|
INSPECTION REPORT ON |
|
|
The |
|
|
The
|
|
|
Full
Name of the School |
The
|
|
DfES Number |
8556004 |
|
Registered Charity Number |
514407 |
|
Address |
Station Road, Market Bosworth, |
|
Telephone Number |
|
|
Fax Number |
|
|
Email Address |
Senior: info@dixie.org.uk Junior: info@dixiejs.org.uk |
|
Headteacher |
Mr John R Wood
Junior School: Mr Stuart Barnett |
|
Chairman of Governors |
Mr Michael A Parker |
|
|
3 – 18 (Senior 10-18; Junior 3-10) |
|
Gender |
Co-educational |
|
Inspection Dates |
|
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 162A(1)(b) of the Education Act 2002, as amended by the Education Act 2005, 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 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 The Dixie Grammar School seeks to combine a rigorous academic education for able boys and girls with careful attention to their personal development and well-being. It seeks to do this by “striving for the highest standards in Academic Work, Assemblies, Service, Cultural and Intellectual Activities and Sport”. To these ends, staff aim to “help pupils develop the qualities of:
· Responsibility, Self-Discipline and Diligence;
· Honesty and Good Manners;
· Respect for Others and Commitment to the Community;
· Confidence and a Self-Respect based on Self-Knowledge.”
1.1 The school dates back to 1320 and was re-founded by Sir Wolstan Dixie in 1601. It became a grammar school controlled by Leicestershire County Council, which closed it in 1969. It was re-opened as a selective independent day school for boys and girls from the ages of three to eighteen in 1987 by the Leicestershire Independent Educational Trust. It occupies its original historic premises in the centre of Market Bosworth. Since its last inspection in 2000, it has moved the junior school to new premises in open country three miles from the town and as a result was able to gain more space and better facilities for the Junior School and to make improvements to the Market Bosworth site, particularly by redeveloping its laboratories. It also established the Pippins Nursery on the new site. The total number of pupils is 498 (154 in the junior school and 344 in the senior school). Boys outnumber girls in the junior school by about 3 to 2. In the senior school girls outnumber boys but only by about 6 to 5.
1.2 The pupils come from Market Bosworth and the surrounding villages and towns, with some drawn from the outskirts of Coventry and Leicester. Most pupils from the junior school enter the senior school in Year 6, after passing an entrance examination, making two forms in that year. Further pupils enter in Year 7 from other primary schools on the basis of an entrance examination. In the junior school the overall ability appears to be above the national average. This means that to be achieving in line with their potential, pupils’ attainment should be above average. On the evidence of the standardised tests used in the senior school, the overall ability of the pupils is well above the national average. Therefore, if pupils are performing in line with their abilities, their results in public examinations will be well above the average for all maintained schools. No pupils have statements of special educational need. A small proportion of pupils (6% in the junior and 3.5% in the senior school) has been identified as needing some degree of monitoring and support.
1.3 The recommendations of the last ISI inspection were that the school should further improve the arrangements for assessment, improve the teaching of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) across the curriculum and continue to improve the standard and extent of accommodation for both schools.
1.4 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
The Educational Experience Provided
2.2 The junior school provides a good and well-planned educational experience for its pupils. In keeping with its aims, it provides for the personal and academic development of the children, enriched by a range of extra-curricular activities that is good for a day school in which many of the pupils have to travel a long way at the beginning and end of the day.
2.3 Children in The Pippins Nursery and in the Reception class enjoy a well-planned diet of activities, which cover the six early learning goals in a systematic way and give them a secure foundation for their formal schooling. The planning is thorough and provides for clear continuity and progression through varied activities both in and beyond the classroom. At times, however, assessment objectives in the Nursery, particularly in relation to knowledge and understanding of the world, are vague and do not focus sharply enough on the acquisition of key concepts.
2.4 The curriculum in Years 1 to 5 is broad. It includes all the subjects of the national curriculum, together with French, Latin and an interesting introduction to Mandarin Chinese and to Chinese culture. The formal curriculum is suitably enhanced by school visits and is further extended by provision at lunch times and after school for drama, music and art, and for involvement in competitive sports and in other clubs, such as chess and jigsaw. Ample scope is provided for the personal development of the pupils both through an effectively planned programme of personal, social and health education from The Pippins all the way through to Year 5, and through the way in which teachers approach their regular teaching.
