John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Warmth and kindness shine through as pupils and adults enjoy one another's company.

Smiles are aplenty in classrooms, playgrounds and corridors. Pupils develop strong friendships with one another. All receive high-quality support to meet their physical and social needs.

Much is expected of pupils. They step up to meet these expectations, working hard and learning well.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

They show consistently high levels of respect for each other, and for adults. Adults provide well-tailored support to help pupils self-regulate. Pupils have well-rehearsed strategies they can draw on if they feel stressed, angry or upset.

Those ...who need more help with behaviour receive highly effective support from skilled adults. Over time, pupils who receive this extra help improve their behaviour considerably.

Students in the sixth form develop high levels of resilience and independence to prepare them for adulthood.

Many go on to college places because of the high-quality guidance they receive when deciding their next steps. Pupils across the school benefit from a range of wider opportunities. Whether trips, activities or time in the forest area, pupils develop their confidence, communication and resilience.

Adults know pupils' needs well and tailor many of these opportunities to pupils' individual needs.

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

Pupils learn and develop well. This is because the school's curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the differing needs of pupils.

Adults regularly make careful checks on what pupils know and can do. This ensures pupils follow the right curriculum pathway for them as they move through the school. As children join in early years, adults get to know them well.

These youngest children become comfortable in their new surroundings. Children in early years develop strong relationships with adults, learning and developing well.

Pupils learn to communicate well.

They develop appropriate and secure communication skills and knowledge for their stage of development. For some pupils, this is non-verbal communication using aids or devices to express their needs and feelings. For others, it is through verbal or written communication.

Pupils learn to read well as a result of the school's well-taught phonics programme. This has been skilfully adapted to suit the differing special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) of pupils. They read books that help them apply their growing knowledge of sounds.

This helps many become accurate and confident readers.

Adults receive high-quality guidance and training to help them keep their practice sharp. They explain new ideas clearly and skilfully model language for pupils.

They make effective use of well-chosen resources to support pupils in their work and thinking. At times, though, adults have not had sufficient training to help them to guide pupils well enough to apply what they know when they work independently. This is particularly the case when younger pupils choose which activities they want to undertake.

Pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities receive the right education and care. Their physical and emotional needs are well met. Pupils benefit from the use of the therapy pool, along with regular swimming lessons for all.

Splashes, laughter and fun run alongside high-quality swimming teaching. The school provides effective support for pupils' medical needs, working closely with external professionals where needed.

The school's fine work over the past few years to improve attendance is bearing fruit.

Pupils attend extremely well. If a pupil starts to miss too many lessons, the school follows this up quickly with parents and carers. The school provides extremely helpful advice and support to ensure a pupil's attendance will bounce back to what it was.

From youngest to oldest, pupils' well-being is at the heart of the school's work. Pupils learn from a young age to express their feelings; the delivery of the 'self-regulation' curriculum plays a significant role in this. Adults and pupils work together to ensure that all in school are kind to themselves and others.

This well-established culture leads to pupils' behaviour being exceptional. Adults develop expertise in how best to help pupils behave well, and how to help those with particular behavioural difficulties.

The curriculum encourages the development of social and personal skills.

Pupils have a well-developed understanding of right from wrong. They learn about the lives of people from different cultures and those with different beliefs. Older pupils benefit from opportunities such as travelling on public transport, using money in shops and having work experience sessions in the local supermarket.

Sixth-form students apply their developing social skills through regular enterprise projects. These rich opportunities provide sixth-form students with both the experiences and social skills they need to successfully move into adulthood. The oldest students take great pride in the qualifications they achieve.

These are as a result of much hard work and highly positive attitudes from students. Students leave the school at the end of sixth form ready to face their next steps in life with confidence, resilience and growing independence.

Governors provide unwavering support for leaders.

While this is the case, they do not shy away from asking probing questions of leaders around areas such as resources or finance. Staff are proud to be part of the school. They are well supported by leaders because the well-being of adults remains high on the agenda.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, adults do not have the depth of knowledge they need to skilfully guide younger pupils to apply what they know in different activities and contexts. This means some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

The school should ensure that they fully implement the planned training to provide all staff with the knowledge and skills they need to deepen pupils' learning effectively