A SALISBURY school that caters for young people who have faced trauma and overcome adversity and struggle with mainstream education has rated as ‘good’ by inspectors.

The Spires, in School Lane, has 32 pupils aged between six and 18 on roll and was visited by Ofsted between February 6 and 8.

Overall, it was rated good in all categories, and outstanding for personal development.

The report said: “Many pupils have missed a lot of schooling by the time they arrive at The Spires.

“However, through the carefully structured educational and therapeutic support, pupils thrive.

“Pupils learn to build strong relationships with staff and each other. As a result, they re-engage with learning and flourish.”

It said the school had worked “tirelessly” to provide an effective curriculum, with leaders having a “clear vision” to help young people overcome obstacles and learn.

“However, leaders acknowledge that in some subject areas, the knowledge that pupils need to learn is not as clearly designed and sequenced as in others,” it went on.

“Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not build on their knowledge as well as in other subjects.”

Staff were praised for their “expertise to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities”.

“Leaders and staff provide very strong social, emotional and mental health support for pupils,” the report added.

“Consequently, pupils are very well prepared for their next steps.”

For more information on The Spires, log on to five-rivers.org/education/schools/the-spires.

And to read the full Ofsted report, visit reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/146166.