Ofsted inspectors find Wilds Lodge School, in Empingham, Rutland, has made progress

A residential special school has been rated good from two inspections.

As a boarding school, Ofsted carried out two visits at Wilds Lodge School, in Rutland, both in the same month earlier this year - a residential social care inspection and an education inspection.

Wilds Lodge is an independent specialist boarding and day school for boys and girls aged between five and 19 years with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

The Empingham school had received a requires improvement rating from its previous residential inspection in October 2022, but inspectors raised the overall rating to ‘good’ with no recommendations following a three-day visit.

It was rated good in all three categories - overall experiences and progress of pupils; how well they are helped and protected; and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

An education inspection, also held in February this year, also rated Wilds Lodge as good in all five categories, having previously been rated outstanding in November 2019.

Toby Oakley, who took over as headteacher last year, said inspectors had recognised the challenges ‘inflicted’ on the school since its previous full inspection in 2019, as wel as changes made over the last year, and were ‘on board’ with its plans.

“One of the things that drew me to this school was this ethos - ‘We give our children the best, because they deserve the best’ - and they do,” he said.

“While this was a gruelling few days for all involved, and not something that any new head wishes to endure in their first year, the results were a fair reflection of the hard work and commitment of everyone at Wilds.”

In its social care report, inspectors praised staff’s ‘nurturing approach’ and ‘consistent care’ as well as ‘comprehensive knowledge and understanding’ of their pupil’s individual needs, all of which encouraged trust.

“The staff provide excellent support to help children make progress in education,” the report said.

“Children that have faced previous barriers to education are supported to overcome these, improving their attendance in education, which in turn improves their educational outcomes.”

It added: “Pupils’ behaviour improves during their time at school.”

Children were also ‘focused on what careers they want to achieve’, and were helped by ‘good-quality multi-agency working’ with the careers service, school and college.

“Students gain a range of qualifications that are matched to their interests and abilities,” it added.

“They benefit from work-related learning that is carefully matched to their interests or aspirations, including, for example, working in a supermarket or learning about childcare in the main school’s nurture classes.”

In its full inspection, rating education, inspectors concluded that the school had not consistently embedded ‘strong curriculum intent in all subjects’. adding ‘pupils do not learn as well as they could in some subjects’.

It added that assessments of pupils’ learning was ‘not sharp enough’ and that the school had not ‘communicated effectively’ with parents over changes.

However, the report also found the school had developed a ‘broad curriculum’, supporting academic learning and personal development.

Teaching was ‘strong in some subjects’, including English and maths, while the school had ‘strengthened its provision for pupils’ additional needs, and sixth form provision was ‘good’.