Icknield School rated outstanding by Ofsted once again

Icknield School, in River Way, was inspected between May 8 and May 9 - the first routine inspection since the Covid-19 pandemic - and received an 'outstanding' rating for the third time in a row.

The report, which was published on Tuesday, June 11, sees the school retain its rating, which it has held since February 2015.

The report speaks highly of the school, which caters for pupils with severe learning difficulties and operates from two sites.

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Icknield School pupils (Image: Icknield School)

It reads: "Pupils’ journey of learning and discovery starts from the moment they join the school. They thoroughly enjoy school, arriving in the morning with lots of enthusiasm for the day ahead.

"The youngest children are quickly and happily absorbed into the busyness of school life. They grow in confidence, become increasingly independent, and relish all that school has to offer.

"The school is aspirational for its pupils. It has a profound impact on pupils’ lives, who thrive. Their behaviour is excellent, and they achieve exceptionally well.

"The oldest pupils secure nationally accredited qualifications and all move on to positive destinations, including a range of further education colleges.

"They are understandably excited about the future and a credit to their school. The care and attention given to them as they prepare to move on from Icknield School is impressive."

The report praises the effectiveness of staff, stating: "Strong staff teamwork is central to the school’s success. Adults work well together to ensure that pupils have the help that they need. Effective liaison between therapists and staff ensures skilful delivery of therapeutic support, such as physiotherapy."

It goes on to say: "The school has developed effective procedures for assessing and monitoring pupils’ learning.

"Regular discussions about pupils’ learning are used consistently well to review what is working well and where further adjustments can be made to help to overcome barriers to learning."

Inspectors met with the headteacher, assistant heads, and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with six governors. She also had a telephone conversation with a local authority representative.

Inspectors spoke with a range of staff at different times during the inspection. They also considered the views of staff expressed in Ofsted’s survey.

Headteacher Sean Cannon was "proud" of the result, he told the Advertiser:  "We are very proud of our report as it reflects the hard work of so many people over the last five years since our previous inspection. Icknield has now been graded as outstanding three times in a row."

He thanked everyone who has played a role in maintaining the outstanding rating, and urged anyone who would like to help with the school to get in touch.

He said: "The school continues to seek to make our offer the best it can be. We would like to thank everyone who supports us - staff, parents, governors, trustees, volunteers and the local organisations such as Stannah, Simply Health, Purple Oaks, Andover RDA and Andover 21. If you think you would like to be part of the next successful phase, please get in touch with the school and let us know how you can help."