Education Sector

Maintained Special Schools

A teacher helps a young boy with Down syndrome use a tablet in a classroom."

Maintained special schools

We celebrate successes, highlight areas for improvement and focus on what’s important for learners in maintained special schools.

Explore advice and tools created for those working in maintained special schools.

More information about our work is available below.

Our approach

A young boy in a supportive chair playing with a sensory ball in a classroom.

Ways to improve

Estyn are here to help you. Explore our vast wealth of cross-sector improvement resources.

Numeracy skills

Literacy Skills

Poverty and disadvantage

Featured Maintained Special Schools resources

All resources

Developing respect and understanding: The quality and impact of relationships and sexuality education in schools and pupil referral units

Sgwrs Podcast: Towards an Anti-Racist Wales

The impact of the work of the Well-being Centre on pupils, staff and families.

Using distributed leadership for school improvement

Professional Learning at Heronsbridge School

We Give Them Wings, Our Herons Will Fly: Our Curriculum Reform Journey

How teaching and the curriculum develops creative skills

How compassionate leadership supports the learning and well-being of pupils and the wider school community

The effect of distributed and specialised professional development on the quality of provision.

The schools use of outdoor learning to meet the complex and sensory needs of pupils.

Inspection guidance resources

These handbooks are valuable resources to gain insights into the standards and methodologies employed during inspections.

How we inspect What we inspect

Latest articles

Blog posts and news articles relating to the Maintained Special Schools sector.

All articles

Relationship and Sexuality Education helps pupils feel safe and respected, but provision is not yet consistent

Estyn Annual Report: Clear direction, improving self-evaluation and support and tackling recruitment are key to future success in Wales’ education system

Estyn outlines sector challenges and successes in early insights report

Owen Evans addresses inspectors at the latest update training for the new inspection framework.

Inspection 2024 Training

Inspection and report schedule

Latest inspection reports

See all inspection reports

Inspection schedule

No inspection schedule available