Maple Tree Primary School, Broadstairs

What it's like to be a pupil at Maple Tree Primary School

This school caters for pupils who have struggled to access education in mainstream settings. Many are disengaged from education when they join the school. However, here, pupils benefit from the support that they need to achieve well. Pupils benefit from leaders' thorough understanding of each individual's needs. Pupils' barriers to learning and wellbeing are quickly reduced by staff. Targeted support helps pupils learn to understand and manage their feelings. Pupils respond well to the school's consistent routines and personalised approaches, which enable them to make steady progress from their varied starting points. Most pupils learn to read and write securely. Pupils benefit from a curriculum that is broad, engaging and designed to develop their independence in preparation for adult life. Teaching takes account of what pupils already know and can do. This helps pupils to engage positively in class. Pupils develop important life skills through thoughtfully designed practical experiences. For instance, they learn cooking skills while developing an understanding of healthy eating. Pupils' motivation is encouraged by learning activities based around their interests. This helps them to build essential skills. For example, pupils build bikes using tools that help to improve their fine motor control. Pupils engage well in these activities and enjoy their learning. Pupils participate fully in school life and form positive relationships with staff and their peers. Pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. They feel safe and confident that staff understand their individual circumstances. Bullying is rare and swiftly resolved if it occurs. Pupils' behaviour is typically calm and focused. When pupils become worried, or find it difficult to meet leaders' high expectations, staff respond with consistency and care. In general, pupils attend regularly. A wide range of enrichment activities build pupils' confidence, curiosity and social skills. For example, pupils enjoy visits to local venues, such as the trampoline park. Pupils embrace leadership roles, such as school councillor, which help them to understand responsibility and to contribute to the school community.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should ensure that all staff have the expertise needed to deliver all aspects of the curriculum, including phonics and handwriting, well.
• Leaders should continue to strengthen their approach to increasing pupils' attendance, working closely with parents and carers and external professionals to identify and remove barriers that prevent pupils from attending more regularly.
• The proprietor should further strengthen its oversight of the extent to which governance arrangements are effective in continuing to move the school forward.

Maple Tree Primary School excels at supporting pupils who have had disrupted education by providing personalised, calm support that helps them re-engage with learning. Staff know pupils exceptionally well and use thoughtfully designed practical activities and routines to help them manage emotions, build confidence and develop essential life skills. The school's broad, engaging curriculum is carefully tailored to individual needs and interests, enabling pupils to make steady progress and prepare well for independence and secondary education.

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed.

Visits to trampoline park, local zoo, go-kart racing, bike building, gardening, cooking, sewing, outdoor learning with plant growing and den building

Train Stations

Bus Stops