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INSPECTION REPORT ON |
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Finborough School |
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Full Name of the School |
Finborough School |
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DfES Number |
935/6062 |
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Address |
The
Hall, Great Finborough, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 3EF |
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Telephone Number |
01449
773600 |
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Fax Number |
01449
773601 |
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E-mail Address |
admin@finborough.suffolk.sch.uk |
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Name of Principal |
Mr
John Sinclair |
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Proprietor |
Mr
John Sinclair |
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Age Range |
2
to 18 |
Gender |
Mixed |
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Number of Pupils |
181 |
Number
of Boarders |
61 |
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Inspection Dates |
3rd
– 7th October 2005 |
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This inspection report follows the framework laid down by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). The inspection was carried out under the arrangements of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Associations for the maintenance and improvement of the quality of their membership. It was also carried out under Section 163(1)(b) of the Education Act 2002, under the provisions of which the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has accredited ISI as the body approved for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to ISC Associations and reporting on compliance with the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003.
The inspection was not carried out in conjunction with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and the report does not contain specific judgements on the National Minimum Boarding Standards. It comments on the progress made by the school in meeting the recommendations set out in the most recent statutory boarding inspection and evaluates the quality of the boarding experience and its contribution to pupils’ education and development in general.
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. Their inspection of the premises is from an educational perspective and does not include in-depth examination of the structural condition of the school, its services or other physical features.
1.1 Finborough School is a small proprietary boarding and day school for pupils aged 2 to 18. Its pupils have good relationships with the staff and with each other. They benefit from good teaching, they do well academically, and they enjoy a high level of pastoral care by committed and supportive staff in extensive and attractive surroundings. The school has yet to develop a coherent approach to the curriculum and to find ways of enhancing the personal development of its older pupils.
1.2 The school is a calm and caring environment in which staff and pupils work well together.
· Pupils are friendly, courteous, considerate and keen to learn.
· Energetic and committed staff teach well, and they offer high levels of pastoral care to the pupils.
· Pupils’ attainment is good in relation to their abilities, and in particular they achieve good results at GCSE.
· Resources for teaching and learning, the library especially, are good in relation to the size of the school.
What the School Should Do Better
1.3 The school’s strengths greatly outweigh its weaknesses, but it should ensure senior managers give a stronger lead, especially in planning the curriculum and in preparing its older pupils for life after school.
· Senior management roles are unclear, contributing to a lack of systematic planning for future development.
· The curriculum lacks a rationale and its suitability is not regularly reviewed.
· Pupils, especially boarders and sixth form students, have little space in which to congregate, and to enjoy privacy and recreation.
· Pupils’ personal development is restricted because they have few opportunities to broaden their spiritual and cultural experience; older pupils lack opportunities to help them prepare for adult life.
Standards of Attainment and Progress in Subjects
1.4 Overall, pupils achieve good standards and make good progress. A significant minority of pupils attain very good standards and make rapid progress. Pupils in all years have good literacy and numerical skills, and they have a similarly sound knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT). In both sections of the school, no appreciable differences between the attainment and progress of boys and girls are discernible.
The Quality of Pupils’ Learning, Attitudes and their Behaviour
1.5
Pupils have a good attitude to
their learning and they behave well. In
all years, they are competent learners. They respond positively in lessons, they are
co-operative and well motivated, and they are eager to do well. They are very good ambassadors for their
school.
1.6 The quality of teaching is good. Frequently it is very good and on occasions it is excellent. In almost all lessons, it meets the need of the majority of the pupils, and it makes a significant contribution to the quality of their attainment and progress. Features of very good and excellent teaching are usually clear lesson planning, good pace, an animated delivery allied to good subject knowledge, and mutual respect between teacher and pupils. In the minority of unsatisfactory lessons, often planning is poor and the tasks set do not stimulate the abler pupils in particular. Occasionally, poor classroom management allows pupils to interrupt and disturb the flow of teaching.
1.7 The level of pupils’ attendance is satisfactory, enabling them to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the school. Arrangements for recording admissions are good, and those for attendance are sound.
1.8 Arrangements for the assessment and recording of pupils’ attainment and progress are good. The school has a secure framework for generating and storing performance data, which is used in some classes to track performance, set targets and aid teachers’ planning. It is, however, not used sufficiently throughout the school.
1.9 The school offers a sound, balanced and broad curriculum. It provides well for pupils of all ages and abilities, including those needing learning support. A good range of extra-curricular activities enhances the timetabled curriculum. Nonetheless, the curriculum has shortcomings. The school has no written policy on the curriculum, and does not formally review its provision. It does not offer design and technology, although elements of these are taught in other subjects. Senior pupils are not taught religious studies, and in Years 7 to 9 too little time is allocated to modern foreign languages.
