Meath – a Speech and Language UK school – awarded “Outstanding” Ofsted rating for its residential provision
Speech and Language UK is delighted to announce that following an Ofsted inspection that took place in February 2024, Meath – a Speech and Language UK school – has been awarded “outstanding” in all areas in relation to its residential provision.
The Ofsted report rated Meath as “outstanding” in three areas:
- Overall experiences and progress of children and young people, taking into account:
- How well children and young people are helped and protected
- The effectiveness of leaders and managers
Meath in Ottershaw, Surrey, provides residential services and an extended school-day programme for 75 children aged four to 11 years, who have complex speech and language challenges.
Ofsted’s inspection of Meath’s residential service highlighted that:
“Children thoroughly enjoy staying at the school. They take part in a range of different experiences that help them to have fun, develop relationships and practise the skills that they need in order to be successful when they leave. This includes going to a local gym and on shopping trips and taking part in imaginative play. The children are happy and enthusiastic and make remarkable progress in key areas of their lives, because of the care and support that they receive. They learn to become increasingly independent.”
Feedback from parents included in the report stated:
“Parents feel well informed and have good relationships with staff. They say they are highly impressed by the progress that their children make and the impact that the residential experience has on their child. One parent said the support their child had had with learning to use sign language had been ‘life enhancing’ for them. Professionals say staff communicate effectively and work well in partnership with them. They also say the children make excellent progress.”
The report also highlighted that:
“Children say they feel safe and happy. They identify adults they can speak to if they are worried or unhappy… (They) are taught how to develop and maintain positive relationships and to talk about their feelings openly with staff and each other to resolve conflicts. Staff work with children to help them to understand and explore their own feelings and emotions. Staff are highly skilled in recognising potential triggers that may lead to children experiencing difficult feelings and…are able to support children positively… Staff have a thorough understanding of each child’s health needs and how to support them to be healthy and safe.”
When assessing Meath’s school leaders, the report said:
“Leaders are passionate and highly ambitious for children’s futures and experiences. They ensure that high standards are maintained, and that staff share in the children’s successes and achievements. Leaders work collaboratively to ensure that they continue to be innovative in their approaches to enable children to be independent and successful. Leaders are proud of the school’s approach to research, and they actively share their expertise with others. They have developed excellent, research-informed practices which they use to provide training to external professionals from around the world. The residential provision is seen as an integral part of the whole school and there are shared priorities and challenges. There are ambitious plans to further enhance each child’s experiences and to develop enhanced learning programmes for children using the residential provision.”
Majella Delaney, Principal at Meath, said:
“We are delighted that Ofsted has rated Meath’s residential service as ‘outstanding’ Our Residential provision offers a safe and nurturing environment for all our children with complex speech and language challenges. We take this responsibility very seriously and we want all our children to be as prepared as they can be for life after Meath. Our residential provision allows us to support their independence and self-care as well as helping to develop meaningful relationships”
Click here to the view Meath’s Ofsted report.
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Notes to editors:
For media enquiries, contact Simon Walsh, Speech and Language UK Media and Publicity Manager via media@speechandlanguage.org.uk
The Ofsted inspection of Meath School took place between 21 to 23 February 2024.
About Meath School
Meath School helps children aged 4 – 11 with complex speech, language and communication needs and builds the foundations they need to thrive. We have been rated Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ since 2007. The school is part of Speech and Language UK Services Ltd, whose mission is to give children and young people the skills they need so they are not left behind, waiting to be understood.
Who are Speech and Language UK?
For at least 1.9 million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feels like an impossible hurdle. We work to give every child the skills they need to face the future with confidence. We design innovative tools and training for thousands of nursery assistants and teachers to use in their classrooms. We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. And we put pressure on politicians to prioritise help for speech and language challenges.
We demand a country in which every child with challenges in talking and understanding words has the skills they need to face the future with confidence. Together we can achieve it.
