Outstanding Ofsted

'Outstanding' quality of care at Portfield School

The residential provision at Portfield School, which caters for students aged from 3 to 19 with autism and associated complex medical conditions and learning difficulties, is celebrating after being awarded ‘outstanding’ in its latest OFSTED inspection.

In an unannounced inspection the residential service, which offers up to 52 weeks flexible boarding, was praised for its specialist support and “excellent provision for ensuring the safety and well being of residential students”.

Staff training is given a high priority within the school, and issues around child protection are given particular focus. Protecting children from harm and helping them to stay safe was highly commended in the report, with staff providing “high levels of supervision which helps to ensure the safety of students. The residential provision provides a very safe and secure physical environment and there is excellent provision across the school for the management of risk.”

Residential and educational staff work very closely together to offer an excellent range of home based learning and leisure resources. The school’s on-site specialist support team were found to provide “outstanding support and students continue to make significant positive developments in relation to their behaviour.” 

Director of School Services, Andrew Thomas comments, “We are naturally delighted with the excellent results from our latest inspection and I would like to congratulate our dedicated residential and specialist support teams for continuing to provide such a high standard of personalised care to the children, young people and families we support. We are thrilled that provisions on which we pride ourselves, such as our effective relationships, specialist training and approach to protecting and promoting our student’s welfare, have been recognised in this way."