support the advertising of products they create for their enterprise projects.

The school utilises a range of alternative providers of education.

Leaders have strengthened their oversight of these provisions. They have a secure understanding of the quality of education pupils receive. They ensure that learning is in line with outcomes in pupils' EHC plans.

Most pupils have experienced long-term absence in their previous schools. Many are admitted to this school having become disillusioned with education. This school is unwavering in its determination to reduce pupils' persistent absence.

For example, staff teach in the community to help pupils with high anxiety to access learning. There are several examples of how the attendance of individual pupils has increased significantly during their time at the school. Despite these, improving pupils' attendance remains an ongoing and high priority for the school.

The school promote pupils' personal development well. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum contains suitable topics of learning. Pupils learn about protected characteristics, equality, democracy and the rule of law.

They receive age-appropriate relationships, sex and health education. They learn about potential risks including from vaping, hate crime and drugs. They benefit from using the school's gym.

Pupils take part in trips such as to Hadrian's Wall and Holy Island. Older pupils participate in work experience opportunities. Pupils receive independent advice to help them to make informed choices about their next steps in education, training or employment.

Staff receive very effective support for their workload and welfare. The support for their mental well-being is strong. Staff are rightly proud to work at the school.

Staff, leaders and governors work with absolute determination to secure continued whole school improvements. Together, they are a strong, successful team, who genuinely want the best for pupils in their care.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Too many pupils miss essential learning and experiences. This has a detrimental effect on their education. Leaders should redouble their efforts to ensure that parents and carers understand that persistent absence disadvantages their children educationally and socially.

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