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INSPECTION REPORT ON |
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Feltonfleet,
Cobham |
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Full Name of the School |
Feltonfleet |
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DfES Number |
9366090 |
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Address |
Cobham,
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Telephone Number |
01932
862264 |
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Fax Number |
01932
860280 |
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E-mail Address |
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Name of Headmaster |
Mr
P C Ward |
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Chair of Governors |
Mr
H G S Bourne |
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3
– 13 |
Gender |
Mixed |
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Number of Pupils |
314 |
Number of Boarders |
26 |
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Inspection Dates |
30th
September – 5th October 2002 |
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This
inspection report is based on a framework laid down by the Independent
Schools Inspectorate (ISI) and agreed with the DFES and OFSTED for the
purposes of ensuring that standards are maintained and that the school
complies with relevant legal requirements.
Recommendations are included to help the school improve. The report will be lodged with the ISI, the
Head of the School, the Proprietors, the DFES and OFSTED. A summary will be provided by the school
for all parents free of charge and the full report on request. Other interested parties may have the
summary or full report, subject to a charge for copying and postage. The report may not be selectively quoted in
the school prospectus or other promotional literature but may be used
selectively within the school. The
inspection does not examine the financial viability of the school or
investigate its accounting procedures.
The inspectors check the school’s health and safety procedures and
comment on any significant hazards they encounter: they do not carry out an
exhaustive health and safety examination. |
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1.1
Feltonfleet is a happy and friendly community in which pupils of all ages
thrive. It is a co-educational school with a small boarding element. It provides a good academic education for
pupils of a relatively wide range of ability, but needs to improve its
provision for those with special educational needs. Firm leadership and new
management structures are transforming the
1.2 The following are the school’s major strengths:
· The friendly and co-operative attitudes of the pupils, and their unfailing courtesy, are the result of good systems of pastoral care, of the staff’s generous use of their time to help pupils with their work and with their activities.
· As a result of strong leadership and efficient management, the school has raised all its standards, improved the quality of teaching and learning, and continues to set ever higher targets.
· The newly appointed heads of department are setting high academic standards, and are already achieving good results with both able and average pupils.
· The quality of the teaching and learning in physical education, especially in games, is outstanding.
What the School Should Do Better
1.3 The school’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses, but the following are aspects that should be improved:
· The school provides inadequate support for the small but important minority of pupils, especially in Years 5 to 8, with special educational needs that are not acute enough to warrant outside specialist help, but require ongoing support.
· The school day is too long, and the length of many lessons is too short, especially for the younger pupils in Years 3 to 5.
· The senior management and the newly appointed heads of department recognise the need for whole-school planning to secure consistency and continuity from Nursery to Year 8.
· The school has insufficient lavatories, a weakness that has already been identified by the school, which has remedial plans in hand.
Standards of Attainment and Progress in Subjects
1.4 The majority of pupils across all sections of the school achieve good standards in relation to their abilities. A significant minority achieve high or very high standards. The attainment of one or two pupils in each of the classes in the senior school is low. The results of the national tests at Key Stage 2 over the past two years show that pupils’ attainment did not match that of similar schools. However, the 103 lessons observed during the inspection, and the pupils’ written work that was examined by the team, show that attainment in three-quarters of the lessons observed was high, and in approximately one third it was very high or exceptionally high. Progress revealed similar results. Attainment and progress throughout the school is on an upward curve.
The Quality of Pupils’ Learning, Attitudes and their Behaviour
1.5
The quality of pupils’ learning
and behaviour was never less than sound and was good or very good in the
majority of lessons seen. They are
willing, effective learners, and their good behaviour ensures high standards
and good progress. The children at the
Foundation Stage probably learn fastest of all. Pupils are well motivated, sustain
concentration and show initiative when given the opportunity. They tackle problems logically and older
pupils evaluate their work to see how they could improve. Pupils are very good listeners, particularly
in the pre-preparatory department, and treat the efforts and opinions of others
with respect. They also form
constructive relationships with one another and with the staff.
1.6 The quality of teaching is very good overall and contributes effectively to pupils’ attainment and progress. The teaching in over three-quarters of more than 100 lessons or parts of lessons seen was good or better and in half it was very good or excellent. The teaching meets the needs of most pupils, with the exception of a significant number of children requiring learning support. Most teachers set high expectations and targets, and most pupils achieve them. The short lessons of 25 minutes or less tend to allow too little opportunity for pupils to be involved.
1.7 Pupils’ levels of attendance are good throughout the school. Legal requirements are met although the school needs to ensure that authorised and unauthorised absences are clearly marked in all registers. An effective system is in place for identifying pupils who are off-site or off games. The very short lessons in the current timetable result in some unpunctuality when pupils have to move around the spacious site. The admissions register is efficiently maintained and fully complies with regulations.