Teaching and Non-teaching Staff
1.10 The overall provision of teaching and non-teaching staff is sound. They are sufficient in number and have the qualifications and experience that enable them to contribute significantly to the quality of education provided and the educational standards achieved. The vast majority are strongly committed to the school and they are effectively deployed. The school is, however, only just beginning to develop an integrated approach to staff appraisal, in-service training (INSET) and development planning.
1.11 Resources for learning are in general good, and those for ICT are very good. Staff have access to a wide range of audio-visual and other modern teaching aids, as well as good textbooks and consumables. These resources are well used and contribute effectively to teaching and learning.
1.12 Library provision is good. The main library, unsatisfactory at the time of the last inspection, has been relocated and now supports teaching and learning well. It is well staffed and attractively furnished. It is a comfortable place for individual, occasionally small group, study and recreational reading. Book stocks are in the main good, and they are accessible to pupils. The main library and the junior library in the preparatory school offer good support for the curriculum and are effectively used by pupils.
1.13 The overall quality of the premises and accommodation is sound. They are adequate and appropriate for the gender, numbers, ages and abilities of the pupils. The imposing main building and spacious grounds are well used. Most subject classrooms, although not the laboratories, contribute to effective teaching. Several areas, the boarding accommodation in particular, require refurbishment and redecoration.
Links with Parents and the Community
1.14 The school has good partnerships with parents and with the community. It provides parents with good information and enables them to maintain good contact with the school. Arrangements for reporting on pupils’ attainment and progress are regular and constructive. Pupils benefit from the close links the school has established with local organisations.
1.15 Opportunities for pupils to develop as young people are uneven, but are sound overall. In the closeness of a small community, pupils become quickly aware of their moral and social obligations. Socially, most pupils develop well, partly through the very good relationships that exist between staff and pupils, but older pupils have relatively few opportunities to behave as young adults. Pupils of all ages have few opportunities to expand their spiritual and cultural understanding.
1.16 Through its good arrangements for pastoral support, welfare and guidance, the school cares effectively for the well-being of its pupils. Arrangements to ensure their health and safety are sound. The majority of parents, in their response to the pre-inspection questionnaire, expressed strong satisfaction with the quality of pastoral care. The school’s pastoral, tutorial and other support systems contribute positively to the educational standards achieved by the pupils and to their personal development.
1.17 No Commission for Social Care Inspection team took part in the inspection.
1.18 The quality of the governance and management of the school is uneven, but it is sound overall. Governance ensures the provision of adequate resources to enable staff to provide a good quality education for the pupils. The principal monitors closely the performance of the school. Senior managers are good role models for staff and pupils, but they have only a limited leadership role. The few middle managers vary in expertise and commitment. Capable non-teaching staff support the academic staff well. Communication within the school is good, and routine administration and paperwork are sound.
Achievement and Quality in Activities
1.19 In general, the range and standard of pupils’ achievement in activities is good for their ages, aptitudes and abilities. The quality of provision contributes greatly to the personal development of pupils who achieve high standards in a broad range of activities. The school participates successfully in local and regional schools’ sporting and other events.
Progress Made by the School since its Last Inspection
1.20
The last inspection was in
October 1999. The strengths on which
inspectors commented, “a
small, friendly, boarding and day school with a strong family ethos”, the
enthusiasm and commitment of the staff, the good provision in the nursery,
pre-prep and prep departments and, in the senior department, the vocational
courses for sixth formers, remain. The inspection team called for major improvements to the library, use
of teaching material to challenge pupils of different abilities when they were
taught as a group, and the production of a coherent development plan which
reflected “a shared vision for the future of the school”. The library is now a strong feature, and
teaching materials meet, for the most part, the needs of all pupils. The school still does not, however, have a
detailed development plan, and curricular planning, in particular, remains
weak.
Compliance with the Regulations for Registration
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DfES Standard |
Does the school meet the regulatory requirements? |
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1. |
Quality of education: |
1.(2) Curriculum |
It meets almost all of the requirements |
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1.(3)-(5) Teaching |
Yes |
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2. |
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils |
Yes |
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3. |
Welfare, health and safety of pupils |
Yes |
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4. |
Suitability of proprietors and staff |
Yes |
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5. |
Premises and accommodation |
Yes |
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6. |
Provision of information |
It meets almost all of the requirements |
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7. |
Manner in which complaints are to be handled |
Yes |
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Actions Required for Compliance with the Regulatory Requirements
1.21 In order to meet all the requirements, the school must:
(1) draw up a written policy on the curriculum. [Regulation 1(2)]
(2) provide to parents of pupils and prospective pupils particulars of the policy prepared under paragraph 1(2). [Regulation 6(2)(g)]
1.22 In addition to the actions set out above, the school is asked to address any issues highlighted in What the School Should Do Better. These are set out as recommendations for the school in Section 2 of the report.
