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INSPECTION REPORT ON |
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Full Name of the School |
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DfES Number |
935/6039 |
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Address |
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Telephone Number |
01473
408301 |
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Fax Number |
01473
400067 |
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E-mail Address |
prephead@ipswich.suffolk.sch.uk |
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Name of Head |
Mrs
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Chairman of Governing Body |
Mr
Karl Daniels |
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3-11 |
Gender |
Mixed |
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Number of Pupils |
292 |
Number
of Boarders |
Nil |
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Inspection Dates |
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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
1.2
The
school has many strengths in nearly all aspects of its provision:
· Committed staff provide teaching of good quality which achieves good standards in nearly all subjects, and particularly high standards in art and music; provision for the early years is excellent;
· Good pastoral care and good provision for pupils’ personal development, produce pupils who show good attitudes to learning, have very good relationships with other pupils and with staff, and who show respect for each other; their behaviour is very good;
· Very good arrangements for assessment enable teachers to plan lessons which meet the needs of pupils very well, and identify pupils who need special encouragement and support;
· Excellent accommodation in the pre-prep department provides a bright, lively and effective learning environment;
· The school has developed a very productive partnership with parents;
· Good leadership at all levels has enabled the school to make important improvements in teaching and has created an ethos in which further improvement is widely seen as an important challenge and a goal to which staff are committed.
What the School Should Do Better
1.3
The
school’s many strengths outweigh its weaknesses. However, it should consider the following areas to improve the education it provides
further:
· Some imbalances and inflexibility in the curriculum, together with current limitations on prep department accommodation, mean that due attention cannot be given to all areas of the curriculum;
· The provision of computers is barely satisfactory and limits the extent to which pupils can apply the skills they have acquired in information and communication technology (ICT) to other areas of the curriculum;
Standards of Attainment and Progress in the Foundation Stage
1.4
Children
of all abilities make very good progress throughout the nursery and reception
years and achieve good standards for their ages and capabilities. The high standard of care and teaching enable
the great majority of children to achieve the Early Learning Goals by the time
they are five years old. By the time they
leave the reception class, many are working at Level 1 or 2 of Key Stage 1. The children are happy, busy and well
behaved.
Standards of Attainment and Progress in Subjects
1.5 Pupils’ attainment is good for their ages and capabilities by the end of the pre-prep department in almost all subjects; it is very good in art and music. They are both articulate and perceptive in discussion and produce accurate written work. Pupils of all abilities, including those needing learning support, make good progress overall. Pupils learn new skills and ideas quickly, and they apply their knowledge to new situations very effectively.
1.6 Pupils’ attainment is again good in almost all subjects by the time they leave the prep, and continues to be very good in art and music. Pupils show a wide knowledge of idiomatic phrases and express themselves clearly and thoughtfully in discussion. They show a good knowledge and understanding of abstract ideas and have a good awareness of everyday issues. Their ICT skills are good. All pupils continue to make good progress overall. This results from a good pace in many lessons and from being constantly challenged to improve their work by many members of staff. They continue to use their knowledge and skills effectively in new areas of work and tackle day-to-day issues with increasing maturity. They are constantly learning new skills in ICT.
1.7
The school does not participate
in National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 1. Over the past 3
years, results in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2 have
been above the national average for the nearest equivalent maintained primary
schools in English and mathematics and well above the average in science;
standards in writing are less good than in other aspects of English.
The Quality of Pupils’ Learning, Attitudes and their Behaviour
1.8
The
quality of pupils’ attitudes to learning is good throughout the school and
makes a good contribution to their learning.
Pupils are lively and interested learners, who take pride in their work,
enjoy challenges and learn well; they are well motivated and show very good
levels of concentration. They work
collaboratively, sharing ideas and resources.
1.9
Pupils
listen to each other with tolerance and sensitivity, showing respect for other
people’s values and beliefs, and they support each other well. Behaviour in and around school is very
good. Pupils are polite, courteous and
enjoy very good relationships, both with staff and with each other. Relationships throughout the school are very
good.
1.10 Teaching is consistently good throughout the school and in almost all subjects; it is very good in art and music. Teaching was good or better in three-quarters of lessons observed and very good or excellent in a quarter; it was never less than sound.
1.11 Teachers’ subject knowledge is good in most curriculum areas. Planning is very good. Lessons have clear objectives and are structured effectively. Teachers ensure that work is appropriate to pupils’ varying needs; they have high expectations of all pupils and set additional challenges for the most able. Very good use is made of question-and-answer to develop pupils’ thinking, and teachers are constantly seeking ways in which pupils can improve their work. Lessons are managed well, with clear expectations of behaviour and good relationships between teachers and pupils. Lessons have a good pace and are lively, interesting and enjoyable for pupils.
1.12 Homework is generally appropriate though it is not always set consistently and tasks are not always clear.
1.13 Attendance throughout the school is very good, with no unauthorised absences. Attendance registers and the admission register meet legal requirements.
1.14 The methods used for the assessment and recording of pupils’ attainment and progress are very good; they are, on the whole, accurate, consistent and very effective. This has a positive impact on pupils’ learning, notably for those who need more support. The marking of pupils’ work is, on the whole, thorough and makes practical suggestions that enable pupils to improve their work.
1.15 The curriculum offers a good breadth of education throughout the school. It has a good balance within the pre-prep and a satisfactory balance within the prep. However, the very generous time allocation to physical education and games restricts other aspects of the curriculum, as does the timing of the prep school’s allocation of senior school sports facilities.
