The Court Special School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

The Court School is a happy community where pupils feel valued and safe. Staff place pupils at the heart of everything they do.

They have an extensive knowledge of the pupils and build strong relationships underpinned by care and respect. Many pupils have experienced the breakdown of placements with previous providers. This has adversely affected their confidence and self-esteem.

At the Court School, pupils benefit from an individualised education programme with a clear focus on the development of pupils' emotional well-being. Staff across the school build trust with pupils successfully and know pupils' needs and interests well. This is a notable strength of the school.

Over time, nearly all pupils make significan...t progress in improving their attitudes to learning and enjoy school. Staff consistently embed a range of strategies across the school to improve pupils' health and well-being. As a result, over time, most pupils develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles well, helping them to become healthy, confident individuals.

The curriculum has recently been developed to encompass pupils' needs and interests well. Pupils enjoy learning about topics, such as astronomy and sporting heroes. Many pupils make good progress in developing their reading and numeracy skills.

However, pupils' writing skills are less well-developed. The development of pupils' physical skills is a strength. The school supports the moral and cultural development of all pupils very well, planning rich opportunities for pupils to learn about diversity and different cultures.

As a result, in line with their abilities, many pupils develop a strong understanding of other cultures and faiths as well as their place in Wales. The headteacher provides sensitive and compassionate leadership, creating a highly inclusive ethos and a strong sense of community. Senior leaders work in collaboration.

Together, they have secured and embedded the vision; 'keep calm and keep learning'. They create highly supportive learning environments, where pupils thrive and begin to believe in themselves. Recommendations R1 Refine self-evaluation processes so that leaders at all levels collect and analyse data and other important information systematically to identify strategic priorities accurately R2 Strengthen assessment processes to take account of pupils' progress in all areas of their learning What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.