"Significant changes" are now taking place at a North Staffordshire special school branded inadequate by Ofsted inspectors.

Roaches School in Knypersley was previously rated good by Ofsted – but its latest Ofsted inspection report, published this month, said safeguarding measures were not effective and its approach to managing pupils' behaviour was "weak".

Inspectors also said the school must "ensure that all incidents of restraint are reviewed, risk assessments are updated and that staff have appropriate training on agreed approaches".

The report said: "Frequent incidents of restraint are not reviewed in line with the school's behaviour policy; this means that the school does not learn from its use of restraint, which places staff and pupils at risk of injury.

"Older pupils experience incidents of poor behaviour, which are becoming more frequent.

"The school is unaware of the extent of this unacceptable behaviour or incidents of bullying; staff use restraint frequently because they do not have the expertise or support to deal with challenging behaviour.

"Pupils join the school after having had a challenging experience of education, often with many gaps in their knowledge. All are pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

"Pupils in the secondary phase do not receive the quality of education they deserve. Teachers' expectations are too low – they do not help pupils gain the knowledge that they need.

"In the primary phase, pupils learn better as their needs are understood, expectations are higher and learning helps pupils build on their previous knowledge.

"The school does not have a strategic approach to improve pupils' attendance; it does not use part-time timetables appropriately. This means pupils miss valuable learning time and opportunities for personal development."

The independent residential special school is based across two sites and has spaces for up to 58 pupils aged five to 16, including day pupils.

Annual fees for day pupils are £53,200.

The school specialises in caring for and educating children and young people with severe emotional or behavioural difficulties.

An acting headteacher was in charge at the time of the latest Ofsted inspection and a new head is now in place.

A school spokesperson said: "We acknowledge the findings of the recent Ofsted inspection. Whilst we are naturally disappointed by the outcome, we fully accept the report and are committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement.

"A new headteacher has now been appointed, bringing fresh leadership and vision to the school.

"Significant changes are already underway, guided by the best interests of our pupils, staff and wider community.

"Our priority is to ensure that every child receives the highest quality of education in a safe, supportive and inspiring environment.

"We remain determined to build on our strengths constructively to the recommendations, and work in partnership with parents, carers, and the local community to deliver the improvements required."