Pupils thrive at specialist Shropshire school, government inspectors have said

Leaders at a specialist Shropshire school have said they are delighted after the latest Ofsted report said pupils ‘thrive’ and provision was upgraded from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’ in all areas.

Government inspectors said staff at Bettws Lifehouse, a school for pupils with additional needs, ‘make sure they understand each pupil’ and those attending ‘quickly begin to flourish’, having faced significant challenges before joining the Shrewsbury site.

Kay Jones, managing director of the school in Kingsland Grange, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Ofsted have graded Bettws Lifehouse as good in every single area.

“It is fantastic and a real reflection of the work our staff do and the achievements by our wonderful pupils every single day.

“We are particularly pleased to read in their report that the inspectors recognise the importance of the relationships built here - they describe Bettws as a ‘community that values kindness’ and said the school’s values ‘are a golden thread that runs through all aspects of school life’.

“I don’t think they could have described us in a better way, it is spot on and we are all delighted.”

Bettws Lifehouse opened in September 2022 and caters for up to 100 pupils, aged between five and 19, with a range of communication and interaction needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

The site has regularly been full with so many children referred, through a complex process based on need, to the stable learning environment provided at Bettws largely from the Shropshire Council area but also from Dudley, Wolverhampton and Telford & Wrekin.

Ofsted inspectors visited the school in July and released the report this month.

It said pupils enjoy school and quoted one as saying ‘For the first time, I feel like I’ve been seen. I’m allowed to be me, and that’s celebrated’.

The previous inspection in May 2023 had rated Bettws Lifehouse as ‘requires improvement’ and headteacher Nici Jones said they had been working hard to make the improvements outlined.

She said: “We have made some changes following the inspection last year such as introducing a phonics scheme and all staff have been trained in this.

“It is making a big difference to progress and tracking that progress already - but nothing has changed in regards to the way pupils are treated and positive relationships are built, we are thrilled this vital part of our school has been recognised and celebrated in the latest report.”

The school’s sister site, Bettws Cedewain in Welshpool, also had an annual monitoring inspection by Estyn, His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, in July.

This report, also out this month, reflected that of the one in Shrewsbury and concluded that the site met all the standards inspected.