2.5 The planning of the curriculum is thorough and linked to assessment in a way that shows clear improvement since the last inspection. Schemes of work support the work of the classroom effectively because the policies provide a good framework, efficiently overseen. The planning takes account of the needs of pupils of different abilities, including any in need of learning support, all of whom have suitable individual educational plans, communicated to class teachers.
2.6 Several of the teachers have secondary as well as primary experience, while science and music are taught by staff who also teach in the senior school. This contributes to the effectiveness with which pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education and the continuity between junior and senior, which is a strength of the school.
2.7 The educational experience provided in the senior school is of good quality, offering a wide range of subjects for the size of the school. Its organisation is satisfactory in most respects. The quality of the subject planning varies among departments and needs to be underpinned by more effective policy and senior management monitoring.
2.8 The curriculum is broad and in most respects balanced, well suited to the type of school and its aims. It is weighted towards languages and science. The curriculum for Year 6 continues from the junior school, retaining Chinese Studies for two periods a week. All pupils continue with Chinese in Year 7 and there is a Mandarin club available for pupils in Year 8, for which the main volunteers are girls. All pupils study at least two foreign languages to the end of Year 9 and abler linguists study Latin in addition to French and German.
2.9 The curriculum for years 10 and 11 strike a good balance between retention of an essential core of English, mathematics, science, French, religious education and physical education, and a flexible range of options to suit the different interests and aptitudes of the pupils. The range of subject options in the sixth form is good for the size of the school and includes games and general studies for all pupils. Some pupils expressed regret at the absence of some humanities and performing arts, such as theatre studies and psychology at this stage. There is good provision for guidance about subject choice and careers education, partly through the personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) programme and form time and partly through individual support with help from Connexions and ISCO.
2.10 The detailed planning of subjects covers the content and required syllabuses adequately. Beyond that, the level of detail devoted to broader matters, such as personal development, assessment and special needs, is very varied: in some cases it is detailed and helpful, while in others it is slight. The management is aware that the organisation of the timetable itself is in need of review in a number of ways. The time allocated to English is limited, as is the total time assigned to PSHCE. Lack of time for English weakens the depth of study possible, especially as there is no separately timetabled study of drama. The time allocated to foreign languages may be too thinly spread for the linguists studying three languages. Moreover, if the Mandarin initiative is to take root and be the feature intended, further time will need to be found for it in the mainstream curriculum. If the true potential of this is to be realised, the implications for planning across the subjects of the curriculum will need to be reviewed.
2.11 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum [Standard 1].
Pupils’ Learning and Achievements
2.13 Pupils throughout the school read and write fluently and employ secure mathematical skills effectively in different subjects, such as science and geography, when called upon to do so. They are suitably competent with computers, but have insufficient opportunity to use them. They are able, at appropriate levels, to carry out research and to organise essays and projects effectively. Their ability to take notes is very good, because they are specifically and progressively taught how to do so by their teachers.
2.14 In the best lessons, and in the best examples of their written work, pupils think on their feet and reason for themselves. Too often, however, the teaching the does not provide the spurs to independent thought needed for them to rise from the satisfactory to the good or excellent.
2.15 Pupils are diligent and attentive in their lessons and the work they produce is appropriate to their ages and abilities in quantity, quality and presentation. They work effectively both on their own and, when given the opportunity, in co-operation with others.
2.16 The pupils throughout the junior school achieve satisfactory standards. The standards are consistently good in English and the humanities and pupils are achieving success in their entry examination to the selective senior school. Their levels of knowledge, understanding and skills, as well as their ability to apply what they have learned, is above the national average both in relation to children under five, who are making secure progress to the achievement of the early learning goals, and to pupils in the rest of the school. They succeed in their entrance tests for the senior school and are well able to cope with the demands of study when they move up.
2.17 All pupils acquire secure foundations in literacy and numeracy and an appropriate knowledge of the subjects they study. They can think for themselves when they need to, but are given too little opportunity to do so or to develop their capacity for independent research. As a result their writing, art and music, while competent, do not often demonstrate the individuality and originality of which many are capable. When asked to do project work, as in the computer-enhanced demonstrations prepared by Year 5, they do this with panache.
2.18 Pupils displayed good attitudes to their learning. They showed enjoyment in their lessons and an overwhelming majority of the pupils surveyed and all those interviewed formally and informally corroborated this impression.
2.19 Pupils who come up from the junior school make uninterrupted progress in the senior school, while those who enter in Year 7 from other schools are assimilated well. This continuity is a strength of the school.