1.16
Planning is very good
throughout the school, with very good links between pre-prep and prep
departments and improving links between the prep school and the senior part of
1.17 Pupils with special educational needs receive very effective support, which is managed very well.
Teaching and Non-teaching Staff
1.18 Teaching and non-teaching staff have appropriate qualifications and experience, and contribute very effectively to pupils’ education. Arrangements for professional development are good. The school has carried out appropriate checks on new staff.
1.19 The resources which are needed to support pupils’ education are adequate overall and are used effectively. However, resources for ICT are barely satisfactory. The school makes good use of ICT in some subjects, often for Internet research, but this does not happen in all areas.
1.20
Overall,
library provision at the school is sound and makes an effective contribution to
pupils’ learning; the prep department library has some inadequacies with an
insufficient range of non-fiction to support pupils' research in some subjects.
1.21 The buildings, accommodation and other facilities are excellent in the pre-prep and adequate overall in the prep, but with some important limitations caused by the lack of a suitable hall. Premises are well used and enable the curriculum to be taught effectively. In both departments a very high standard of display rewards and stimulates pupils.
Links with Parents and the Community
1.22 The school has developed a good partnership with parents and worthwhile links with the community.
1.23 The parents of about a third of the pupils, some 99 in total, responded to a questionnaire distributed in advance of the inspection. They were overwhelmingly positive about the education their children receive but had some concerns about homework.
1.24 The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual and social development, and very good provision for their moral and cultural development; this good provision for their personal development takes place through Chapel, lessons in a wide range of subjects including Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), the example of staff and opportunities to take part in school activities such as music and sport.
1.25 The school’s support and guidance provide very good support for pupils’ personal and academic development. Measures to safeguard and promote pupils’ welfare are good. The school is a caring community where the welfare and safety of pupils are of paramount importance.
1.26 The school’s governance and management are good. They ensure that the school’s aims are met, that a good standard of education is provided and that the school develops good plans for its further development.
1.27 The governors provide very effective support to the school and members of the school’s senior management team provide good support and a forum in which to formulate school policy. Overall, school leadership, from the headteacher, the head of the pre-prep department, and from others with positions of responsibility, is very good, providing a clear ethos and sense of purpose. Development planning is also very good but the monitoring of classroom practice is less well developed.
Achievement and Quality in Activities
1.28 Achievement in activities is good for the ages and aptitudes of pupils, and the activity programme makes an effective contribution to their development. Considerable numbers of pupils participate with great enthusiasm. The range of activities is appropriate and the school is seeking to increase this provision further. All staff are involved in the programme of activities organised on Friday afternoons. Those staff who run other extra-curricular activities do so with enthusiasm and expertise.
Progress Made by the School since its Last Inspection
1.29 The last inspection of the preparatory school was carried out on behalf of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference in 1996, under a framework rather different from the present one. Since then the school has made good progress and developed better links with the senior school in almost all curriculum areas.
2.1
A number of
recommendations intended to aid the school’s development appear in the text of
the report itself. The main
recommendations are listed below.
2.2
The school
should:
R1 carry out a review to achieve a better balance between different areas of the prep department curriculum, including a review of the timing of access to facilities for physical education to ensure that this access does not place unreasonable constraints on other aspects of timetabling;
R2 continue with plans to develop improved prep school facilities;
R3 review the provision of computers to ensure that pupils make full use of the ICT skills in other subjects of the curriculum in both departments of the school.
3.1
3.2
The school has 27 full-time and
28 part-time pupils under 5, and it has 237 full-time pupils between 5 and
11. Overall, the balance of 190 boys and
102 girls reflects the fact that girls were admitted into the school for the
first time only 7 years ago. Pupils come
from a wide catchment area in
3.3 Pupils’ attainment on entry is above the national average and typical of pupils from the maintained schools with the most financially-advantaged families; in this report, these are referred to as the nearest equivalent maintained primary schools. No pupil has a statement of special educational need and 39 have been identified by the school as requiring learning support.
3.4 Since the opening of the school to girls in 1995, the most significant event has been the opening of the pre-prep department in purpose-built facilities in 1996. The governors have stated their intention to provide improved prep school accommodation to bring it into line with standards in the pre-prep department. The present head of the prep school took up the post in 1999.
3.5 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school. The year group nomenclature used by the school and its National Curriculum (NC) equivalence is shown in the following table:
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School |
NC |
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School |
NC |
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Pre-Prep Department |
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Prep Department |
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Early
Years |
Foundation
Stage |
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Prep |
Key
Stage 2 |
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Nursery |
Nursery |
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Year 3 |
Year 3 |
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Reception |
Reception |
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Year 4 |
Year 4 |
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Pre-prep |
Key
Stage 1 |
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Year 5 |
Year 5 |
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Year 1 |
Year 1 |
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Year 6 |
Year 6 |
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Year 2 |
Year 2 |
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3.6 In this report the whole school is referred to as the Preparatory School and the separate sections as the pre-prep and prep departments, or more briefly as the pre-prep and prep. The phrase ‘throughout the school’ implies in both pre-prep and prep departments.
3.7 The school does not participate in National Curriculum Assessment at Aged 7 (Key Stage 1)
3.8 National Curriculum Assessments at Age 11 (Key Stage 2) in 2002:
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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 |
100 |
n/a |
44 |
n/a |
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Girls |
100 |
n/a |
63 |
n/a |
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Mathematics |
Boys |
98 |
n/a |
50 |
n/a |
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Girls |
100 |
n/a |
38 |
n/a |
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Science |
Boys |
98 |
n/a |
88 |
n/a |
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Girls |
100 |
n/a |
75 |
n/a |
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3.9 Attendance for Summer Term 2002
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Authorised |
Unauthorised |
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Percentage absence |
2.7% |
0% |
3.10