St Nicholas School

St Nicholas School

Address: Philpott Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 4RL Unique reference number (URN): 144691

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders’ work to improve attendance has had a highly positive impact. Attendance is broadly in line with national averages for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and shows a clear trend of improvement in recent years.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

This has been enabled by the highly personalised approach taken by the school. The school closely monitors pupils who have considerable difficulties in improving levels of attendance. Leaders, staff, parents and professionals work well together to identify barriers to attendance for these pupils and provide highly effective targeted support. This includes adapting provision for pupils, supporting with transport and maintaining regular contact with families. As a result, nearly all pupils who previously had low attendance now attend and engage consistently well in school.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is excellent. They are consistently calm, respectful and compassionate. Leaders have established a culture where bullying and discriminatory behaviour are not tolerated and rare. Pupils are enthusiastic, engaged learners who love to learn and work together.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Staff understand pupils’ complex needs and apply behaviour policies with precision and skill. They support pupils’ self-regulation and emotional management expertly. Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and supportive. This creates a safe, caring environment where pupils demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning and consideration for others.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils progress steadily from their various starting points. The curriculum helps them to build the knowledge and skills they have missed in their earlier education. Consequently, pupils leave school having secured appropriate accreditations such as GCSEs, BTEC National Diploma full awards, entry level, functional skills and AQA awards.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils develop a secure basis of knowledge in English and mathematics. They become accurate and fluent readers and use their phonics knowledge well to support with spelling and early writing. The school is ambitious to deepen pupils' knowledge further in these areas.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils’ personal development is a key part of their achievement. Often, they join the school not able to be part of a classroom or work among others. Due to the highly robust transition process and supportive culture that permeates the school, pupils personally blossom. Pupils leave the school ready for their next stage as motivated learners with the interaction skills to work effectively with others.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school has designed a well-matched and progressive curriculum that reflects the complexity of pupils' needs. Knowledge is organised and well sequenced through half-termly ‘Quests’ which support personalised outcomes for pupils across a common curriculum. This well-conceived approach enables pupils to access a broad and balanced curriculum that is refined in response to pupils’ needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff use well-matched resources and texts to ensure that phonics is delivered with consistency. Pupils are well supported to become accurate and fluent readers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Across subjects, teaching is typically effective. Staff have been well trained and consequently have secure subject knowledge. They understand how learning should be sequenced over time. Teachers know pupils well and adapt learning thoughtfully, making reasonable adjustments where needed. However, in some places, the activities that pupils are given do not allow them to deepen and extend their learning as much as they could.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school approach to assessment is effective. Pupils’ gaps in knowledge are identified through robust checks. Information from these checks is typically used effectively to help pupils address any gaps in knowledge, particularly when pupils are missing core skills in English or mathematics.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have created a highly inclusive culture where pupils are well known by staff and have their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) met effectively. Leaders ensure that pupils’ needs are identified quickly and accurately through checks and observations when pupils arrive at school. Robust transition plans in Year 7 and close work with families and professionals aids this process.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff help pupils to overcome barriers to learning through effective classroom support. Therapeutic support from the school counsellor and emotional support team effectively targets pupils’ well-being and mental health. Leaders are ambitious to further refine pupils' annual targets and the strategies that teachers use to provide even more precise support to pupils.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff have secure knowledge of the barriers that face pupils. They receive high quality and specialist training which they use well to provide the appropriate sensory and learning environments.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Pupil premium funding is used thoughtfully to address gaps in pupils' academic and personal development. The school makes effective use of additional external support, including alternative provision to successfully re-engage pupils with school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders carefully ensure that the right provision is in place for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and those known or previously known to children’s social care. As a result, pupils feel safe, included and ready to learn.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Pupils, parents and staff report high levels of satisfaction with the school. Parents are especially thankful and positive about the notable improvements that they recognise in their children’s personal and social development, which has transformed their lives. Parents recognise the impactful and effective work of the school and value how well school leaders and governors interact with them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are extremely proud to work at this school. They value how respected and valued they are by leaders and governors. They know their professional contributions will be listened to and acted upon. Staff appreciate the high consideration leaders give to their well-being and workload. All staff receive high quality and evidence-informed training to meet pupils’ diverse needs. This training underpins the consistently high-quality inclusion work that is seen through the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the school’s strengths and areas for development. They work together well to identify what is and is not working effectively. They prioritise their work to make any improvements. They have successfully focused on getting the culture for behaviour, attendance and attitudes to learning right, which has had a notable impact on pupils’ engagement and learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors and trustees are highly knowledgeable. They ensure that pupils are at the centre of all they do. They provide effective professional challenge and support while holding leaders to account. Leaders at all levels ensure that statutory duties are met and that all decisions are targeted towards meeting the needs of pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have demonstrated their sustained focus on meeting pupils’ specific needs. The work of the leadership team in recent years has created a secure and nurturing environment where pupils blossom academically and personally.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have established ambitious and well-planned curriculums for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) and relationships and sex education. Through these, pupils gain secure knowledge of vital concepts such as healthy relationships and consent. Pupils are also encouraged to reflect on their beliefs and experiences while respecting and understanding the values and views of others. The knowledge that pupils gain about the wider world, including a range of cultures and traditions, prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Life skills are woven through the ‘Quest’ curriculum model. Through curriculum enrichment activities and local trips, pupils develop effective social skills and learn to cooperate and resolve conflicts. Crucially, they learn how to be positive members of the local community. Leadership opportunities, such as school council roles and friendship ambassadors, further help pupils to share their voice and develop responsibility.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn about difference and equality through various events and assemblies during the school year. These activities provide opportunities for pupils to celebrate diversity in all its forms. Pupils also engage with numerous experiences that match their talents and interests and build their cultural awareness. This is supported through a wide range of clubs, trips, and residential visits.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Careers education is well integrated through the PSHE curriculum and taught to all pupils through the school. Employer visits and workshops enhance this experience for pupils. This is followed by a comprehensive work experience programme which prepares pupils in Year 11 for the world of work. Transition planning and preparation for adulthood are personalised to meet the individual needs of pupils well.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