2.20 Pupils achieve good standards in some subjects, most notably in art, business studies, design technology, modern languages, and in some sciences. They achieve satisfactory standards in virtually all their other subjects. Their achievement in public examinations is consistent with this picture. As at the inspection of 2000, overall results at GCSE are well above those for all maintained schools and are consistent with what is to be expected of the pupils in this school. In some subjects, in German and physics, for example, pupils’ results are above this average and in line with those for maintained selective (grammar) schools. In biology, chemistry, design technology and art, they have achieved high standards, well above what might be expected. At A-level, the overall results are also well above those for all maintained schools and consistent with those achieved by pupils in maintained selective schools. The number entered for most individual subjects is too small for reliable comparison, though among subjects with ten or more candidates, pupils entered for biology, chemistry and business studies performed consistently well.
2.21 In a few lessons, outstanding achievements were observed. In such lessons, pupils individually or together were drawing on their knowledge and skills to deal with difficult and unexpected questions or to operate outside the tramlines defined by probable examination questions. The perception, however, of a third of pupils, that too much of their work is directed to examination syllabuses is, in relation to many of the lessons observed, just. To that extent, the school is not yet achieving its full aim to enable all its pupils to achieve all of which they are capable.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils
2.23 The pupils in the junior school show themselves to be developing a growing sense of themselves in relation to other children and adults and in relation to the world in general. They develop well spiritually, encouraged by well-conducted and relevant assemblies and the programme of religious education, which gives them an appreciation not only of Christianity, to which the school is committed, but also to other faiths prominent in British society. Work in Year 5 showed a developing understanding of emotion. They also encounter and benefit from a good range of art, music and literature.
2.24 Their studies and the life of the school generally give them a growing understanding of the difference between right and wrong. The school rules, based upon respect for others, are understood and respected, while, through their PSHCE lessons, pupils gain insight into the importance of the law and its observance. An assembly during the inspection week helped pupils grasp the idea of forgiveness.
2.25 The junior school from the very beginning encourages the development of good social skills, self-awareness and confidence. Because pupils move to the senior school at ten, they acquire the responsibility of being a prefect in Year 5 and exercise this well, above all towards the younger pupils. Pupils use their initiative in preparing for and clearing away after art lessons. Senior pupils help pupils in the Pippins nursery and value doing so. Pupils appreciate the school council and the opportunity it gives them to express their views. They make use of a suggestions box that preserves anonymity, and already at least one of the suggestions made in this way has been acted upon.
2.26 The spirit of the senior school is striking. The week of the inspection, wet and cold, tested a community working in a relatively confined space with barely any playground, and showed its strength. Pupils related well both to each other and to staff. They were well-mannered and confident. They were orderly in their circulation round the school. They spoke to inspectors about their school and their feelings about it with insight and showed growing personal perception. Both the programme of religious education and the assemblies contribute well to the development of pupils’ understanding of values and beliefs. Their development is well supported by a well-devised programme of PSHCE, which aims to contribute to pupils’ self-confidence, self-esteem and self-knowledge.
2.27 Pupils respect the school rules and show a good understanding of the difference between right and wrong in a way that is developed partly through their studies of issues in literature, science and humanities and partly through a programme of visiting speakers, including, for example, police and the local priest. In their lessons and in other discussions, they showed themselves able to discuss ethical issues in a reasoned way.
2.28 Pupils have ample opportunity to grow socially. Even the minority of pupils relatively critical of aspects of the school value their contact with fellow pupils very highly. There are many opportunities to take responsibility for others. School prefects and sixth formers generally play an important role in setting an example and in looking after the younger pupils, who spoke warmly of this function. The School Council is valued as a means of airing concerns and has on occasion secured effective action. For example, pupils confirmed that two matters of which several had complained in the pupil survey had been raised at the council and had been dealt with to their satisfaction. Pupils in Year 6 delivered a very good presentation about the earthquake in India to a school assembly, demonstrating not only the breadth of knowledge they had acquired about economic and social conditions in parts of the subcontinent but also about their sense of personal responsibility towards the misfortunes of others.
2.29 The pupils’ cultural understanding is fostered by the programme of religious education and assemblies, both of which promote understanding and tolerance of diverse faiths and customs. This is also promoted effectively in other subjects as diverse as home economics and music. As has been said, the link with China has great potential to broaden and deepen this understanding once its implications for the whole curriculum have been thought through.
2.30 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils [Standard 2].
