Roaches is a welcoming school where pupils thrive. Many pupils join the school with a history of poor school attendance. Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils. These nurturing relationships support pupils to attend and achieve well. Pupils say they feel happy and safe. They also say that bullying is rare. They are confident that staff will deal with it effectively should it occur. Staff know the pupils well. They are skilled in calming pupils down and supporting pupils to regulate their emotions. As a result, learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Leaders have high expectations of pupils. They have carefully crafted a curriculum that allows each individual pupil to achieve well. Pupils are given the help and support they need to be successful citizens in society. Nearly all pupils leave the school for further education or employment. One pupil said: ‘We love this school. They really care about us. In our other schools, they gave up on us, but not here. They have high expectations and really push us, but they also know when to stop pushing.’ Pupils enjoy the wider experiences provided for them at school. For example, pupils speak positively about learning mountain biking, rock climbing and outdoor survival skills.