Lime Academy Hornbeam

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The academy is good and improving. Leaders show a clear and strong sense of purpose. The Hospital and Home Teaching Service is outstanding.

It meets pupils' needs exceptionally well, whether they have a short or long stay in hospital or require home tuition. The academy caters for pupils who have a very wide range of needs and many have profound and multiple disabilities. They make good progress because of the strong focus on meeting their individual needs.

The staff help pupils to develop into confident young people, who are as independent as possible and able to make sensible decisions about their future. Teaching is good and teachers p...lan lessons well to meet the wide range of individual needs. At times, though, the level of challenge is not high enough for the most able pupils.

The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils also learn about British values and what it means to be a good citizen. The youngest children get a good start in a warm and supportive environment.

The outdoor space is well used but does not always support learning as successfully as it could. The sixth form courses meet students' needs well. The experience and qualifications they gain enable them to go on to suitable courses.

The transitions to the next stage of the pupils' education or training are very well managed to make sure that pupils can move on confidently and successfully. Pupils enjoy school and have good attitudes to learning. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good and promote good behaviour.

Pupils are polite and friendly towards visitors. Pupils are kept safe in the academy and are taught how to keep themselves safe outside, particularly if they are able to use the internet. Most parents are supportive of the academy and appreciate the high quality of care and support it gives their children.

Most pupils attend regularly but there are a few who are absent too often. The curriculum has been developed to provide a wider range of courses and qualifications but these have not been in place long enough to show that pupils will make better progress.

Information about this school

The academy was formed when William Morris School and Brookfield House School joined together as the Hornbeam Academy Special Academy in 2015.

The academy admits children from the age of two upwards. At the time of the inspection, there were no children aged two on roll. A high proportion of pupils stay on into the Academy sixth form where they may stay until they are 19.

Each campus has its own principal and management team which is responsible to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Hornbeam Academy Trust. The academy is responsible for managing the Hospital and Home Teaching Service attached to Whipps Cross Hospital. The head of the service is also responsible to the CEO of the trust.

The academy caters for pupils who have a wide range of needs, including physical, behavioural, social, emotional and mental health needs, autistic spectrum disorders and profound, multiple and complex medical and learning needs. All pupils who attend the two main campuses at Hornbeam have an education, health and care plan. The proportion of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is well above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.