All adaptations are made to ensure all pupils can access the range of opportunities and experiences the school has on offer. As a result, pupils leave the school prepared for their next stage of education, employment or training. They develop the independence and self- confidence skills needed for future success.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from being well known and understood by the staff who work with them. Expert staff get to know pupils quickly and this creates a warm and purposeful environment which is felt through the school. Pupils feel valued. They clearly trust the staff here. Pupils know that staff want the best for them, will help to keep them safe and help them to learn.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils love to learn at this vibrant and inclusive school. They are positive about the curriculum and how much they enjoy it. Pupils understand that everyone has a right to learn. They behave well and actively support each other.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils have a range of needs. The school makes rapid adjustments and adaptations to help pupils take part in school events. Across school trips, residentials, on-site clubs and off-site competitions, all pupils are given the support to be fully included in all that the school offers.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are given the opportunities to learn vital leadership skills. Through roles such as school councillors, friendship ambassadors or planning campaigns and events, pupils learn what it means to positively contribute to society.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils treat each other with compassion and kindness. They recognise that everyone is different. They respect and celebrate these differences. Consequently, unkind behaviour, including bullying, is very rare. When pupils do have concerns or problems, they are reassured that the staff will deal with them promptly and effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school is a calm and happy place, where pupils can focus on learning and feel secure. This is reflected in how well pupils attend school and the highly positive way that they engage with their learning and development.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure the activities that pupils are given allow them to deepen and extend their learning across the entire curriculum.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place. Leaders should ensure that strategies linked to pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities are precisely matched to pupils annual targets and consistently adapted in order to remove barriers to learning more swiftly.

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About this inspection

This school is part of the SEN Trust Southend, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jackie Mullan, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jane Oliver.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other members of the senior leadership team, the CEO for the trust, the chair of trustees and the chair of governors, and two additional governors, during the inspection.

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About this inspection

St Nicholas School is a special educational needs school, which provides education for autistic pupils and pupils with moderate learning difficulties. All pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care plan.

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About this inspection

The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Laura Fox This data is from 20 January 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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