St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs

St Vincent's School is a small specialist school for pupils with sensory impairment and other needs, where every pupil has an education, health and care plan. Following a full inspection in September 2026, it is judged to be meeting the expected standard in all areas, and safeguarding standards are met. Inspectors found a warm, highly inclusive community in which pupils feel safe, valued and well supported, and where positive relationships and calm routines underpin daily life. Pupils achieve well from their individual starting points. Leaders prioritise the outcomes in pupils' EHC plans and provide personalised support, including strong expertise in visual and hearing impairment, so that pupils develop communication, independence and social skills. The curriculum is ambitious and broad, teaching is often well adapted, and pupils benefit from effective personal development, careers and enrichment. Attendance is typically positive and behaviour is very positive; bullying is rare. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, and many gain accredited qualifications including GCSEs. Some improvement is needed in how precisely leaders analyse pupil progress and whole-school performance. Short-term targets are not consistently precise enough to track small steps, and staff checks on pupils' understanding and subject-specific vocabulary are not always thorough, occasionally limiting pupils' ability to explain and apply key concepts. Leaders have strengthened oversight since the previous inspection and are well placed to address these points.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming and highly inclusive school community
• Pupils feel safe, valued and ready to learn
• Strong personalised support for pupils with visual and/or hearing impairment
• Effective development of pupils' communication, personal and social skills
• Pupils achieve well from their individual starting points
• Many pupils gain accredited qualifications, including GCSEs
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well
• Positive attendance and typically very positive behaviour
• Bullying is rare
• Ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum
• Structured phonics and reading support for pupils who need it
• Effective collaboration with external professionals and agencies
• Highly effective personal development programme
• Strong careers provision and preparation for adulthood
• Varied enrichment programme, including school council and Duke of Edinburgh Award
• Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and provide effective professional development
• Governors provide appropriate challenge and support

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders' analysis of pupils' progress is not robust enough to set precise short-term targets
• Short-term targets do not consistently track small steps of progress effectively
• Staff checks on pupils' understanding are not always sufficiently thorough
• Pupils' use of subject-specific vocabulary is not consistently secure
• Missed opportunities to extend learning and deepen pupils' understanding
• Leaders' analysis of whole-school performance sometimes lacks precision
• Leaders occasionally do not use monitoring information robustly enough to identify rapid improvement actions

In 2024–25 pupils at St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs attended 88.6% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 40.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs had 48 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 98.6%).

It says it provides for: social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded non-maintained special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

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• Secondary Schools

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What is St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs last inspected by Ofsted?

St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs have?

St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs has 48 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs cover?

St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs for pupils aged 4 to 19.

Where is St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs?

St Vincent's School - A Specialist School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs is at Yew Tree Lane, West Derby, Liverpool, Merseyside, L12 9HN.