A school for young patients at Oxfordshire's hospitals has been rated outstanding by Ofsted.

The 103-year-old Oxfordshire Hospital School (OHS), believed to be the oldest in the UK, has a number of sites throughout the county, including the Oxford Children’s Hospital at the John Radcliffe, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the Horton in Banbury.

Rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2017, it teaches children and young people aged 4 - 17, who are unable to attend their usual school due to medical or mental health needs.

Following an inspection on June 13 and 14, the report said: "Pupils achieve extremely well during their time at Oxfordshire Hospital School.

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"Adults have very high expectations for pupils’ achievement. They sensitively and positively support pupils to engage with learning when pupils are well enough to do so."

Inspectors said staff are "experts at assessing pupils’ starting points" and "they use the information from these conversations to plan a highly bespoke curriculum that meets each pupil’s needs extremely well.

"Pupils value the one-to-one teaching they receive. They feel listened to and know that they quickly get the right help they need to learn.

"Teaching staff expertly build warm, professional and trusting relationships with pupils. They get to know pupils very well."

The report said pupils enjoy their lessons and feel happy and very safe.

"Pupils who are inpatients say that doing schoolwork gives them a sense of normality in an environment that is anything but normal for them," it said.

"Parents and carers praise the teaching staff for their compassionate, nurturing approach. One parent said the school was the answer to her prayers."

The report added: "One example of the school’s achievement is the very high proportion of pupils who successfully reintegrate back into a school when they are well enough to do so."

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Headteacher Steve Lowe said: “No report could possibly do justice to the extraordinary achievements of the pupils whose education we support. They are an inspiration to us all, and their achievements remind us why we do what we do.

“I’m privileged to lead a team of incredible people, who work selflessly and tirelessly with young people, their families and professional support networks. They deliver so brilliantly every minute of every day."

“Our staff have created something really quite special here but there is always scope to do even better and we’re looking forward to continuing our journey."

He added: "Whilst we are clearly delighted by the outcome of the inspection, we are mindful of the challenges and pressures of such processes on schools and school leaders.”