The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)
2.32 The teaching is good and enables pupils of all abilities and backgrounds to make progress in line with their abilities. It is particularly well matched to pupils’ needs through a combination of standardised testing, tracking and target-setting, centrally monitored and regularly reviewed. Pupils with special needs and talents are identified and information given to teachers with suitable guidance.
2.33 Teachers at all levels plan and prepare their lessons carefully to build on previous learning, to cover the appropriate ranges of knowledge, understanding and skills and to match the different levels of ability of the children. They make their lessons interesting, employing a range of methods and allowing for a variety of activities, including visits to sites and museums. Even in the inclement weather of the inspection week, children in the Pippins enjoyed a field trip to learn about the signs of approaching spring. Teachers are well informed about the subjects they teach.
2.34 Teachers know their pupils very well and keep careful track of their progress. This individual knowledge is supplemented and monitored by regular standardised testing at appropriate intervals. A suitable quantity of homework is set and regularly marked. Lessons are well supported by resources, including a well-organised library and ICT centre, although at present the availability of ICT resources in the classroom is limited.
2.35 Despite all these good qualities, teachers tend to play safe and so do not allow pupils enough scope to think for themselves and deal with unforeseen problems and issues.
2.36 A similar pattern applies to the senior school, where the teaching, virtually without exception, provides rock solid grounding and preparation for the vital public examinations which pupils must take. Lessons are effectively organised and offer a suitable range of activities and strategies.
2.37 Teachers are almost without exception meticulous in the trouble they take to support their pupils and to help them to overcome difficulties that might prevent them from achieving success in their examinations. This is evident not only inside but also outside the classroom. They are well informed about their subject matter and about the syllabuses. They make effective use of time and of the resources available to them. This includes the use of video and of digital projection, where that is available, but this aspect of teaching is less widely available than it could be. The school is rightly seeking ways to improve the layout and organisation of the library, which is uninviting and insufficiently used.
2.38 Pupils are expected to work hard. Their teachers set regular and clear homework in appropriate quantity. Homework diaries are effectively used by many Form Teachers to communicate with parents and ensure that any issues are discussed. Several parents and pupils complained of excessive quantity and especially of the work set over holiday periods. Inspectors thought the quantity appropriate. The helpfulness of holiday tasks may need explaining more fully to convince doubting parents of their value.
2.39 Some lessons are taught with flair. In such lessons, observed in modern languages, in the aesthetic area of the curriculum and in business studies, the examination objectives were kept in the background. Teachers expected pupils to think for themselves and to deal with unexpected situations and questions. Their passion for the subject communicated itself to the pupils and aroused their enthusiasm. These lessons were seasoned with energy and humour. In a lesson in German for pupils in Year 7 the teaching was described as inspirational. In a mathematics lesson for a lower set in Year 10, the teacher’s enthusiasm rubbed off on the pupils. A combination of this enthusiasm with clear and patient explanations gave the pupils the interest and confidence they needed to tackle their difficulties successfully. In business studies, pupils in Year 12, faced with a practical business problem, were expected to apply their new understanding of the idea of just in time supply to a tricky problem. The teacher was supportive but insisted that they reached and justified their own solutions before he was willing to discuss the issues himself, bringing the strengths and any misconceptions out into the open, so that they could be corrected.
2.40 Too often, by contrast, teachers played for safety, concentrating on directing pupils’ thinking and making sure that pupils had the right information and were able to give correct answers but rarely venturing beyond this safe zone. Pupils are aware of this and have mixed views of their teaching. A large minority of responses to the survey see the teaching as exam-oriented and not engaging with them as people. Yet the overwhelming majority to whom inspectors spoke acknowledged the support available from their teachers and their dedication to their success. Both are true and affect the school’s atmosphere and cultural ethos.
2.41 Teachers know their pupils very well, both from their knowledge of their work and from staff discussion and target-setting. The tracking and monitoring of pupils’ progress at staff and senior management level is very well done and contributes to the good knowledge that teachers have of their pupils. Similarly, in relation to pupils who for a variety of reasons require support, teachers are provided with good information about their needs and how they might be supported, and most show an active awareness of these.
2.42 Teachers mark and assess work regularly, operating a common grading system, which is generally understood. The detail with which teachers comment and offer solutions to difficulty or the impulse for further study varies widely: some is very thorough, as is envisaged in the school policy, while some is confined to ticks and a word or two at the end. In mathematics, for example, too much of the work in some classes is marked by the pupils themselves. Twice a term pupils have an interim assessment with a grade for attainment and a grade for effort. In the best departments, the criteria for these are clearly set out in the pupils’ exercise books, so that they are fully aware of them. Every year, they have an examination in their subjects, to check their progress and enable new targets to be set.
