Abbey View

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The inspirational leadership of the principal has been fundamental to the transformation of this school. He has the full support of his team, who share his ambition for the school to provide the very best care and education for the pupils it serves.

Relationships between staff and pupils in the school are impressive. This allows pupils to build trust with adults to help them feel safe and secure. Staff are fastidious in all aspects of safeguarding and work tirelessly to keep pupils safe.

The school works effectively with a range of outside agencies to ensure that pupils are provided with the best possible emotional and academic developmen...t. Behaviour is good. The school provides pupils with high-quality therapeutic provision.

This is making a positive contribution to pupils' well-being and self-esteem. Pupils enjoy the school and attend regularly. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good.

Consequently, pupils typically make good progress from often low starting points. Sometimes, however, activities planned do not motivate pupils to achieve well. The new tracking system is not yet fully embedded across the school to check that pupils are making the best possible progress.

Leaders' plans for improvement do not focus sharply enough on how planned actions will improve pupils' outcomes or how they will be checked. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of care and education their children receive. The curriculum is carefully tailored to meet the needs of pupils.

It is complemented by a wide range of enrichment activities to which pupils have access.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

Abbey View School offers alternative provision for pupils who find the demands of a mainstream education challenging and for those who are at risk of permanent exclusion. The number of pupils on the school roll changes frequently, as some only stay at the school for a few weeks. All pupils are dual registered.

They are on the school roll and on the roll of the mainstream school that commissioned a place at Abbey View. The school uses no alternative provision. There are a higher number of referrals for pupils in Years 10 and 11 than in Years 7, 8 and 9.

All pupils have an identified need related to personal trauma or turbulence in their past schooling. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is above the national average. The funding for these pupils is built into the cost of the placement.

There has been a new principal appointed since the previous inspection, starting in post in September 2015. The school receives support from the Mulberry Bush School, a non-maintained residential special school, national teaching school and national support school. At the time of the inspection, Year 11 pupils were on study leave.