Elderbrook School, Nuneaton

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

Before coming to this school, many pupils have experienced disruption in their education. They often arrive with negative feelings about their learning and sometimes struggle to engage. Here, they find smiles, warmth and a staff team who truly have their best interests at heart. Positive relationships underpin everything that happens here. A carefully planned induction process helps pupils to settle in and develop a sense of belonging. It also provides staff with ample opportunity to get to know pupils really well. Staff get to understand pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities, their interests and ambitions. This knowledge, along with targeted therapy work, ensures that the school includes all pupils in what goes on, both academically and socially. Pupils feel safe because they trust staff to listen and help out when they have worries. Incidents of bullying are rare because of this and also because of how vigilant staff are about pupils' safety and wellbeing. Staff take a consistent approach to managing unwanted behaviours. They focus on restoring relationships through purposeful, respectful conversations. Pupils value this approach and behave increasingly well. Lessons are typically calm, creating an environment in which pupils can thrive. Pupils appreciate the increasingly rich curriculum. They achieve well in the wealth of opportunities open to them. This is particularly true for vocational subjects and personal development opportunities. Pupils engage well in learning and enjoy their successes. This positivity is directly impacting attendance because pupils genuinely want to come to school. Pupil voice is central to improvements in the school. This is captured through the school council, 'Spill the Tea with Lucy' and 'Beef and a Brew', to name just three. Many pupils start the school behind in their learning, but they and their parents and carers see that, over time, they become better prepared for the next steps. This includes pupils achieving a range of qualifications in academic and vocational subjects.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should bring the extensive personal development offer into an easily articulated structure so they can accurately identify priorities and improve the offer even more.
• Leaders should ensure that adults across the school model basic skills, including handwriting, accurately. This will support staff to better demonstrate expectations to pupils who are at an early stage of acquiring these skills for themselves.

This school excels at creating a warm, welcoming environment where pupils who have experienced disruption to their education feel genuinely valued and safe. Staff build strong relationships and understand each pupil's individual needs deeply, using this knowledge to provide carefully tailored support. The school has transformed behaviour and attendance through consistent expectations and a respectful, relational approach that helps pupils develop a real sense of belonging.

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils feel safe.

School council, Spill the Tea with Lucy discussion groups, Beef and a Brew discussion groups, Voices of the Earth programme, vocational tasters, employer encounters, creative and artistic experiences

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