Acorn Park School in Banham. - Credit: Sonya Duncan Ofsted inspectors have said a Norfolk special school has made progress in tackling weaknesses that left parents accusing it of failing their children. After its last full Ofsted inspection in February 2020 Acorn Park School in Banham was rated ‘inadequate’ with the quality of teaching said to be “not good enough”. Inspectors said while children enjoyed attending the school, the quality of the curriculum was “weak”, leaders had “given little thought” to how they progressed, and pupils completed “disconnected tasks and activities” with reading not prioritised. Following a progress monitoring inspection in February 2021, Ofsted inspectors said progress had been made in tackling failings since new leaders had been appointed in September.
Acorn Park School in Banham that has seen a coronavirus outbreak. Picture: Sonya Duncan - Credit: Sonya Duncan Thirteen parents have teamed up to raise concerns that an inadequate Norfolk special school is failing to meet pupils needs . The parents, whose children have complex autism disorders, say their concerns relate to high staff turnover and a lack of professionalism among executive management at Acorn Park independent residential and day school in Banham. They joined forces with national special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) activist and consultant Janet Willicott, who collated the 13 parents testimonies to “inform the Department for Education (DFE)” after a February 2020 Ofsted inspection saw Acorn Park School (APS) rated “inadequate”, and a “notice to improve” order was issued in September last year.