Staff at a school in Dorset are celebrating after a recent Ofsted inspection saw improvements in all areas.

The Harbour Vale School in Sherborne, previously known as the Sherborne Learning Centre, was rated Good in all areas.

The school was last rated Inadequate in 2017 when it was the learning centre, and has since joined the Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust (SAST).

Harbour Vale is an alternative provision that educates students who are unable to attend mainstream schools due to medical needs, or who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion. The aims of the school are for pupils to successfully return to their home school or join a new school after 12 weeks.

During the visit, Ofsted inspectors said: “Relationships with staff, built on trust and respect, help pupils to gain the confidence, resilience and independence to succeed socially and emotionally.”

The report also outlined the school’s ‘ambitious curriculum’ saying that it has “raised expectations of what pupils can achieve academically”. It goes on to add that “Staff consistently set high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and outcomes.”

Extra-curricular activities were also highlighted, with inspectors saying: ““Pupils enjoy participating in a wide range of enrichment activities. For example, pupils make pottery, learn to sail and carry out ‘random acts of kindness’ in the local community.

“These experiences help pupils to understand their place in society and successfully work as part of a team”.

Headteacher Kelly Knight said “It's very humbling to read a report that acknowledges the great work that we do and captures our vision and ethos so well.

“I am incredibly proud of Harbour Vale School, our fantastic students and every member of our wonderful staff who work tirelessly, going above and beyond every day to make our students' time with us successful, and Harbour Vale a safe and positive place to be.”

Steve Smith, SAST Director of Education said “We are delighted that Ofsted has recognised what a good school Harbour Vale is.

“This result has been down to the hard work of staff to transform the school into a positive learning environment, support students during what is often a difficult period for them, and helping to reintegrate them into mainstream education”.