Special school is rated outstanding
Delight at Dorothy Goodman
A SPECIAL educational needs school in Hinckley has been rated “outstanding” by Ofsted for two consecutive inspections.
The education watchdog said Dorothy Goodman School has “maintained the outstanding quality of education” since its previous inspection in 2011.
Inspectors praised headteacher Janet Thompson for leading the school with “determination and rigour” since taking the helm in September 2013. They said Mrs Thompson has “extremely high expectations” of herself, governors and staff and as a result “standards have risen further”.
The report said about the headteacher: “You are deeply ambitious for all of your pupils and this has raised the level of expectation across the school.
“The staff say there is a greater sense of accountability for their actions.
“The staff and governors also say that you genuinely value their ideas and give everyone the opportunity to contribute to the school’s plans for on-going improvement.
“You work effectively with the governors to ensure that the school has the resources needed to support the complex needs of the pupils.”
Mrs Thompson said she was “delighted with the report”.
Dorothy Goodman has more than 250 students aged three to 14 with a range of multiple learning difficulties.
Ofsted said there is a “warm and friendly atmosphere throughout the school” and relationships between staff, pupils and families “remains a strength”.
The needs of its pupils are “central to every aspect of the school’s work” and staff challenge students to ensure they have the best opportunity to progress, the report said.
Teaching at the school is “outstanding” and progress in key areas such as reading, writing and mathematics helped equip pupils with “skills for life”.
The report said: “One boy who was unable to use any expressive communication at the start of the school year is now confidently using symbols to make sure that his voice is heard.”
Mrs Thompson said: “The report is fantastic and it shows that we have high aspirations for our children and young people. Staff work extremely hard and our focus is to build the self-esteem of pupils and confidence so that they can go on to aspire to be what they want to be.
“Staff know the needs of every pupil and work with those to ensure pupils achieve as much as possible.”