Scarborough Springhead School gets second 'outstanding' rating

Pupil behaviour at Springhead School in Scarborough was "outstanding", Ofsted inspectors said

A school in North Yorkshire has been rated as "outstanding" for the second time in a row.

Springhead School, in Scarborough, was first awarded the rating following a full inspection back in 2014.

It has now once again been deemed "outstanding" after a complete inspection by Ofsted officials in June.

They praised the leadership at the special needs school and said staff had created "a space for all pupils to find their voice, be heard, and be safe".

According to the officials' findings, communication was said to be at the heart of the school community and the curriculum, with children learning communication methods as soon as they started the nursery year.

The Ofsted report described pupil behaviour as "exemplary" and said the curriculum allowed staff to deliver "bespoke learning to individual pupils".

It also noted that "a significant improvement in attendance" had been achieved through the use of school dogs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Through this, pupils had experienced "positive social responses", the report said.

Ofsted inspectors found students in the sixth form were also prepared "thoroughly" for independent living, with a level of "jeopardy built in" to help them understand the consequences of their actions.

This included giving students a weekly allowance to spend in the school café, where prices were set so "they must save for the desirable items".

If a student spent all their allowance in one day, "they will have to manage the consequences", inspectors said.

Ofsted has four categories for rating schools, ranging from outstanding to inadequate.

The school, which caters for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities, currently has 96 pupils, aged between 2 and 19 years old.