A HEREFORD special school has been praised by Ofsted inspectors for the 'outstanding education' it provides.

Barrs Court Special School and College was inspected in March and despite a number of changes – the school became an academy in May 2013 and has seen four head teachers in four years – inspectors said the leadership team had maintained the quality of education since the last outstanding inspection in May 2011.

Inspectors said the school provides a 'highly effective education' for its pupils and learners and praised the leadership of head teacher, Lisa Appleton, who ‘quickly and rigorously’ tackled the underperformance she identified when she arrived at the school in January 2015.

"You are well supported by an effective and determined leadership team. As a result, pupils and learners do extremely well academically and socially from very low starting points,” the report states.

"Governors are ambitious for the school. They have regular training and take part in local governor network meetings.

"The curriculum is broad, balanced and personalised to meet the needs and ambitions of individual pupils and learners."

Pupils also have additional opportunities to gain awards through an enrichment programme, the report states, and are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps in education, training or employment.

Their health and medical needs are met through a wide range of support that includes physiotherapy and mobility classes, speech and occupational therapy and the school actively promotes British values through the curriculum, assemblies and visits.

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also a strength of the school, the report adds, while the atmosphere in classes is calm and purposeful.

Head teacher, Lisa Appleton, said: “All members of our school community are delighted that we have been judged to be ‘outstanding’ in every respect.

“To lead such an amazing school is a privilege and I am extremely proud of every achievement that all of our students make during their time here.

“I would personally like to thank all parents, students, members of staff, the governors and members of the trust for working together to achieve this incredible accolade.

“The success of our school is a real team effort and every member of staff at Barrs Court demonstrate daily a remarkable level of commitment and dedication to ensure that our children and young people receive the very best education and care.

“However, we are not complacent. We will strive to not only maintain this high standard but to build on it and to further improve equality of opportunities for our young people as they move into adulthood.”

Going forward, inspectors said leaders and governors should ensure all the school’s policies are reviewed within the timeframe identified in the policy and uploaded to the school’s website.

It added that all leaders should carefully analyse the information they have on pupils’ and learners’ progress in order to quickly identify and tackle underperformance and that all learners joining ‘The Hub’ from other providers have their needs quickly identified and appropriate provision rapidly implemented.