CHELFHAM School at Bere Alston for pupils with complex learning difficulties has been praised by the independent education standards watchdog for being ‘good’ across the board.

Staff were singled out as ‘extremely effective’ role models, students’ behaviour was described as ‘good’, and the teaching on offer enabled pupils to make ‘rapid progress’, inspectors said.

The specialist school, run by Priory Education Services, part of the Priory Group, provides education for up to 30 students between the ages of seven and 19. The children’s home on the same site caters for up to 16 young people.

All young people have a statement of special educational needs, or an education or care plan which specifies social, emotional and mental health difficulties, or autistic spectrum conditions, with complex learning difficulties.

Inspectors said that when students joined the school, they mostly had extremely challenging behaviour patterns.

But, Ofsted said, ‘they re-engage with learning and adopt positive attitudes and behaviour over time in this good and improving school.

‘Students feel safe . . . the sixth form is effective, preparing students well for their next steps, and students gain self-confidence and the skills of sharing, and team-working.

‘Good leadership and management are focused on raising standards and are very effective. Teaching and learning are monitored very carefully.’

Under its recommendations for improvement, inspectors said the school needed to strengthen opportunties for teachers to work alongside colleagues in other local schools so that they can gain confidence and expertise, and to extend opportunities for accrediting the developing programme of outdoor and adventure education to better allow students to show the extent of their achievement and reflect the range of skills they have learned.

The school’s head teacher Jon Ascot said he was delighted with the report which reflected the school’s achievements and aspirations.

‘The school has improved considerably over the last 18 months, with attendance increasing to 97%.

‘Progress of individuals has improved significantly and the inspector identified that “as the school successfully re-engages them in learning, students are able to show rapidly increasing progress and attainment. Virtually all go on to gain a range of worthwhile external accreditation in academic and vocationally based learning by the time they leave”.’

Mr Ascot said he himself had been hugely impressed by many individual achievements over the academic year, including one student making a ‘hugely generous offer’ to donate her own hair to a cancer charity which specialises in making hair pieces for children who have lost their hair through cancer treatments.

‘As if this wasn’t enough of a good deed, she also managed to raise hundreds of pounds for the charity in the process,’ Mr Ascot said.

Mr Ascot said: ‘I would like to thank the parents and carers and staff, all of whom make our school community so positive and dynamic.’

One parent of a child at the school said: ‘Chelfham is a brilliant place with fantastic staff who are helpful and my son is leaping ahead now, in confidence and with his school work.’

Another parent of a Year 11 pupil said: ‘I look at my son now and don’t recognise him from where he was and I can only thank you for what you are doing.’

The associated children’s home, located on the same site, was also visited by Ofsted at the same time and received a positive report. 

Inspectors said: ‘The home has made good progress in several areas.  There has been a significant shift in the home’s ethos, which is more child-centred and which values staff contributions.’

‘Since the last inspection the management team and staff group have made significant progress in ensuring that young people are becoming increasingly safe.’