'Caring' special school in Rainworth retains its 'Outstanding' rating from Ofsted

Dawn House School, in Rainworth provides education for about 80 pupils, aged five to 19, who have special educational needs and/or disabliities.

The pupils have complex speech, language and communication needs, and many have a diagnosis of autism.

Dawn House, which is led by principal Jenny McConnell, employs teams of therapists, as well as conventional education staff, to support pupils.

And according to Ofsted, which inspected the Helmsley Road school at the end of June, the work being carried out warrants the highest praise.

"Pupils enjoy attending this caring and supportive school,” said the inspectors’ report. “And parents and carers say their children are safe and happy. Many say the care their children receive is exceptional.”

Dawn House’s leaders and staff were also praised for “wanting the very best for their pupils”, who “live up to high expectations”. Staff knew the pupils well, and relationships were “very positive”.

"Pupils show care, respect and thoughtfulness to each other, staff and visitors,” the report went on.

"They engage well with their learning. They have positive attitudes to their education, and they always try their hardest.

"Pupils’ personal development is also excellent. They enjoy the many enrichment activities they can choose from, such as ‘dance club, hair and beauty sessions and fishing.”

Dawn House operates as part of the national communication charity, Speech And Language UK. The charity’s aim is to give “the best possible futures” to youngsters with speech and language issues,

At Dawn House, it says it is “committed to outstanding education, in-house therapy and care for all pupils in a highly specialist environment”.

Ofsted hailed the school for “ensuring that pupils’ learning is not limited to the classroom”. Instead they "arranged visits to places of historical interest, theatre events and residential trips”.

Many had learned to ride a bicycle, while older pupils had developed skills, such as shopping and staying safe, to prepare them for life as an adult.

The inspectors said the school is “well-led”, with many staff “proud to work there”. Their only criticism related to developing reading and literacy skills. The report stressed the “need for a clear and co-ordinated approach”, so that pupils become “accurate, fluent and confident readers”.

Head Mrs McConnell accepted the criticism and said: “We have already started to address these points. Because of the need for work in these areas, we will be ready for Ofsted’s return for our next inspection.”

Overall, Mrs McConnell was happy with the report, adding: “We are pleased that Ofsted has recognised some key strengths of our school, and also our hard work to ensure that pupils enjoy their school life while also developing their independence skills.

"It’s great to see Ofsted focus on how Dawn House provides a caring and supportive environment.”

DAWN House also runs a residential school, where up to nine children live during the week in term time.

Ofsted inspected this alongside the main school and concluded that it was worth a ‘Good’ rating.

The inspectors found there were many activities and clubs for the youngsters after school, and that they “learned a range of life skills, such as personal hygiene, shopping, cooking, doing the laundry and keeping their rooms tidy.”