The Grange Therapeutic School in Knossington receives glowing Ofsted report

A school’s latest Ofsted report shows vast improvements as it climbs from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’ in less than two years.

The Grange Therapeutic School in Knossington was previously rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in its education inspection, and has just been ranked outstanding for residential care provision.

Based in Rutland, The Grange is an independent residential school for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs or high functioning autism.

Ofsted inspectors praised the school’s new team - who took residential care provision from requires improvement in 2019 to outstanding in just 18 months – for “the highly effective services it delivers and its actions that contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.”

Charlotte Niekerk, head of care at The Grange, was appointed in 2020 and was praised as a highly competent leader responsible for “the rapid and marked improvement of the residential provision since the last Ofsted inspection.”

Inspectors said: “The residential provision’s leadership team is inspirational, confident and ambitious for children in their care.

“Meticulous management systems are in place which provide good analysis of the impact of the care provision and the progression of each child. This ensures that all children are supported to achieve the best outcomes.”

Ofsted was impressed by the quality of the relationships between staff and children, stating that they enable clear routines and boundaries to be set, which helps the children to feel safe and secure.

One child quoted in the report said: “The staff have been fantastic. The team leader is amazing.”No matter what I needed it would get done, they have always been there for me.”

The Grange was rated outstanding for the overall experience and progress of children, how well children are helped and protected, and effectiveness of the leaders.

Charlotte said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been evaluated outstanding by Ofsted - the highest possible rating - and I would like to thank my team for their exceptional work and pupils for their lovely positive comments about life at the school.”