Include Suffolk, which has schools in Lowestoft, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, recognised for improvement journey by Ofsted

A school which is ‘ambitious for every pupil’ has been recognised for its improvement journey by Ofsted.

Include Suffolk, which has sites in Lowestoft, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, was upgraded from requires improvement to good by the education watchdog.

In their report, inspectors Steve Mellors, Nathan Lowe and Joanna Pendlow said Include Suffolk offers its pupils, the majority of whom have faced ‘difficult challenges’ in the past, a ‘second chance’.

Headteacher Daryl Bates said: “This Ofsted rating is a credit to our entire school community.

“Every day, our staff go above and beyond to ensure that each child receives the support they need to thrive, both academically and emotionally.

“We are committed to continuing this journey of growth and to further strengthening Include Suffolk’s educational and therapeutic programs.”

The report said students at the school ‘receive a warm welcome as they arrive’, which inspectors said is important to help them settle and prepare for the day ahead.

The ‘patient approach’ of staff at Include Suffolk ‘helps to build nurturing and trusting relationships’, the report said.

Students at Include Suffolk attend the school because they have challenges managing their emotions.

The report said adults set ‘clear expectations’ for behaviour, and when pupils become upset or anxious, staff deal with their concerns ‘calmly and sensitively’.

Inspectors noted students are confident that, if they had any worries, staff would deal with their concerns.

Many Include Suffolk pupils leave able to ‘re-engage with learning at their next stages of education’.

The report said, since the previous inspection, the school has made ‘positive changes’ to its curriculum.

Inspectors said it is now ‘well-structured’ and designed to meet the needs of all pupils, which is aided by the staff’s ‘secure subject knowledge’.

The school has a ‘sharp focus’ on reading across all years, and students receive targeted teaching to build their knowledge in this area.

The report said some pupils arrive at the school with undiagnosed needs. Include Suffolk undertakes early assessments to support the creation of support plans, and advocate and pastoral staff use ‘a variety of therapies and activities to meet pupils’ social and emotional needs’.

Inspectors said ‘re-igniting’ the students’ love of learning is central to its work. The school achieves this by creating a sense of belonging and acceptance.

The report noted, to improve further, the school could break down key learning in some subjects into precise steps. This is because, in a small amount of subjects, pupils do not recall learning as clearly as leaders intend.

Leaders should continue with their work to refine these plans so that pupils progress well in every subject, inspectors said.

Include Suffolk is a specialist provision which supports students aged five to 11 years old whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream setting.