2.1 The actions needed to comply fully with the regulatory requirements are specified in paragraph 1.21. The main recommendations are listed below. The school should:
R1 review the job descriptions and roles of senior management, especially the two heads of the senior school.
R2 develop a policy on the curriculum that includes regular review of the subjects it offers to all pupils.
R3 give greater privacy and recreational space to boarders, and enhance the status of its sixth formers.
R4 give pupils greater opportunities to become more spiritually and culturally aware.
3.1 First established at Wicklewood, near Wymondham, Norfolk, in 1978, Finborough School is a boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 2 to 18. The majority of its first pupils were children of services personnel entitled to the boarding schools allowance (BSA). The school moved to its present site, Finborough Hall, just outside the village of Great Finborough, in 1980. The present principal, one of the original owners, became sole proprietor in 1992.
3.2 Extensive and very attractive grounds surround the school’s imposing late eighteenth century Hall. Teaching takes place in the Hall, in rooms added to it during the last century, and in other buildings close by. Several areas, in particular an equestrian school, are used by outside organisations during the Easter and summer holidays and, for part of the year, during term time, under the auspices of an associated company providing children’s activity holidays.
3.3 Although service children continue to make up a third of the number on roll, the school now admits pupils from a wider range of backgrounds, and more of them attend as day pupils. Many of the parents are new to independent education. Day parents often choose the school because their sons or daughters have found schooling in large state schools difficult. The school has a few boarders from overseas. The biggest group, four per cent of the number on roll, are from Hong Kong and their first language is Cantonese; during their first few years at the school, these pupils receive tuition in English as an additional language (EAL). One pupil, placed by social services, is publicly funded, in addition to the 59 who receive the BSA and 10 much younger pupils who receive local authority vouchers to enable them to attend the nursery and pre-prep.
3.4 The number on roll is 181 (96 boys, 85 girls), aged from 2 to 18. The Montessori nursery and Pre-prep has 18 pupils (6 boys and 12 girls). Preparatory school pupils, in Years 1 to 6, number 48 (25 boys, 23 girls). The lower years of the senior school, those in Years 7 to 11, include 103 pupils (57 boys and 46girls). The sixth form totals 12 students (8 boys, 4 girls). Pupils may board from Year 3. Full boarders total 61 (34 boys, 27 girls), while a further 15 (5 boys, 10 girls) are part-time boarders. Thus, above Year 3, pupils are approximately half boarding and half day. In the last three years numbers of boarding and day pupils have not changed appreciably.
3.5 Although in the last few years the school has begun to set higher standards for entry, pupils range widely in ability, from below average to well above average. Overall, however, pupils are just above average, and their attainment can, therefore, be compared appropriately with that of pupils in all maintained schools nationally. No pupil has a local authority statement of special educational needs (SEN). Nonetheless, the school considers that 34 pupils (22 boys and 12 girls) need learning support tuition, and it is registered with the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CreSTeD).
3.6 Following its motto, Ad summa nitimur (We aim for the highest), the school’s aims and ethos are for pupils to achieve the highest standards of which they are capable. It expects to be among the ten best schools in Suffolk in terms of the proportion of GCSE pupils achieving five good (A*-C) grades at GCSE. Through its boarding tradition, it emphasises “respect, tolerance and consideration for others within a secure and structured environment”.
3.7 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 are shown in the following table:
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School |
NC |
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School |
NC |
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Nursery |
Nursery |
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S1 |
Year 7 |
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PP |
Reception |
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S2 |
Year 8 |
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P1 |
Year 1 |
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S3 |
Year 9 |
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P2 |
Year 2 |
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S4 |
Year 10 |
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P3 |
Year 3 |
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S5 |
Year 11 |
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P4 |
Year 4 |
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Lower 6th |
Year 12 |
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P5 |
Year 5 |
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Upper 6th |
Year 13 |
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P6 |
Year 6 |
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3.8 The school does not enter pupils for National Curriculum assessments at the ages of 7, 11 and 14.
3.9 GCSE
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Most recently completed Year 11 |
Average for the last three years |
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Boys |
Girls |
All |
Boys |
Girls |
All |
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Entered for 5+ subjects (%) |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
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