Batley MP enjoys immersive day of learning at special needs SEND school after positive Ofsted report
A Batley MP enjoyed an immersive day of learning at a local special needs school, weeks after they received a positive Ofsted report.
Children at Becker School, part of the Polaris Community, located on Ruby Street, Batley, entertained a visit local MP Iqbal Mohammed.
Opening in 2024, the SEND school works with the local authority, parents and guardians to provide specialist education in the area, recently secured a Good in all four inspected categories following an Ofsted between July 1-3, 2025.
Becker School, which supports children aged between five - 13 with diagnoses including social, emotional and mental health needs, received a Good rating for the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
Ofsted inspectors said: “Becker School specialises in helping pupils with additional needs thrive. The school focuses on establishing strong relationships, which is evident in how staff and pupils interact. This caring atmosphere builds trust, so pupils feel safe expressing themselves.
“They share their views through resources, sign language, and talking with adults. The school sets ambitious goals for its pupils. High expectations support pupils in making progress. Pupils develop well from their starting points. Tailored approaches to learning help pupils to behave well and to be successful learners.”
Iqbal Mohamed, the Independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley, visited the school after staff and children had raised concerns about the speed of vehicles and lack of traffic calming measures. Many of the children at the SEND school are non-verbal and those who can speak may have communication difficulties, so staff devised a creative way for children to express their worries.
Children pre-recorded messages to play to the MP, including ‘welcome to Becker School’ and ‘help keep us safe’ and created finger paintings of traffic lights to communicate their thoughts and feelings.
Iqbal Mohammed, MP for Dewsbury and Batley, said: “Visiting Becker School was a pleasure and deeply inspiring. The dedication of the staff and the resilience of the students reflect the very best of our community.
“Every child deserves an education that meets their needs and nurtures their potential - and Becker is delivering just that. I will continue to advocate for adequate government support for special educational needs children in my constituency and across the rest of the UK.”
The school “meaningfully addresses potential barriers to learning,” according to Ofsted inspectors, which supports the school’s aspiration to foster an inclusive environment. It emphasises the unique needs of each pupil and sets a strong foundation for their academic and personal growth.
The curriculum at Becker School is “sensibly sequenced” and effectively supports the pupils’ improvement in subject knowledge over time. At the moment, the school only has pupils in key stages 1 and 2.
Michala Pennington, head teacher at Becker School, said: “As many of our children are unable to communicate, we adapted how they would do this to get the most out of Iqbal’s visit. We wanted the children to feel relaxed and be able to communicate in their own way, so we used art and sounds.
“The children loved hearing their own voices on the recorder and one child even invited MP Iqbal to record his own voice message. There was a lot of laughter and enjoyment.
“Iqbal was amazing with our children, stopping at each of our classrooms where he didn’t just observe but fully immersed himself in the children’s learning. The children loved having such a special guest.”
Focusing on areas of further improvement, Ofsted inspectors noted that the full impact of the curriculum has “not yet been fully realised,” meaning that some aspects of pupils’ knowledge are not secure in all areas of the curriculum.
Leaders must continue supporting all staff in implementing the established plans, vision, and relational approach to which the school is committed.