Pupils speak highly of the staff at Hopespring, Sunderland. They say adults treat them like grown-ups. Relationships with staff and between friends are usually very positive. The parents and carers spoken to during the inspection said that, since starting the school, their children have matured and now look forward to getting up in the morning. This is a big change considering many of the pupils at the school have missed large parts of their education over the years. Staff take on multiple roles willingly. Some take responsibility for teaching, cooking and counselling. Other staff continue to work on making the curriculum even better. There are frequent, carefully crafted conversations between staff and pupils which help to identify when pupils’ emotions may be running high and when extra support is needed. In this way, staff know pupils well. Pupils feel safe and say everyone looks out for them. Pupils know what they want to do when they leave school. There are lots of opportunities for them to discuss and explore different types of jobs. Staff are creative and think of ways to help pupils gain work experiences or develop skills that will help them in the future. This is, in part, why many of the pupils who leave Year 11 move into further education, employment or training.