The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. There has been an increase in the number of pupils who have more complex needs attending the school. Leaders have responded effectively to this change by expanding and adapting the school environment. New classrooms and additional outdoor spaces have been added with adapted equipment to ensure that all pupils have equality of opportunity. You and your team continue to ensure that all pupils are welcomed into the Newlands family. This was evident during the whole-school assembly attended by all pupils and staff as well as a large number of parents and carers. The pupils are proud and happy to receive awards and to celebrate each other’s success. Pupils enjoy their learning and achieve well. You and your staff work effectively to make sure that you meet pupils’ educational, personal and social needs. For example, parents said that they have seen a big improvement in their children’s social skills including being polite and speaking confidently. Parents were overwhelmingly positive about the school. They said that their children really enjoy school, making comments such as, ‘Newlands is an amazing school with a wonderful atmosphere. It is clear to see how much the staff care about the children.’ The school is co-located with a mainstream primary school with shared spaces including halls and corridors used by all pupils. Leaders have instilled a culture where pupils are comfortable, friendly, open and respectful to each other. The high ratio of staff to pupils ensures that pupils move around the school in a safe and supported way. Pupils’ behaviour continues to be a strength of the school, with systems and procedures working effectively to support them in learning to manage their emotions and behaviour. The shared reception area also helps to build relationships between the two schools. Parents, pupils, staff and visitors all use the shared space and there is an ethos and atmosphere of inclusion and respect. You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement that inspectors identified in the previous inspection. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, especially when using the internet or social media. Through a range of learning experiences, including drama, dance and stay-safe workshops, the most able pupils can explain how to remain safe when using the internet or social media. For example, they told me, ‘Don’t give out your password’ and ‘Don’t make friends with anyone you don’t know.’ During the inspection, a group of older pupils showed that they could make the right choices when finding a bottle in a playground. They knew what to do to keep themselves safe and were able to explain what they should do, including ‘Tell an adult.’ A dedicated team of staff keeps parents informed and up to date about information on staying safe, social media and e-safety through workshops, letters and information and guidance on the school website. Also, since the last inspection, all pupils now have their own specific targets. Teachers are meticulous in their assessments of pupils’ learning and personal development needs and as a result pupils’ ongoing targets are precise. Teachers have high expectations and know the small, achievable steps that pupils need to make along the way. Teachers and teaching assistants work effectively together and make sure that each step of progress is recorded clearly. Teachers and leaders check on individual pupils’ progress well. However, you are still refining your system to allow you to check and report more easily on the progress made by groups of pupils with similar needs. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality. The designated lead and the safeguarding team make sure that any referrals to the local authority and other agencies are timely. Leaders are persistent in following up such referrals. Records of the required checks on members of staff are compliant and thorough. There is a very strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Policy and procedures are followed closely. Staff know the pupils very well, are quick to notice any changes in pupils’ behaviour and refer any concerns to the safeguarding team. Staff training is up to date and robust. The staff value the regular ‘seven-minute briefings’ that enable them to keep abreast of signs and symptoms of abuse as well as local and national updates. The safeguarding governor challenges and supports the school well. She also ensures that leaders complete an annual safeguarding audit, provided by the local authority, so that school policies and procedures comply with the local authority’s guidelines.