The Pears Family School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school Leaders, founders and governors have been successful in achieving their vision of creating a school which puts families at the heart of its work. Leaders have high expectations of pupils and staff. They strive to secure continual improvement in all of the school's work.

The headteacher inspires and supports his staff team to do the very best that they can to improve pupils' life chances. He is loved by pupils and respected by parents and staff. A highly skilled, thoughtful and committed leadership team supports the headteacher.

Collectively, they make the school a very special place indeed. Staff are proud to work at the school an...d go above and beyond directed duties because : they care so deeply about their pupils. Some staff choose to come into work early to join pupils for breakfast.

As one member of staff said, 'It just feels like a family.' Pupils and their families benefit from high-quality therapeutic care and teaching, within a nurturing, safe learning environment. Therapists and teaching staff are passionate about their work and the impact they have on pupils' well-being and achievement.

The school's approach has been successful in helping families to improve their lives. As one parent put it, 'The school has saved us. We were so isolated before coming here.

Now we have friends.' The 'parent and carer curriculum' is a unique aspect of the school's work. Parent, carers and pupils learn together.

Parents receive training and guidance to support their own learning and that of their children. The curriculum is underpinned by British values and by the school's work to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils, from their starting points when they join the school, make consistently strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

A high proportion of pupils are reintegrated into mainstream school within four terms and the vast majority of these pupils keep their places in mainstream school. Pupils' behaviour improves rapidly when they join the school. Pupils were unfailingly respectful, friendly, polite and honest during the inspection.

There were no incidents of poor behaviour. Pupils are confident that staff deal with any form of bullying effectively. Teachers do not consistently give work to the most able pupils that helps them to make the best academic progress that they can.

Teaching assistants provide excellent support for pupils' well-being and behaviour for learning. However, they occasionally lack confidence in supporting pupils, particularly the most able, with their learning.

Information about this school

The Family School is an alternative provision free school that was established in September 2014.

The school is sponsored by the Anna Freud Centre. The school is currently on a temporary site and accommodates 31 pupils who are between the ages of five to 14. When the school moves to its new site in 2018, it will accommodate 48 pupils.

The school is currently oversubscribed. Pupils are taught in key stage groups. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is above average.

Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The school takes pupils from several different local authorities. There are a number of children looked after at the school.

The majority of pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care plan. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.