Dee Banks School

Dee Banks School, a special school in Chester for pupils with education, health and care plans including profound multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and autism, has been judged to require special measures after a full inspection. Safeguarding standards are not met: leaders and governors have not created an open and positive safeguarding culture, some concerns have not been acted on swiftly, required governor checks were left incomplete, and recording systems are fragile and inconsistent. Recent action and training have begun, but pupils have been put at risk for too long. The school's personal development and wellbeing provision is a clear strength. Pupils benefit from a broad programme, on-site therapies, swimming, outdoor learning, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, travel training and a well-planned careers programme. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive, pupils say they feel safe, attendance is above the national average when compared with similar schools, behaviour is generally calm, bullying is rare and enrichment opportunities are wide. Post-16 students also benefit from positive relationships and college, volunteering and Duke of Edinburgh opportunities. However, serious weaknesses remain across curriculum and teaching, achievement, early years, inclusion, post-16, attendance and behaviour, and leadership and governance. Expectations are too low, the curriculum lacks structure and ambition, assessment is weak and pupils make limited progress, particularly in communication, English and mathematics. Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently effective, some pupils spend extended periods out of school, and suspensions have been used inappropriately. Leadership and governance have lacked rigour, staff workload has been excessive and professional learning has been weak. The substantive headteacher was absent during inspection; the acting headteacher began in March 2026 and an acting deputy was appointed shortly before the inspection, alongside a new chair of governors and vacancies on the governing body.

Strengths

• Broad and carefully designed personal development programme
• Wide range of activities matched to pupils' individual needs
• On-site therapy sessions support pupils' medical needs well
• Swimming and water safety build essential life skills
• Outdoor learning develops practical skills and resilience
• Duke of Edinburgh and travel training build independence and teamwork
• Age-appropriate health, relationships and safety education
• Strong promotion of respect, equality and inclusion
• Well-planned careers programme with college visits
• Staff know pupils' emotional needs well and support wellbeing
• Positive staff-pupil relationships and warm daily greetings
• Pupils say they feel safe and attendance is above the national average for similar schools
• Pupils are generally calm, follow routines and bullying is rare
• Inclusive environment free from discrimination
• Wide enrichment opportunities, clubs and visits available to all pupils
• Post-16 students benefit from positive relationships and college, volunteering and Duke of Edinburgh opportunities

Areas for Improvement

• Safeguarding standards are not met and the culture is not open and positive
• Some safeguarding concerns have not been acted on swiftly enough
• Required governor checks were left incomplete for too long
• Safeguarding systems are fragile and inconsistent
• Staff do not report concerns quickly or consistently, and recording equipment is sometimes hard to find
• Safeguarding records contain gaps and inaccuracies that hinder risk identification
• Staff understanding and confidence in safeguarding training vary widely
• The school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education
• Leaders and governors have not demonstrated capacity to secure necessary improvement
• Curriculum lacks structure, coherence and ambition
• Expectations are too low and too much learning time is spent on tasks lacking meaning
• Staff focus too much on engagement rather than learning and do not check progress systematically
• Pupils make very limited progress and develop gaps in communication, English and mathematics
• Early reading is not developed where pupils communicate more effectively
• Pupils forget learning and are not challenged to achieve what they are capable of
• Pupils lack consistent communication tools and support, leading to disengagement
• Early years curriculum is poorly designed and sometimes not matched to children's age or stage
• Early years expectations are too low, checks on learning are weak and children underachieve
• Inclusion systems are ineffective and support is delayed or poorly matched to pupils' needs
• Some pupils spend extended periods out of school with insufficient leadership oversight
• Additional funding for vulnerable pupils is used ineffectively and not rigorously checked
• Post-16 curriculum does not secure essential English and mathematics knowledge
• Post-16 learning is not planned precisely enough and activities are not well matched to ability
• Attendance analysis is not deep enough to identify patterns and barriers quickly
• Transitions are not planned well and communication support is inconsistent
• Suspensions and exclusions have been used inappropriately and not followed statutory guidance
• Leadership and governance have been ineffective over time and too positive about the school
• Governors have not challenged leaders with sufficient rigour and important decisions were delayed
• Staff workload has been excessive and planning and preparation time has not been protected
• Professional learning for staff has been weak or absent
• Funding has been poorly planned and the school environment is not inviting or suitable
• Parental and wider community engagement lacks impact and communication does not always build trust

In 2024–25 pupils at Dee Banks School attended 87.1% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 37.8% 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 Dee Banks School 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 Dee Banks School had 5.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26 Dee Banks School had 141 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; severe learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; 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 special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Dee Banks School received £30,550 and spent £32,359 for each of its 141 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £192,000 (-£1,359 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chester · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Dee Banks School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dee Banks School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Dee Banks School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dee Banks School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Dee Banks School have?

Dee Banks School has 141 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dee Banks School cover?

Dee Banks School for pupils aged 2 to 19.

Where is Dee Banks School?

Dee Banks School is at Dee Banks, Sandy Lane, Deebanks School, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 5UX.