A 'unique' school in Nottingham for children outside of mainstream education has been told it continues to be outstanding.
Stone Soup Academy in High Pavement was judged to be 'outstanding' by Ofsted in 2014 and when inspectors returned in March 2019 they found the school had "maintained its quality of education."
The school, which is run by a St Ann’s-based education charity, provides an alternative setting for students outside of mainstream education who may have been excluded from their previous schools.
When inspectors visited on March 5, they found the school to be "vibrant and welcoming".
Inspector Gary Nixon said: "The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection.
"This unique school is a vibrant and welcoming place, where pupils are supported to develop their confidence, self-esteem and education.
"There continues to be a strong emphasis on English language, literature and mathematics teaching at GCSE."
The curriculum has broadened to include a wider range of vocational subjects such as art and design, photography, sport, media, construction, catering, motor vehicle maintenance, animal care, French, religious education and mechanics.
The overall quality of teaching at the school was described as "strong" by inspectors.
A number of strategies have been put in place to help pupils overcome crime and emotional challengers.
Mr Nixon said: "Training and assemblies help pupils cope with, and deal with, street life, including assault and knife crime.
"The school is engaged in a number of innovative projects aimed at the prevention of knife crime, for example in the National Justice Museum's joint work with the Ben Kinsella trust.
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"In addition, pupils learn about keeping themselves safe on the internet. This includes the potential danger of radicalisation and grooming and about how to address any instances of bullying, racism or homophobia. Healthy lifestyles are promoted well within the school."
The report found that pupils start at the school with a poor record of attendance, behaviour and under achievement but "significant improvements" are made once they start school.
Kerrie Henton, principal of Stone Soup Academy, said: "We are so proud of our students and staff for achieving the outstanding judgement, but for us it is more about what we do and achieve on a day to day basis with our learners.
"They are amazing and they have such potential that is sadly missed in some educational settings.
"We work hard every day to ensure that our learners achieve the futures that they didn’t believe were possible before they arrived at Stone Soup Academy and we are very proud that this has been recognised."
