Maple Ridge School

Maple Ridge School

Address: Maple Crescent, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 5SX Unique reference number (URN): 116605

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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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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders and staff know pupils well, with a thorough understanding of their individual needs and capabilities. Leaders have put in place systems that recognise that achievement takes many forms, from early developmental and engagement milestones to progress within the national curriculum. Assessment approaches focus on identifying small but meaningful steps in learning, including carefully tailored methods for non-verbal pupils. Staff use assessment information effectively to adapt provision and refine next steps, enabling pupils to build knowledge and skills over time. This progress is evident across education, health and care plans, independence skills, and subject learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally achieve well from their starting points, particularly in foundational areas such as communication and reading. Leaders have appropriate systems to monitor pupils’ progress, reflecting the personalised nature of outcomes for pupils with complex needs. As pupils move through the school, there is an increasing emphasis on developing independence, ensuring they are well prepared for their next stage.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders prioritise attendance through robust strategic oversight and collaboration with families and staff. Their actions are highly successful in maintaining strong attendance, particularly for vulnerable pupils and those most at risk of continued absence. Attendance is carefully analysed to identify patterns, enabling early, targeted intervention and support for pupils who face barriers to regular attendance. As a result, attendance is a strength. Leaders respond effectively with personalised approaches, working closely with families and implementing tailored support such as structured routines.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders set clear, appropriate expectations for behaviour, underpinned by positive relationships and consistent demonstration by staff. Bullying or inappropriate language are extremely rare and are addressed promptly, with sensitive, proportionate responses that reflect pupils’ needs and understanding. The school provides a safe and inclusive environment. Pupils generally show positive attitudes to learning and where routines are well embedded pupils respond well to these. Inclusive approaches, including tailored plans, provide careful support for pupils who need this.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Transitions between learning activities are not always well managed, which can sometimes lead to pupils disengaging from learning. Leaders know there is work needed to strengthen regulation and consistency at these times.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is broad and appropriately adapted to meet the varied needs of pupils across the school. Learning is designed well and teachers adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils. Leaders oversee the delivery of learning to ensure adaptations are relevant and support pupils to make progress from their starting points. The curriculum prioritises key areas such as personal, social and emotional development and shared attention activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff generally have the knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum well. However, there are some differences in staff’s experience and expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively. This is partly due to the changing needs of pupils joining the school over recent years and the expansion of the staff team.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Reading, communication and early mathematical understanding are prioritised, through daily sessions. There is clear ambition for all pupils who are able to become fluent readers and for all to become increasingly competent communicators. The approach to reading is well established with pupils benefiting from this across all classes. Phonics teaching has been significantly adapted to support pupils to develop their shared attention and pre-phonics skills. As pupils move through the school, they typically develop a love of reading and stories.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders place an appropriate emphasis on establishing foundations for future learning within the Reception class. They demonstrate a clear understanding of the wide range of children’s starting points and aim to adapt provision to meet differing developmental needs. Leaders recognise that adults' expertise in supporting children at the earlier developmental stages requires some further training and development, particularly in specialist approaches such as curiosity-led learning and intensive interaction.

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Early years Expected standard

The early years curriculum is sequenced and responsive to children’s needs. Pre-phonics skills are introduced through structured approaches, enabling pupils to develop skills needed for early reading.

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Early years Expected standard

Teaching is appropriately matched to children’s age and stage, with a focus on learning through play, exploration and developing curiosity. Adults support children to gradually extend their engagement and concentration. As a result, children make meaningful progress from their starting points and are prepared for the next stage of education.

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Early years Expected standard

Positive relationships between adults and children underpin practice, helping promote emotional security and children’s ability to participate in both care routines and learning. Transition into school is managed carefully to ensure children start their time here successfully, this is achieved through close working with parents and pre-school settings.

