You work in an open, collegiate way with leaders and the wider staff team, and the leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your passion, enthusiasm and energy to ensure that the pupils receive the best quality of care and education are palpable. Since being appointed as the substantive principal in October 2016, you have ensured that the school continues to improve. You and your leadership team work effortlessly together. You share the same vision and aspirations for outstanding provision for each and every pupil. Staff clearly understand the needs of the pupils, all of whom have varied and significant complex needs. The dedication of your team was summed up eloquently in the following statement by a parent: ‘The school and staff have been fantastic at getting to grips with the complex needs of our child. We find the collaboration between teaching staff and therapists extremely effective. This enables a holistic approach to our child’s education.’ Consequently, pupils who attend your school receive high-quality teaching and therapy, achieve well and make good progress. One of the improvement points arising from the previous inspection was to ensure that the school accessed additional government funding for identified pupils. You have done this with positive outcomes. For example, funding allocated for disadvantaged pupils is carefully spent to provide these pupils with the personalised support to enable them to make good progress. As a result, there is no discernible difference between the progress that disadvantaged pupils make and that of their peers. In addition, you were asked to increase the amount of outstanding teaching and further raise pupils’ achievement. Inspection evidence demonstrates that pupils receive high-quality teaching by skilled staff who are acutely aware of the specific learning needs of each pupil. This ensures that they make good progress from often extremely low starting points. Parents are overwhelmingly positive and greatly appreciate the quality of care and education that their children receive. ‘The care my child receives is outstanding and I feel she is genuinely cared for and nurtured by professional staff’; ‘St Rose’s goes above and beyond. They are excellent in every respect’; and ‘This school is like a big family. I would recommend this school to anyone’, are typical of the comments made to the inspectors. Indeed, all parents who responded to the online survey or spoke to inspectors would recommend the school. At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed on the key lines of enquiry to consider during the day. These included: how the school ensures that pupils are safe; the effectiveness of leaders in ensuring that pupils receive a high-quality standard of education and care; how teaching promotes good learning; the effectiveness of the curriculum and therapeutic provision in supporting pupils’ academic and social development; and how effective the school is in preparing pupils for their future destinations. These key lines of enquiry are considered below under ‘safeguarding’ and ‘inspection findings’. Safeguarding is effective. The nature of your school means that all pupils are vulnerable in a variety of ways. You ensure that the safety and well-being of every pupil lie at the heart of all that the school does. As a result, there is a strong culture of safeguarding and recognition that it is everybody’s responsibility. Consequently, staff, whatever their role, fully understand the need to be vigilant at all times. Leaders ensure that they provide an environment where pupils are safe and secure. Leaders have implemented clear and well-understood procedures so that adults know how to refer concerns within school and to outside agencies. Leaders carefully monitor pupils and are diligent in following up any concerns. Safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose, and records are detailed and of high quality. Staff receive timely and appropriate training on keeping pupils safe. This provides them with the knowledge and skills to identify concerns and take rapid action with confidence. Controversial issues are not avoided. For example, staff have undertaken training on child sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation. Leaders, including governors, have a clear understanding of the importance of recruiting safely. Records of checks on staff are comprehensive and accurate. Risk assessments are in place for activities undertaken and for individual pupils. Leaders are diligent in making sure that these remain fit for purpose.