A TOTTON school with "inexperienced leaders" has been told it requires improvement following a recent watchdog inspection.

Glade School, on Junction Road, is specialised in educating students with autism aged between 11 and 19-years-old.

Run by Principal Victoria Horner and part of the FairWays group, the school was found to be at risk of not having all the information they need to respond promptly to any issues due to "inexperienced leaders" who were "not as familiar as they need to be" with the school’s requirements for recording and analysing information about pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safety.

An Ofsted inspection, which was carried out in November 2021 and publish on January 14, 2022, rated the school as requires improvement in overall effectiveness - despite four out of five categories receiving a 'good' rating.

The quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and sixth-form provision were all rated as good upon inspection, and was also found to meet the independent school standards.

But leadership and management received requires improvement.

The report highlights that students are safe, happy and enjoy attending the school.

"Pupils achieve ambitious goals because of the school’s nurturing approach to supporting pupils with autism spectrum disorders," the report states.

"Learning is planned around pupils’ interests and individual needs. Learning spaces are bespoke to each pupil.

"For example, some pupils choose to sit at a desk surrounded by their favourite books. Others decorate their spaces with blankets and cushions because this makes them feel safe."

Inspectors found that adults deal with any incidents of bullying "very sensitively, but make sure that it stops".

One parent told inspectors: "My child lives a happier, more fulfilled life, because of the difference the school makes."

However, inspectors also found leaders at the school are still "ironing out" how best to check that the school’s policies and procedures are working well.

The report reads: "These systems are not working as well as they should be.

"Some inexperienced leaders are not using the school’s systems for noting and updating concerns efficiently.

"Some analysis, for example of attendance and behaviour, is not being conducted well enough.

"Consequently, those responsible for governance are at risk of not having all the information they need to respond promptly to any issues that arise."

A spokesperson from Glade School said: "The report is critical of the new leadership team, describing some as inexperienced and observing that while overall safeguarding is effective, some governance systems are not reporting optimally.

"A rating of Requires improvement in the leadership category automatically means the overall report also gets this rating.

"We recognise the new leaders and systems need time to be fully embedded and are working hard to address the highlighted areas for improvement.

"The report also recognises the continued good quality of education, the excellent behaviours and attitude of pupils and their academic and personal development achievements. In fact, this report is filled with positive recognition of the outstanding education and support provided.

"This remains entirely consistent with the standards of educational excellence we have developed across Fair Ways schools over the past years and our desire for excellence remains as committed as ever."