'A really special school'

5:57pm Thursday 4th December 2008

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A school that offers children who struggle with mainstream education a second chance has been rated outstanding for a second time.

Northern House School, in South Parade, North Oxford, caters for children aged between five and 13 with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, many of whom have been excluded from mainstream schools.

But despite dealing with children whose behaviour has previously been so bad they have had to be turned away elsewhere, education inspectors Ofsted awarded it its highest rating following a visit in September.

Headteacher Gill Carey said: “I am thrilled — this is a wonderful result for everyone involved in our school.

“The commitment and dedication of everyone involved in our community enables our pupils to enjoy education, thrive and achieve.”

But she added: “It is our pupils’ acceptance of the opportunity of the ‘second chance’ that is the primary factor in our success.”

The school is the only one in the county catering for primary-aged children. Because of their behavioural problems, many pupils arrive with very low levels of achievement.

Mrs Carey said: “The main challenge is to get a child back interested in their behaviour.

“Most of them have fallen behind in education because they can’t concentrate, or they get wound up, so we run very small classes and catch them up on education they have missed.

“By the time they get here they know they have failed the education system so it is about making the children feel OK about themselves.”

Currently, about 40 per cent of its pupils go back into some form of mainstream education.

Pupil Daniel Brown, 11, from Faringdon, said: “It took me a long time to get here and I believe I'm quite lucky because it's such a special school.”

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk