Chapel Road School in Attleborough loses ‘outstanding’ rating

An Attleborough school which provides for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities has been rated “requires improvement” during its latest Ofsted inspection.

Chapel Road School, based in Chapel Road and currently serving 61 children, was last inspected in 2011 and found to be “outstanding”.

The school is subject to an £11.8 million relocation to Old Buckenham and will cater for up to 110 pupils. It is set to be opened in 2017.

In the most recent report, following an inspection in November, the school was, in five of six criteria, rated “required improvement”, although personal development, behaviour and welfare was found to be “good”.

The report claimed that leaders’ evaluation of the quality of teaching and the progress of pupils is too generous, claiming not all pupils make the progress they should, while the quality of teaching, learning and assessment “varies too much”.

But it did draw some praise. The inspection deemed teachers of pupils with the most complex learning difficulties have a “good understanding” of their needs.

The report read: “The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.

“The supportive ethos of the school is reflected well in the high quality of care and attention pupils are given.

“Staff work well in partnership with the child, family and other services to ensure that their transition into school is as smooth as possible. As a result, the majority of pupils settle quickly and are ready to learn.”