Maintained special
Early Insights 2025-2026
Teaching and learning
Teaching and learning across the maintained special sector remain strong and highly personalised. Staff create calm, supportive environments and use effective communication and practical approaches to help pupils make meaningful progress in their learning, communication and independence. Preparation for adulthood is a key strength in many schools. However, inconsistencies remain in providing an appropriate level of challenge for pupils in lessons, while accommodation pressures continue to affect provision in a minority of schools.
What’s going well
- Strong relationships contribute to calm, nurturing environments where pupils feel safe and ready to learn.
- Staff use effective communication, sensory and therapeutic approaches to support engagement and wellbeing.
- Practical and community-based learning is a significant strength, helping pupils prepare for adulthood by applying their skills meaningfully through enterprise activities, travel training, work-related learning and practical life experiences.
- Assessment and feedback systems and effective support from teaching assistants help pupils make meaningful progress from their individual starting points.
- Curricula are adapted carefully to pupils’ individual needs and support strong progress in communication, emotional regulation and independence.
What needs to improve
- In a minority of lessons, activities are not matched closely enough to pupils’ needs.
- Challenge and pace are inconsistent in a few lessons, limiting pupils’ progress.
Well-being, care, support and guidance
Most schools provide calm, inclusive environments where strong relationships, effective partnerships and tailored support help pupils feel safe, valued and ready to learn. Practical, community-based and therapeutic experiences support pupils’ independence, communication, resilience and preparation for adulthood, while relationships and sexuality education generally reflects pupils’ individual needs. However, communication with parents is not always sufficiently consistent, and a minority of schools need to strengthen aspects of safeguarding, medical oversight or accommodation to ensure pupils have full access to appropriate support and learning experiences.
What’s going well
- Schools provide calm, inclusive environments where pupils feel safe and valued.
- Strong partnerships with families and external agencies support pupils’ well-being and development and help them access specialist support.
- Sensory regulation and therapeutic approaches support engagement and emotional regulation.
- Pupil voice and community experiences help pupils develop confidence, resilience and communication skills.
- Staff support independence and social skills effectively through real-life experiences.
- Relationships and sexuality education is delivered thoughtfully and reflects pupils’ individual needs and stages of development.
What needs to improve
- Communication with parents is not always sufficiently detailed or consistent.
- In two schools, safeguarding and medical oversight arrangements require strengthening.
- Accommodation pressures reduce opportunities for therapeutic and practical learning in half the schools.
Leading and improving
Leadership continues to be generally strong, inclusive and values driven. Leaders prioritise pupils’ wellbeing, staff support and nurturing school cultures effectively. Distributed leadership, professional learning and partnership working support improvement across the sector. However, self-evaluation, accountability arrangements and accommodation pressures require further strengthening in a minority of schools to support sustained improvement.
What’s going well
- Leaders promote strong cultures of wellbeing, safeguarding and support.
- Professional learning supports specialist practice and leadership development effectively.
- Governors in many schools provide supportive challenge and demonstrate commitment to improvement.
- Monitoring and tracking systems help schools identify strengths, areas for development and support improvement planning.
- Leaders work effectively with local authorities and external partners to strengthen provision.
What needs to improve
- Self-evaluation and improvement planning do not always focus sharply enough on the impact on pupils’ outcomes.
- Leadership roles and responsibilities lack clarity in a few schools,
- Governors’ evaluative challenge is occasionally underdeveloped.
- Increasing pupil numbers and unsuitable accommodation continue to place pressure on provision.
Overview of recommendations from inspections
In the 2025-2026 academic year, Estyn carried out six core inspections of maintained special schools.
In total, six maintained special schools were inspected. A total of 11 recommendations were given.
- Three schools (50%) received recommendations linked to improving the consistency of teaching and learning including pace, challenge and the sharing of effective practice.
- Two schools (33%) received recommendations linked to well-being, care, support and guidance, including strengthening safeguarding systems and addressing concerns around medical provision and site safety. Attendance was a recommendation in one school.
- Four schools (67%) received recommendations to further strengthen leadership and approaches to improvement
Effective practice identified during inspection
Teaching and Learning
The Hollies Special School
Read how The Hollies Special School in Cardiff, develops confident and motivated pupils through strong teaching and support and how early individualised support ensures that pupils overcome barriers to change.
Heol Goffa
Read how Heol Goffa School in Carmarthenshire develops pupils who lead, connect and contribute beyond the classroom and how rich real-world and physical experiences that build independence, confidence and resilience.
Ysgol Tir Morfa
Read about how Ysgol Tir Morfa nurtures independence and prepares pupils confidently for life beyond school and, how pupils’ reading skills are developed through a total communication approach
Wellbeing, care, support and guidance
Ysgol Maes Hyfryd Special School
Read how Ysgol Maes Hyfryd Special School’s travel training programme develops practical skills through real-world experiences that build pupils’ confidence, resilience and decision-making skills.
Leading and Improving
Ysgol Bryn Castell
Read how Ysgol Bryn Castell develops a committed staff team.
Ysgol Hafod Lon
Read about strong partnership working and, promoting the professional development of teaching staff at Ysgol Hafod Lon.