Marland School congratulated for 'outstanding' Ofsted
Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for services that support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, (SEND), Councillor Lois Samuel, has congratulated Marland School for achieving an ‘outstanding’ grade following a recent Ofsted inspection.
Marland School, in Torrington, is part of a foundation trust of other special schools and provides residential care for up to 40 boys aged eight to 16.
Ofsted visited in February to look at the social care provision at the school and inspectors were impressed with what they saw.
They said the experiences and progress of the children, leadership in the school and how well children and young people were helped and protected were all ‘outstanding’.
The report reads: “The school provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good.
“The actions of the school contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.”
Inspectors said that children ‘thrive’ at the school, and that this was largely down to ‘an exceptionally stable and well-trained staff team’ who provide ‘consistency, predictability and security’ for the children.
The children who stayed in the residential facilities, said the report, benefited from ‘carefully planned’ evening activities which were ‘ambitious and creative.’
Children at the school enjoy a wide range of activities, such as trips to the woods, visits to skateparks, swimming and the cinema for example – and it is this variety that helps children develop problem-solving skills, their confidence and communication skills.
“High staffing levels, and the degree of individual support that this affords to children, helps to allow them exceptional choice,” adds the report.
When asked, one child said that they felt ‘lucky’ to have the opportunities that they do and they recognised that staff go ‘over and above’ for them.
One parent described staff as ‘incredible’ at supporting them as a family.
Staff regularly seek children's views about their care and inspectors said that children were making ‘exceptional progress’, gaining qualifications and developing their own aspirations for the future.
Councillor Lois Samuel, our Cabinet Member with responsibility for services that support children and young people with specialist educational needs and disabilities, said:
“I want to offer my congratulations to all the staff, parents and governors at Marland School for their hard work and receiving an outstanding rating from Ofsted. It is yet another example of excellent specialist educational provision in Devon.
“I’d like to thank the school for all it is doing to ensure that children and young people in their care receive the best education and learning experience, helping to provide students with the skills and opportunities to develop and grow to achieve their full potential.”
Keith Bennett, Executive Principal of Marland School, said: “Our governors, staff and student community are really pleased to achieve this strong recognition from Ofsted for the third successive year. It has been a long, and at times challenging journey, but we all remain committed to providing the best we can for our students during these turbulent times.”
