The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since taking up your position earlier this year, you have quickly established your authority and generated a new energy at Portesbery. Parents are particularly positive about the way you lead the school. Relationships between staff at all levels are very supportive. Teaching and support staff, including the nursing and therapist team, are dedicated and knowledgeable. Under the joint guidance of you and your capable leadership team, the school is moving forward at a rapid pace. Classroom visits were particularly useful in demonstrating to me how pupils are supported to engage in learning. Staff know pupils well. Teachers plan learning that is relevant and individualised to each pupil’s needs. This is the case across all phases of the school, including in the early years and sixth form. Support staff are used effectively. They understand the importance of offering the right balance of assistance to pupils, while encouraging them to become as independent as possible. Pupils are enthusiastic learners because the curriculum engages and excites them. My visits to classrooms in the secondary phase were punctuated by episodes of great fun and many smiles. One class enjoyed becoming characters from the film ‘Star Wars’ as part of their communication story session. One group of students in the sixth form delighted in making Christmas decorations, while others enjoyed serving parents coffee and cake in the sixth-form common room.