The Warren School, in Clarkes Lane, Lowestoft, to remain in special measures despite progress made by school leaders

A school in a coastal town for children with learning difficulties is to remain in special measures although Ofsted has recognised the progress its leaders have made.

The Warren School, in Clarkes Lane, Lowestoft, which is part of the Consortium Trust, was graded inadequate after an inspection in June 2022.

Inspectors Steve Mellors and Rebecca Quinn undertook a monitoring visit on March 5 and said school leaders have continued to develop the quality of education despite staff turnover, but more work was needed for it to be removed from special measures.

Kelly Bland, newly appointed academy head, said: “Whilst we are naturally pleased with the continued progress made in our recent monitoring visit, we are still ambitious and relentless in our mission to further develop our curriculum and offer the very best education to our young people.

“The outcome of the visit is certainly testament to the hard work of staff, leaders, and our children. We are also grateful to our parents and carers for their support.”

Ms Bland added the school will maintain focus on key areas identified by Ofsted so that by its next visit the body will be able to see the continued progress.

The report said since the last visit Warren School has received support from its trust, which is now leading the governance of the school.

School leaders have clarified to staff exactly what pupils should know and remember, the report said. This is planned through learning pathways, which are designed to be a broad curriculum matched to pupils’ specific needs and set an ambitious vision for development.

The report said the backlog of EHC plans and reviews had been cleared and external expertise used to asses the needs of pupils. It said there had been ‘significant improvements’ to safeguarding systems making it effective.

Teachers make effective use of equipment to secure understanding of key concepts, such as in maths classes, which includes the use of different communicative techniques and devices to maximise access and interaction, the report said.

Inspectors said reading is a high priority and high quality texts have been introduced and taught, but some staff are not as confident at using their knowledge of phonics to support pupils’ reading.

While the trust had sought different and new ways to engage with parents, including the re-establishment of parent consultation meetings, some do not fully understand the actions leaders are taking to improve the school and thus remain concerned about their child’s education.

The report said there had not been sufficient development of assessment approaches and the impact of the curriculum had not been evaluated.

The trust has ‘clear priorities and timescales’ for the improvement of the school, the report said.