2.43 In addition to these effective arrangements for tracking and supporting individual pupils, the school operates more complex arrangements for baseline testing and target-setting, using a variety of standardised testing procedures. This is supplemented by a database for tracking grades given by teachers. It is here that the system breaks down. The database is not working and it is not clear when this situation will be resolved. The standardised tests are too many and are not being communicated to heads of department in a way that would enable them to make systematic use of them to evaluate overall standards in their departments or identify the potential for improvement from satisfactory to good or excellent.
2.44 The school meets the regulatory requirements for teaching [Standard 1].
3. THE QUALITY OF CARE AND RELATIONSHIPS
The Quality of Pastoral Care, and the Welfare, Health and Safety of Pupils
3.2 The quality of pastoral care and welfare is good. The staff provide effective support and guidance for all pupils. The survey of pupils and parents and discussions held with samples of both make clear that children feel well supported and know what to do if they have a problem. Effective arrangements are in place to monitor all aspects of their development. The friendly helpfulness of the pupils, the evident mutual trust and respect among them and with their teachers attest to the high quality of relationships throughout the junior school. Older pupils enjoy helping the younger ones, especially in The Pippins Nursery.
3.3 The good quality of relationships is supported by a simple and effective pastoral structure, operated in the first instance by the class teachers and overseen by heads of section and ultimately by the head of juniors.
3.4 Pupils are spirited and well-behaved, even in the inclement weather experienced during the inspection, and are encouraged in this by the clear rules and a consistently applied framework of rewards and sanctions. Pupils regarded these as fair in the way they are applied and had a good understanding of how they would win bronze, silver and eventually gold awards. They told inspectors that they were confident that incidents of bullying were dealt with effectively and that this was not a problem. This is so because a clear policy to avert bullying is fully implemented at all levels and because of the trust established between staff and pupils. A record is kept of sanctions for serious offences in accordance with the regulations, though such offences are rare.
3.5 Staff take every care to promote and protect the well being of their pupils. The clear and appropriate policy complies with the requirements and staff are familiar with it. Seven of them have certificates showing that they have attended an appropriate course in awareness of child abuse. However, in the recent change of management, an uncertainty emerged about who the child protection officer for the junior school was.
3.6 The staff take rigorous care to ensure the safety of pupils both on and off the school premises. Guidance for health and safety, including guarding against fire hazards, is appropriate and fully observed. Fire routes are clearly marked and kept clear of obstruction. Fire drills are regularly held and recorded. Site security is particularly tight, protected by electronic iron gates. Teachers are very careful to ensure safety in lessons and on school visits, following the clear guidance on risk assessment. The school’s accident records comply with the requirements, as do records and arrangements for medical treatment. The junior school has the required written first aid policy, and sufficient staff with certificates in first aid to allow one to be on hand at all times. The whole is effectively overseen by a health and safety committee.
3.7 The admissions register is correctly maintained at the site of the senior school. Daily registers of attendance are maintained in accordance with requirements. Pupils attend regularly and, subject only to the vagaries of transport, are punctual.
3.8 As in the junior school, so in the senior school, staff, whether or not they have a direct pastoral responsibility, take every care to support and guide their pupils. Students in the sixth form remarked upon how readily staff give their time both within and outside school hours to help their pupils in their work and most pupils felt free to knock on the door of the staff common room.
3.9 The arrangements for pastoral care, rooted in the role of form teacher, co-ordinated by heads of section and the deputy head (pastoral), are clear, well understood and effective. Heads of section have sufficient time to complete their tasks and to deal with any issues relating to individual pupils, although in Year 11, when many references have to be written, time is tight. Good records are kept, which enable those responsible to keep track of any concerns.
3.10 The quality of relationships among pupils and between pupils and staff is very good. Even though a significant minority in the survey expressed reservations, all the many pupils to whom inspectors spoke either in planned interviews or during lunch and at other times expressed satisfaction with the supportive friendliness of staff. Pupils relate well to one another and these relationships were the most highly valued aspect of the response to the survey. Conflict appears to be uncommon and to be dealt with effectively by staff when it arises.