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Inclusion Expected standard

All pupils have an education, health and care plan, and leaders and staff demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding of individual pupils. Pupils’ care and learning needs are identified through thorough assessment and meaningful discussions with families, ensuring that provision is carefully matched from the outset. This effective knowledge base enables staff to continually adapt and refine provision in response to pupils’ changing needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Across the school, barriers to learning are identified effectively, and teaching is appropriately adapted to meet the diverse and often complex needs of pupils, including communication, sensory and behavioural differences associated with autism and severe learning difficulties. Staff employ a range of strategies to minimise these barriers, although leaders are rightly focused on further strengthening consistency by refining and embedding the specialist approaches expected across the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Effective collaboration with therapists and external agencies, including the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service, enhances the quality of provision and supports staff in delivering highly personalised programmes. This multi-agency working contributes positively to pupils’ progress and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Engagement with families and professionals is effective and this helps support pupils well over time, particularly for children who are or have previously been known to social care, where joined-up working ensures they receive careful support. In addition, pupil premium funding is used appropriately and strategically to provide targeted support, ensuring that disadvantaged pupils benefit from provision aligned with their individual needs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance demonstrate effective strategic leadership, grounded in a secure understanding of the school’s context, strengths and areas for development. Self-evaluation is robust and realistic, enabling leaders to identify and prioritise actions that are clearly focused on improving outcomes for pupils across all key stages.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Where provision requires improvement appropriate action is taken swiftly. Leaders have worked effectively to make adaptations to leadership structures to better meet the needs of a changing cohort. Governance is effective and compliant with statutory duties. Governors provide both support and challenge, using a range of evidence to evaluate quality, monitor impact and ensure that decision-making remains focused on pupils’ best interests.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are considerate of staff wellbeing and workload, ensuring these are carefully managed and regularly reviewed, contributing to a supportive professional culture.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The professional learning programme is evidence-informed, carefully structured and focused on building sustained expertise across all staff, including effective support for early career teachers. Leaders prioritise time for professional development such as through coaching and the programme of development through weekly twilight sessions including dedicated time for learning support assistants. Leaders ensure that staff have opportunities to apply and embed new learning in practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Engagement with parents, external partners and the wider community is effective and purposeful, fostering constructive relationships that enhance provision, support pupil engagement and promote a strong sense of belonging.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Personal development is embedded within the curriculum. A well-sequenced personal social and emotional development curriculum, including appropriate relationships, education and health learning, supports pupils to learn about aspects such as online safety and healthy friendships at a level suited to their age and stage. This contributes positively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A carefully planned out schedule of assemblies and special days help pupils develop their understanding of respect, diversity and fundamental British values.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils and their families benefit from highly effective pastoral care and develop trusting relationships with adults, enabling them to feel safe, supported and confident to seek help. This is strengthened by close home-school partnership working with families, enabling helpful strategies to be transferred between school and home.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Therapeutic and sensory support are integrated, with a small team of specialist staff helping classes to utilise approaches that help pupils regulate and develop independence. Enrichment opportunities, such as swimming and a range of planned trips and visits, further support pupils’ confidence, resilience and wider interests, while the school council enables pupils to contribute to decision-making.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school grounds are extensive and suitably zoned to include a forest school area as well as other smaller play areas to ensure pupils feel safe. Although there are some adult-led activities on offer at breaktimes, there is scope to provide more organised activities to broaden pupils’ interests, develop their play skills and stimulate their curiosity.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils know and understand the school rules ‘kind, helpful and safe’, which are brought to life through the characters ‘Kimmy Kind, Hermen Helpful and Sammy Safe’. Pupils enjoy the reward systems which are embedded throughout the school, including in-class rewards and whole-school assembly recognition of achievements with certificates.

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

At Maple Ridge school, pupils are welcomed into a warm, friendly and safe community where they feel a strong sense of belonging. Staff know pupils and their families well and use this understanding to provide personalised care and learning. One parent said the school has ‘changed our family’s life for the better’.

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

Pupils respond well to their classes, which are named after trees, helping create a nature- inspired feel. Pupils take pride in earning headteacher awards, which they receive in Friday assemblies. Their successes are celebrated by adding a leaf to the tree on the achievement wall.

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

Every pupil is unique, and learning is set up to meet their individual needs well. Children in the Reception class have access to their own outside space, and, across the school, learning extends beyond the classroom into the outdoors. Forest school sessions are a highlight, giving pupils opportunities to explore, build their confidence and enjoy discovering nature. The outdoor provision is highly valued, with many pupils enjoying the opportunity to take part in the daily mile on arrival at school. At breaktimes, pupils’ enjoyment is clear as they ride scooters and engage with a range of sensory equipment. This helps pupils to develop regulation strategies, and the atmosphere around the school is calm. Pupils attend well and appreciate a well-supported transition into school each morning, as they are greeted by familiar staff. Across the school, pupils are happy, engaged and supported to enjoy their learning. They achieve well from their starting points and are well

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

prepared for their next steps when it is time to move on to secondary school.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff develop their expertise to consistently deliver the intended curriculum to meet pupils’ complex learning needs effectively, across the school. Leaders should refine systems and routines to support all pupils to consistently transition smoothly between activities so that they sustain their self-regulation and readiness to learn. Leaders should strengthen provision for activities at playtimes and lunchtimes, so that pupils have greater opportunities to develop their interests, extend their experiences, and improve their social interaction and engagement.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Keith Norman.

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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 (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, assistant headteachers and a range of teaching and non-teaching staff. Inspectors also met with members of the local governing body including the chair of governors. They met with a representative from the local authority. Inspectors talked to some parents at the start of the day, pupils in lessons, at social times and in more formal meetings during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

All pupils attending the school have an education, health and care plan for a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes a large proportion of pupils with autism and severe learning difficulties and a smaller proportion of pupils with moderate learning difficulties.

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About this inspection

The school currently does not use any alternative provision.

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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.

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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 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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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. 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

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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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