1.8 The overall quality of assessment throughout the school is sound, with many good features. The policy document in the pre-preparatory department that sets out clear and appropriate aims and principles for assessment, recording and the reporting of achievement is followed conscientiously. Throughout the school pupils’ progress is successfully tracked and recorded using a range of standardised tests, including the national tests that are given in Years 2 and 6. Pupils’ work is regularly marked in accordance with the school marking policy. It is good practice that in the main school assessments are collated and a copy sent to parents every three weeks.
1.9 The overall quality of the curriculum is good, and provides a broad and balanced education for the majority of pupils across the age and ability range. The curriculum for the minority of pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory. At the Foundation Stage the curriculum is appropriately based on the requirements of the early learning goals, but also includes a period of French. In Years 3 to 5 the children enjoy a well-planned and balanced curriculum that is well taught by mainly class-based teachers. It is appropriate that in the senior school the curriculum includes the full range of national curriculum subjects plus Latin for some of the older pupils. The lack of curriculum continuity between different sections of the school is unsatisfactory, but is currently being tackled by the director of studies and the heads of department.
Teaching and Non-teaching Staff
1.10
The quality of the teaching and
non-teaching staff is very good.
Teachers are well qualified, effectively deployed and display a strong
commitment to the school and the pupils.
Their subject expertise is good.
Staffing ratios are generally good across the school with classroom
assistants and gap students providing very good support. An additional assistant is required to work
in Years 1 and 2. A priority is a
technician to support teaching and learning in science, DT, ICT and art.
Arrangements for the induction, appra
1.11 The provision of resources throughout the school is good; those for mathematics, ICT and games are good. Teachers use them effectively to support teaching and learning, and pupils’ attainment and progress are improved by their judicious use. Resources for the teaching of Latin need to be improved, and the pre-preparatory department’s gymnastic equipment needs to be upgraded. Each department has an annual budget that sensibly takes account of its development plans.
1.12
The library provision at Feltonfleet is adequate, but the location of the main library
away from the senior classroom block is unsatisfactory. When the new teaching block is built the
library will be located at its centre.
The pre-preparatory department maintains a satisfactory non-fiction
library of 900 books in an all-purpose room.
Because of shortage of space all the fiction books are sensibly kept in
individual classrooms. The new main
school library that was opened last year has a limited stock of approximately
550 fiction books and 600 non-fiction and reference books. A collection of 30 CD-ROMs and a range of 45
audio books are a useful supplement. The
remaining book stock is kept in the classrooms of Years 3 to 5. The school was
able to purchase some additional books using money raised for that purpose by
the ‘Friends of Feltonfleet’. Until relocation, and
despite the attractive room that it presently occupies, the library provision
in the main school remains unsatisfactory and the quantity and quality of the
book stock is only adequate.
1.13 The buildings and grounds, and the facilities that they offer, provide an excellent environment for children. They are well maintained and in good decorative order. The grounds, some thirty acres, are spacious with beautiful old trees, rhododendrons and woods. It is a very attractive and exciting place in which to grow up. The accommodation is appropriate for the numbers, ages and gender of the pupils. The buildings are well used and enable the curriculum to be taught effectively and make a positive contribution to pupils’ academic progress and their personal development, behaviour and welfare.
Links with Parents and the Community
1.14
Links between the school and
parents and the community are very good.
A recent Parental Satisfaction Survey carried out independently by NOP
Research confirms that the great majority of those responding to the survey
(147) did so positively. In the
questions relating to children’s progress, breadth of curriculum, pastoral
care, behaviour, extra-curricular activities and contact with the school, more
than three-quarters of the parents who responded considered the school’s action
excellent or good. Only in the question
referring to the amount of homework given was there any reservation. Approximately a quarter of those responding
thought the amount of homework given was only fair or poor. The school supports
several charities, encourages outside organ
1.15
The school makes very good
provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils take part in, and respond to, a wide
range of activities through which they are able to develop opinions and
attitudes, and to respond to the spiritual aspects of life and to begin to
develop a moral code. They are proud
members of the school community. An ethos of tolerance and sharing is evident
throughout the school. Standards of
behaviour are good and the pupils are d
Pastoral Care (including Health and Safety)
1.16 The school’s systems for pastoral care, support, guidance, welfare and health and safety are very good across all sections of the school. They contribute effectively to both educational standards and the personal growth achieved by pupils. In the pre-preparatory department a well-documented system of golden rules sets out guidance for pupils and parents, and is successfully operated. It is reinforced by the existence of circle time during which the ideas underlying the system are discussed with pupils. In the main school the range of guidance and support available is excellent. Form tutors are the first point of contact with pupils. Form tutors refer to heads of year who attend weekly welfare meetings led by the head of pastoral care and attended by a boarding representative as well as the head of girls, the deputy head and the headmaster. Pupils’ needs are discussed sensitively with a view to positive resolutions.
