Meath – a Speech and Language UK school - awarded “Outstanding” by Ofsted

Meath – a Speech and Language UK school - awarded “Outstanding” by Ofsted  

Speech and Language UK is delighted to announce that following an Ofsted inspection that took place in February 2023, Meath – a Speech and Language UK School- has been awarded “outstanding” in all areas of its recent Ofsted inspection in relation to its residential provision. 

The Ofsted report rated Meath as “outstanding” in three areas:  

1 Overall experiences and progress of children and young people, taking into account: 

2 - How well children and young people are helped and protected and

3 - 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. 

The Ofsted inspection highlighted the residential service that Meath provides, and noted:  

“Children who stay at the residential service make exceptional progress educationally, socially and emotionally. Children grow, both in terms of skills and self-esteem. Children have embraced new challenges, such as learning to cross the road safely and how to catch a bus. Comprehensive annual review reports show the success of the child, but also the true wealth of support that children can receive from staying at the residential service.” 

Feedback from parents included in the report stated: 

“Parents are clear about the impact the school has on their child’s life. They can see and celebrate their child’s successes. One parent commented, ‘My child is no longer a child who is extremely vulnerable in the wider community.’” 

The report also highlighted that:  

“Children’s views are paramount in the day-to-day running of the residential service. There is a constant flow of communication to and from the children. Residential forum meetings allow children to contribute to decisions…. children benefit from a detailed and well-planned residential curriculum that covers a variety of areas such as staying safe, mental health week, black history month, Diwali and Remembrance Day. These varied events provide a good mix of practical, emotional and cultural learning.” 

When addressing the contribution of Meath’s school leaders, the report stated: 

“Leaders have managed to create a truly integrated school which is offering a comprehensive service to the children who attend. Leaders are united in their vision for the children and how they can succeed. Leaders are present throughout the school and all staff, no matter in what department, are clear about the fact that they can speak to leaders if there are any problems. Communication challenges for children do not prevent them from succeeding, and leaders are able to report several success stories where children have made significant progress. Leaders have been clear about where children’s starting points are and are able to identify what success looks like.” 

Majella Delaney, Principal at Meath, said: 

“We are delighted that Ofsted has rated Meath as ‘outstanding’. We are fully committed to ensuring that our young people enjoy both their extended day and residential school life whilst also developing skills talking and understanding words and their independence.  We want our children to be as prepared as they can be for life after Meath and our residential provision allows us to support their independence and self-care as well as develop meaningful relationships. And that is why we are so delighted that our recent Ofsted report reflects this.” 

Click here to the view Meath’s Ofsted report. 

-ends- 

Notes to editors: 

For media enquiries, contact Simon Walsh, Speech and Language UK Press Manager via media@speechandlanguage.org.uk

The Ofsted inspection of Meath School took place between the 21st and the 23rd of February 2023. 

About Meath School 
Meath School helps children aged 4 - 11 with complex speech, language and communication needs build the foundations they need to thrive. We have been rated Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ since 2007. The school is part of Speech and Language UK, whose mission is to give children and young people the skills they need so they are not left behind, waiting to be understood. 

About Speech and Language UK 

On 12th October, 2022, I CAN changed its name to Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives as part of a brand refresh. Over the years, our focus has centred on supporting children with challenges talking and understanding words. This is now our sole area of work and an area where we hold vast expertise. We develop innovative tools and training for schools and nurseries like our Talk Boost programme. We give advice and guidance to families through our enquiry service. We run two special schools for children with the most complex speech and language challenges. And we push for policy change. Last year, following consultation with professionals and families of children with speech and language challenges, we recognised our name needed to change to reflect the work we do.