Impact Independent School, Cradley Heath

What it's like to be a pupil at Impact Independent School

Pupils at Impact School are welcomed each morning by staff, who know them well and help them feel safe, calm and ready for learning. Staff greet pupils warmly and help them settle quickly, which builds trust and creates a positive start to the day. Pupils know who they can talk to. They know that adults respond with patience and clarity, when they raise concerns. When bullying occurs, it is reported, and leaders take prompt action to ensure it stops. Relationships between pupils and staff are consistently positive. Classrooms are calm and routines are well established, helping pupils to understand what is expected of them. Most pupils show positive attitudes to learning and take part confidently in activities that feel purposeful. Some pupils still need support to sustain their focus. Leaders' continued emphasis on consistent expectations is helping to support pupils' engagement. Many pupils join the school with significant gaps in learning, caused by disrupted education or absence. When they attend regularly, typically the well-designed curriculum helps them build knowledge over time. Staff work with determination to rebuild secure foundations. This is particularly the case in reading. However, approaches to closing gaps and checking what pupils have missed are not consistently embedded. As a result, some pupils do not yet make the progress they should. Beyond lessons, pupils take part in experiences that help them understand themselves and the world around them. These opportunities build confidence, resilience and a growing sense of belonging. Pupils learn about life in modern Britain. This includes how to respect difference and contribute positively to their communities. Attendance remains a challenge for some pupils. Even so, pupils benefit from the persistence of staff, who pupils say ‘do not give up on you'. This helps many to re‑engage, feel hopeful about their future and begin to see success as something within their reach.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should establish a clear and consistent approach to reading, including accurate assessment of pupils' needs and well planned support to improve fluency, comprehension and confidence.
• Leaders should secure a reliable system for checking, recording and revisiting gaps in pupils' knowledge, including those caused by absence, so that pupils can keep pace with the intended curriculum.
• Leaders should further strengthen monitoring and evaluation processes so that strengths and weaknesses are identified precisely and used to inform focused, effective improvement work.

This school excels at welcoming vulnerable pupils and making them feel safe and valued. Staff build strong, trusting relationships that help pupils re-engage with learning and manage their emotions. The school also provides excellent pastoral support and practical life skills through activities like the allotment and vocational sessions, preparing pupils well for adulthood.

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.

Allotment and gardening with animal care, vocational sessions in cooking and sport, creative activities, mentoring, citizenship GCSE

Bus Stops