Palmerston School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. The headteacher, senior leaders', teachers' and governors' unflinching pursuit of excellence is reflected in the continuing outstanding quality of teaching and of students' achievement.

Middle leaders work very closely with the senior leadership team. They ensure the curriculum is sensitively matched to the needs and abilities of every student, which results in exceptional development, progress and attainment for all. Teaching is outstanding.

Very well-planned and creative activities engage students exceptionally well and make learning exciting and enjoyable. From their low starting points, students make excellent progress in the... development of their literacy and numeracy skills. Students make outstanding progress in communication because of the highly effective use of signs and symbols.

The most able students make excellent progress in reading and writing. However, there are not enough opportunities for students to use their skills in phonics (the sounds that letters and combination of letters make) and early reading to support their writing in subjects other than English. Progress in mathematics is outstanding.

Carefully selected practical activities are challenging and relevant to individual needs, enabling all groups to achieve extremely well. Sixth form provision is exceptional and students make outstanding progress over time. The highly effective sixth form enables all students to gain a wide range of qualifications and benefit from some impressive vocational and work-related placements.

Rigorous and highly effective systems check students' progress and anyone who falls behind quickly catches up. The governing body has an excellent understanding and accurate view of the school's work. Governors ensure safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements.

The school is held in very high regard by the local authority. Parents are overwhelmingly pleased with the school. The school promotes students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well indeed.

Students display exemplary behaviour and enjoy attending school. They say they feel very safe, are happy and well looked after in school. As students progress through the school they grow in confidence and maturity and this prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

Information about this school

Palmerston School serves the city of Liverpool and provides for students aged 11 to 19 with severe learning difficulties. Many students have associated difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorders and communication difficulties. The headteacher is a National Leader in Education and the school is a nationally accredited Teaching School and provides support for other schools.

There is a high proportion of disadvantaged students. These students are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding. The pupil premium is additional funding for those students known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.

Students come from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds, the large majority of which are White British. Very few students speak English as an additional language. The school holds the Basic Skills award and has Healthy School status.

It is also an Investor in Careers and has the Career Connect Quality Mark. The school uses Young Persons Opportunity Project as an alternative provision to enable work-based learning opportunities in Key Stage 4 and Connections to organise work experience placements in sixth form. It does not use early entry for GCSE.

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