The Milestone School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend well.

All pupils have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). A range of curriculum pathways support pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities well, including in 'The Space'. There are bespoke learning environments to suit each learning pathway.

Strong routines start in early years and continue throughout the school. As a result, pupils understand the high expectations of behaviour and learning set for them. Pupils experience a broad and balanced curriculum.

They achieve well from their individual starting points.

The ethos of 'be brave, be kind, be safe' shines through all aspects of the school day. Knowledgeable sta...ff provide tailored support.

This ensures that pupils grow as individuals. Staff celebrate pupils' achievements and value everyone's contributions.

There are a lot of positive experiences to broaden pupils' horizons, such as musical performances at a theatre, residential visits and enterprise projects to raise money for charity.

A wide range of sporting and outdoor adventurous activities, including sailing and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, enable pupils to learn about teamwork and taking risks. When appropriate, pupils learn important life skills such as cooking, budgeting for shopping and how to access public transport.

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

The school is well led and managed.

School leaders ensure staff have the right resources to deliver the school's curriculums across all pathways. The local advisory board provides appropriate support and challenge. A notable feature is the strong pastoral support the school provides to families and pupils.

Staff value the improved communication they receive and are proud to work at the school.

There has been a substantial review of the curriculum. It is well structured to meet pupils' learning and development needs, including for pupils in 'The Space' and in the early years departments.

The various curriculum pathways combine both academic curriculums and life-skills curriculums successfully.

Staff typically have strong subject knowledge in the subjects and curriculum pathways they teach. They use a variety of strategies, such as visual schedules, communication aids, sensory resources and structured routines, to support pupils' self-regulation, emotional management and readiness to learn.

All staff ensure pupils' EHC plan outcomes are integrated into pupils' bespoke curriculums. This is ensures pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education, training and adulthood.

The school sets clear expectations of how and when staff check what pupils know and can do.

For example, staff use their checks precisely to teach bespoke teaching sequences for pupils through the complex needs and profound multiple learning disabilities pathways. However, there are occasions when subject-based teaching does not build on a precise understanding of what pupils already know and what they need to learn next. When this happens, teaching does not address pupils' misconceptions as soon as they appear, or a minority of pupils are not moved on in their learning when they are ready.

Developing pupils' communication and reading is a high priority across all pathways. Pupils gain a love of stories. When they are ready, pupils learn the sounds that letters make.

Phonics teaching continues until pupils read fluently and can apply their phonics knowledge to spell accurately.

Staff implement the behaviour policy well. Staff model and help pupils to learn to manage their own emotions.

When they find it difficult, there are consistent processes in place to support pupils to self-regulate. As a result, incidences of poor behaviour have reduced.

There is an extensive careers education and work experience programme.

Pupils study for and are successful in a range of academic and vocational qualifications, for example functional skills in English and mathematics and the BTEC National Diploma in hospitality and tourism. The educational programmes support pupils to become resilient and ready to cope with life outside school.

The curriculum to develop pupils' character is well structured and appropriately adapted to meet the diverse needs of pupils.

Pupils learn how to be tolerant and accept others. Rightly, the curriculum has a strong focus on learning about healthy relationships, personal safety and emotional well-being. It teaches pupils about risks in the community, for example gangs and child exploitation.

The trust has successfully extended the leadership structure. This has increased the school's capacity to continually improve. Leaders at all levels have strong subject knowledge.

They carry out their roles to good effect. However, where curriculum pathways are still becoming firmly established, including in the early years, or there have been changes to school policies, some checks on the impact of the school's work that the trust expects to be in place are still developing.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A minority of subject-based teaching does not build on a precise understanding of what pupils already know and what they need to learn next. This slows pupils' learning down. The trust should ensure that teaching routinely builds on what pupils know and understand, and pupils make strong progress across all curriculum pathways and subjects.

• The many changes to leadership at different levels mean the school's actions to monitor the successful implementation of school policies and curriculum pathways, including in the early years, are still being refined. Some information the trust expects to be in place is not firmly established. The trust should ensure it holds the school to account stringently for providing them with the detailed information they need to inform future decisions and evaluate the impact of the school's work in its fullness.