The headteacher said it’s ‘incredible’ to receive the rating

A SEND school where children are “flourishing” has been rated outstanding for a fifth year in a row. Gretton School in Manor Farm Road, Girton, underwent a two-day Ofsted inspection from February 10 until February 12.

There are 175 pupils that attend the school, but it can also accommodate up to 12 residential pupils. At the time of inspection, there were six residential pupils and inspectors spoke to all these children.

Ofsted rated the school outstanding in all three areas it assessed, which were: overall experiences and progress of children and young people; how well children and young people are helped and protected; and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

Inspectors said the school provided “highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good”, and the school’s actions contribute to “significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people”.

Headteacher Beth Elkins said that outstanding outcomes “don’t happen by accident or good fortune”. She added: “They happen because a team of people take it upon themselves to understand the importance of a role, unite in how that role is carried out and do the job to the best of their ability, with learners at the centre.

“Outstanding doesn’t mean perfect. It means better than that – it means that you never stop trying to do, and be, better for the learners that sit at the heart of the provision. This was captured beautifully by one of the external contacts that the Inspectors contacted, who said: ‘All practitioners want to do better, they are engaged and want autistic children to have their rights met.’ What an incredible thing!”

Inspectors said staff “patiently preserve with children”, and that they were “knowledgeable, empathetic and committed to their roles”. The report added: “Extensive efforts are made to ensure that children are involved and consulted about their care.

“Again, relational practice is at the heart of this endeavour. Children are taught to navigate relationships and develop the skills needed to repair these when they become strained. This has had a profound influence on children’s relationships, both in and out of school.”

Once children move on from the residence, the report said staff maintain contact with their families. Inspectors said this showed the staff “demonstrate their interest and care in the children’s lives”.

Safeguarding was praised by inspectors, as the report stated the designated safeguard lead made “credible efforts to demystify the broad concept of safeguarding”. When staff are concerned about a child’s behaviour or mental health, the concern is “approached sensitively and collaboratively”, as said in the report.

The report added: “Staff are perceptive and effective at supporting children to process a plethora of information that the modern world exposes them to, particularly online.

“In doing so, children receive a balanced view and learn how to appropriately debate topical issues in the world.” Leaders of the school were also said to be “consistently striving to improve through seeking and funding expert bodies to critically evaluate practice in school”.