25 April 2019

Mr Rohit Naik

Headteacher

Hope School

251 Hartsbourne Avenue

Liverpool

Merseyside

L25 2RY

Dear Mr Naik

Short inspection of Hope School

Following my visit to the school on 2 April 2019 with Cole Andrew, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be outstanding in November 2014.

This school continues to be outstanding.

The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

You are an inspirational school leader. You are passionate about the importance of understanding pupils’ behaviour. After the last inspection you reflected on how well your school provides pupils with lifelong skills. You analysed how successful your pupils were after leaving Hope School. You knew that pupils could control their behaviour in school, but your analysis showed that they did not have the same level of control away from school. You realised that difficulties forming emotional attachments lay at the heart of the challenges your pupils faced. This led you to take the decision to completely change the management of pupils’ behaviour in your school.

Based on academic research you have developed a school that is sensitive to supporting pupils with attachment and complex trauma histories. This new approach removed reliance on external sanctions and rewards to control behaviour. The emphasis changed to understanding the internal reasons for behaviour. This approach empowers pupils to control their own behaviour without external controls. Extensive training and support from external specialists helped staff develop new skills. Training and support were also provided to families. This helped parents to continue to develop pupils’ understanding of behaviour at home.

The impact of this new approach has been the creation of a school focused on understanding why pupils struggle to control their behaviour. With support from expert staff, pupils develop strategies for controlling their behaviour. Pupils also understand the