Aurora Vincent House School, Horsham

What it's like to be a pupil at Aurora Vincent House School

Vincent House School makes a lasting and positive difference to the lives of its pupils. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Some have not attended school for long periods in the past. Others arrive with negative experiences of education. Pupils and their parents and carers are pleasantly surprised. They say this school provides exactly what they have been looking for. Pupils feel safe at school and build trust in the caring staff who work with them. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm. Staff identify pupils' needs swiftly and are proactive in meeting them. Pupils develop positive attitudes to school once again and start to thrive. They behave well. Attendance is improving and leaders are working hard to increase it further. Leaders and staff have consistently high expectations for pupils to work hard and achieve highly. Pupils enjoy their lessons and are proud of the work they produce. They benefit from learning a wide range of subjects, including art and geography. Staff make learning enjoyable. They check carefully what pupils know and can do. Pupils who need help with early reading are supported well. Pupils work towards national qualifications and tests. Pupils celebrate diversity. As a result, discrimination and bullying are incredibly rare, and any issues are quickly dealt with by staff. Pupils are fully included in the life of the school. Their voices are heard and their views are acted on through regular surveys and student council meetings. Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities beyond the classroom, for example swimming at a local pool and weekly enrichment activities such as crochet, cooking or e-sports. They enjoy a range of trips that enhance learning and build pupils' character. These include a residential stay and a visit to the Imperial War Museum.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should ensure they improve the curriculum in a small number of subjects by setting out more precisely the exact knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and when.
• Leaders should ensure they use attendance data consistently well to fully understand and tackle the issues that stop pupils from attending well.

Aurora Vincent House School provides a caring, inclusive environment where pupils with special educational needs thrive. Staff build strong relationships with pupils and quickly identify what support each child needs, helping them develop positive attitudes to learning and make real progress. The school offers a rich range of learning experiences, from academic subjects to creative activities, trips and enrichment programmes that build pupils' confidence and character.

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Board games group at local youth groups, winter games, trips to local cafes, swimming at local pool, crochet, cooking, e-sports, residential stay, visit to Imperial War Museum, therapy dog support

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Bus Stops