Acorns School, Stockport

What it's like to be a pupil at Acorns School

Nurturing and trusting relationships between pupils and staff underpin pupils' experiences and help them to feel secure and happy in school. These relationships are particularly evident during social times. Whether playing games together, such as 'chase' or chess, or sitting quietly and talking, the warmth and high regard between staff and pupils shines through their interactions. These positive relationships play a vital role in helping pupils who have typically had disrupted, and often negative, experiences of school in the past to re-engage with their education. Over time, pupils attend school more regularly. Pupils have benefited from the actions that leaders have recently taken to improve the school. For example, pupils appreciate that the school is typically a calm and orderly place where any bullying is quickly resolved. Increasingly, leaders ensure that they have a thorough understanding of the barriers that prevent pupils from attending, or engaging in, school. However, pupils do not consistently receive the support or high-quality teaching that they need to learn successfully. In addition, some pupils have notable gaps in their fundamental knowledge of reading, writing or number which are not swiftly addressed and thus persist over time. This hinders their learning. Pupils appreciate the opportunities that leaders provide, both within and alongside the curriculum, to promote their wider development. Activities such as arts and crafts help pupils to develop strategies to look after their mental health and wellbeing. Other experiences, including go-karting, challenge pupils to step outside of their comfort zone and help develop their confidence. These thoughtfully-designed opportunities are tailored to pupils' individual needs and interests and help to build their resilience and self-esteem. When needed, leaders provide additional support to pupils to ensure that they have the skills and confidence needed to navigate adult life successfully. For example, some pupils are taught how to use public transport safely.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should ensure that information about pupils' needs, including from external professionals, informs the support that pupils receive and is used consistently well to reduce barriers to pupils' learning.
• Leaders should ensure that they have a precise understanding of any gaps in pupils' foundational literacy and numeracy knowledge, so that pupils receive sharply focused support to address these gaps.
• Leaders should continue to develop staff's pedagogical expertise to design learning activities that enable pupils to apply and embed their knowledge, so that they learn and achieve well across the curriculum.
• Leaders should ensure that staff use assessment information to inform their teaching, so that learning activities are closely matched to pupils' starting points.
• Leaders should broaden opportunities for pupils to engage with the world of work, so that all pupils are sufficiently well informed about, and prepared for, future employment.
• The proprietor should continue to support leaders to drive improvements in the quality of teaching, so that pupils benefit from effective teaching across all classes and subjects and to ensure that all the independent school standards are met.

This school excels at building trusting relationships with pupils who have had negative school experiences, helping them feel valued and secure. Staff take a consistent, compassionate approach to managing behaviour and supporting wellbeing. The school provides excellent enrichment activities and pastoral care that build pupils' confidence and help them re-engage with education.

Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders and governors fulfil their responsibilities and have created an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, resulting in pupils feeling safe.

Arts and crafts, games with staff, go-karting, problem-solving challenges, trips, chess

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Bus Stops