A school for children with autism has kept its “good” Ofsted rating while also being judged “outstanding” in two areas of inspection.

Helen Allison School, in Meopham, near Gravesend, has been praised for building “positive and trusting” relationships with pupils and its ambitious attitude toward its students.

Principal Adam Wadey said: “Our recent Ofsted visit really captured the hard work and dedication all the staff at Helen Allison School have put in since our previous inspection.

“I was delighted to read the report and to hear that our pupils feel happy and enjoy their time at school.

“I am so proud of all the staff who do all they can to support our pupils, and I am so proud of our pupils who make such great progress during their time at the school.

“I am incredibly honoured to be the principal of such an amazing school.”

The report, published this week, said pupils feel “very happy” because staff understand their needs and ensure they are learning in the right environment and want to attend because they enjoy coming in.

It added: “As a result of the careful support provided by the school and pupils’ own commitment to their learning, pupils across the school achieve well.”

Inspectors said the school, in Longfield Road, has a range of “enriching opportunities” which help students with their confidence and is “ambitious for every pupil to learn to read”.

Their report added: “The welfare and education of pupils sit at the heart of all decisions made by the school.”

It also highlighted staff work closely with families and carry out a range of informative assessments to ensure they know what to focus on for each pupil and can adapt to their learning environments.

Helen Allison School was rated “good” overall achieving a “good” rating for the quality of education, leadership and management and sixth-form provision and “outstanding” for behaviour, attitudes and personal development.

However, inspectors did report that “not all staff are experts in the teaching of phonics” meaning some groups “receive less effective teaching than others”.

It also said “assessment information is not gathered and used consistently well” to ensure pupils are achieving the best across the academic curriculum.

Director of education and children’s services at the National Autistic Society, Josh Fitzgerald, said: “We are immensely proud of all our staff for their incredible hard work and dedication to our pupils.

“We will continue to do all we can to support autistic children and young people to thrive at school.”

The National Autistic Society school supports children and young people with autism from the ages of five to 19 years old.