Dan y Coed is a happy and nurturing school that serves pupils’ additional learning needs well. The school provides a welcoming, positive learning environment. Due to their complex and multiple learning needs the ability range of pupils across the school varies considerably. Most pupils at Dan y Coed make strong progress from their initial starting points across a range of important skills. This is due to the valuable support and encouragement they receive from teaching and onsite therapeutic staff. However, pupils’ information and technology skills are not developed progressively. Teaching staff know the pupils very well and make effective use of this knowledge and understanding to tailor learning opportunities to interest pupils and ensure that they make good progress. These engaging experiences are well matched to pupils’ needs and lead to high levels of pupil engagement in learning. The school offers a flexible, broad, and balanced curriculum that is well suited to the needs, interests, and aspirations of the pupils. However, there are limited opportunities for pupils to access work related experiences. A notable strength of the school is the use of its bespoke assessment and achievement continuum, which assesses pupils’ progress robustly. This strategy successfully captures each small step of progress relative to an individual pupil’s additional learning needs. Nearly all teaching staff use this system confidently to inform next steps in learning, which has a significant impact upon the progress of pupils. Senior leaders communicate a clear vision for the school that focuses on providing an integrated approach to meeting pupils’ needs. The head of education has a clear sense of purpose and provides the school with strong strategic leadership. Nearly all teaching staff engage well in beneficial professional learning opportunities at the school. However, leaders do not routinely evaluate these opportunities to inform the planning of future learning well enough.