1.17 No National Care Standards Team took part in the inspection.
1.18 The governance and management of Feltonfleet overall is very good. The headmaster, who was appointed in 2000, has introduced an improved management structure. A senior management team (SMT) has enabled a more professional approach to be made to all aspects of school life. The performance management policy has improved staff professional development and raised the standard of teaching and learning. More responsibility has been given to the heads of subject departments, and a number of sub-committees have been created to involve more teaching and non-teaching staff in the running of the school. The governors and the headmaster have prepared comprehensive development plans for the expansion and improved management of the school. The first phase has been completed successfully.
Achievement and Quality in Activities
1.19
The curriculum is supported and
enriched by a very good variety of extra-curricular clubs and activities. These include an impressive number of
sporting activities. Teachers give
willingly of their time and show a commendable commitment to their pupils. A few clubs, such as squash, judo and short
tennis are taught by outside instructors.
Activities such as b
Progress made by The School since the Last Inspection
1.20 The school was last inspected in December 1995. Since that time significant improvements have been made to the premises and facilities, including the construction of an excellent sports hall and an attractive library. The dining room, kitchens, staff common room and senior staff studies, have been remodelled and improved. The strengthening of the senior management structure, begun under the previous headmaster, has continued. The school roll has increased from 208 to 314, and the number of girls has increased to the point where separate boarding is being offered from April 2003.
2.1 The main recommendations are listed below. The school should:
R1 introduce a system of classroom support for the pupils with special educational needs in Years 5 to 8;
R2 consider lengthening lessons, shortening the school day and providing time for pupils to move from one lesson to another;
R3 bring all sections of the school closer together by encouraging continuity through whole-school planning;
R4 consider the appointment of a technician to support the work in science, ICT, DT and art, and an extra assistant in the pre-preparatory department to work between the two key stages;
R5 provide sufficient lavatories for staff and pupils.
3.1 Feltonfleet was established in Folkestone as a small proprietorial boarding school for boys. In 1945 it settled in Cobham and became a Charitable Trust in 1970. When the number of boarders fell dramatically in the early 1990s the school changed its character and became mainly a day school. It admitted girls and opened a pre-preparatory department and a nursery. A relatively wide range of ability is represented, including a small number with specific learning difficulties. Additional pupils gain entry into a Year 3 class at age eight.
3.2
The numbers of pupils on roll
at the time of the inspection were 36 in the Nursery and
3.3 As the school itself states, the vast majority of the children are from middle-class families whose parents are first-time buyers of independent education, living within ten minutes drive of the school. This includes boarders, only two of whom have parents living abroad. The imbalance in numbers of boys and girls is a factor that exercises governors, headmaster and staff. Opening boarding to girls is one way of trying to meet this imbalance.
3.4 The present headmaster was appointed in the Year 2000. Since his arrival, with the encouragement of the governors, he has increased the school roll by adopting a more professional attitude to recruitment. He has also developed a senior management team (SMT) that is in the process of introducing a professional approach to curriculum management, to new methods of assessment and to staff professional development. These new attitudes, and the appointment of a number of more recently trained staff, are important features of the school
3.5 National Curriculum nomenclature, which is used by Feltonfleet, is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
3.6 National Curriculum Assessments at Age 7 (Key Stage 1)
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Level 2 or higher |
Level 3 or higher |
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Subject |
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Externally marked |
Teacher assessed |
Externally marked |
Teacher assessed |
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Boys |
100 |
100 |
100 |
78 |
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Girls |
100 |
100 |
57 |
57 |
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Writing |
Boys |
100 |
100 |
11 |
22 |
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Girls |
100 |
100 |
29 |
43 |
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Mathematics |
Boys |
100 |
100 |
89 |
89 |
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Girls |
100 |
100 |
43 |
29 |
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Science |
Boys |
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100 |
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33 |
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Girls |
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100 |
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14 |
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3.7 National Curriculum Assessments at Age 11 (Key Stage 2)
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Level 4 or higher |
Level 5 or higher |
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Subject |
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Externally marked |
Teacher assessed |
Externally marked |
Teacher assessed |
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English |
Boys |
97 |
36 |
24 |
16 |
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Girls |
100 |
66 |
86 |
50 |
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Mathematics |
Boys |
84 |
85 |
24 |
12 |
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Girls |
100 |
100 |
43 |
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Science |
Boys |
97 |
92 |
37 |
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