Pupils are welcomed to Woolston Brook School with a warm smile and a friendly greeting. Many pupils join the school having had difficulties in managing their feelings and regulating their behaviour at previous settings. Here, they begin to rebuild their trust in adults and develop a sense of belonging. Pupils enjoy caring and nurturing relationships with staff who know them well. They trust that there is always an adult available to help them if they are worried. The recent improvements in behaviour mean that pupils now behave well around school. Staff notice when pupils experience distress. They are quick to anticipate conflict and respond swiftly and sensitively to pupils’ emotional needs. Pupils feel safe. The school is ambitious for pupils. There are improvements happening to support the school’s high expectations of what they want pupils to learn. However, many curriculum subjects are still in the early stages of development. This means that pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for their next steps in education. This is further hampered by some pupils not attending school regularly. Pupils value the new lunchtime clubs that they can join. They also enjoy other opportunities that the school offers them to ready themselves for adult life. For example, pupils learn to use public transport, to shop and cook.