3.11 Pupils almost invariably behave in a responsible and orderly manner, even in the school’s most crowded areas and narrow passageways. In this they respond to the example set by staff and to clear and reasonable rules, rewards and sanctions, which they respect. Inappropriate behaviour is effectively dealt with. The most common sanction, detention, though not popular, is not draconian and is carried out in a reasonable way. A record is kept of sanctions imposed for serious offences, as required. The school operates a clear anti-bullying policy, understood by all. Pupils confirmed that any episodes of bullying were firmly dealt with and there is evidence that at the highest level in the school such matters are handled seriously, sensitively and effectively.
3.12 Appropriate guidance is in place to ensure that the welfare of pupils is safeguarded and protected, including most aspects of the guidance Safeguarding Children in Education. The child protection officer is known to staff and maintains good links with the local authority. The required training was timetabled for a date not long after the inspection. However, staff are not consistently familiar with the guidance and their training is not up to date, though it is now planned. Similarly, the required formal annual review of compliance with regulatory requirements had not been established at the time of the inspection.
3.13 Staff take appropriate measures to safeguard the health and safety of pupils both within the school and on external visits. The management of this is clear, involving the school bursar and a health and safety committee, including key members of staff. Its meetings are properly minuted, communicated to staff and followed up.
3.14 Fire safety and related risk assessments are in place and some staff are trained in the use of extinguishers. Fire drills are carried out termly and logged.
3.15 Hazardous substances are appropriately stored and the relevant staff have the necessary training in this. Risk assessments, covering activities within the school are in place and safety procedures were carefully followed, for example, in science and other practical subjects. Care is taken in relation to field trips and other off-site activities. However, the formal risk assessments for these are brief and in some cases too superficial to comply with the statutory requirements. A course in the management of safety for educational visits and offsite visits was planned for the Facilities Manager a fortnight after the inspection and should help address these weaknesses.
3.16 The security of the site is carefully safeguarded. The school has a clear written first aid policy and ample members of staff with current certificates in first aid. Accident and treatment records are correctly maintained. There is an appropriate level of supervision by staff.
3.17 The school as a whole meets most of the regulatory requirements for the welfare, health and safety of pupils [Standard 3]. In order to meet all the requirements, the school must:
(a) Comply with all the formal requirements of Safeguarding Children in Education by ensuring that the Governors are organised to carry out their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils and are provided with an annual report on the school’s compliance with this; making sure all know who the child protection officers are and completing their training, as planned; and making sure that by appropriate training and guidance all staff are familiar with the school’s child protection and welfare arrangements [Regulation 3.(2)(b)].
(b) Ensure that risk assessments, particularly those for off-site and overseas visits, are thorough enough to foresee and take reasonable measures to avert or minimise the risks [Regulation 3.(2)(c)].
The Quality of Links with Parents and the Community
3.19 Links with parents are particularly good and make a positive contribution to life at the Dixie Grammar School. Established links within the community at large are a strength of the school and support pupils’ well-being, personal development and educational experience. The questionnaire suggests that parents welcome the ‘open house’ arrangement.
3.20 Parents, responding to the survey and in conversation with inspectors, speak very highly of the standards of education and care given to their children. One, for example, not untypically, felt that the children are allowed to be themselves, without being forced or constrained. In that way, the aim to encourage the personal development of the individual child is met.
3.21 Parents have many opportunities to be involved in the life of the school and in the work and progress of their children. The Parent Teacher Association for the junior school arranges many fund-raising and social activities. It has raised substantial sums and helped improve and develop the school’s resources and accommodation. During the inspection an Easter egg hunt was under discussion. The members have in view a substantial project to improve the premises by creating a sports pavilion.
3.22 Parents are provided with good information about their children’s progress and needs. Reports are sent out three times a year and there are two parents’ evenings and an open day each year. Reports vary in format between the year groups. They are clear and give a clear picture of the development of their children, including their involvement in extra-curricular activities, but they do not set targets. In addition to the required information about the school, parents are provided with informative newsletters.
3.23 Formal complaints are rare. However, the required procedures and records are in place and the great majority of parents responding to the survey feel that any concerns they have will be dealt with quickly and appropriately. This impression was corroborated by further discussion with parents.
3.24 The junior school’s links with its local community are also strong and provide pupils with opportunities that help their cultural and social development. It is closely associated with the Market Bosworth Parish Church, used for the annual carol service and whose clergy make an important weekly contribution to school assembly. Pupils have a link with the local residential home. Pupils take harvest gifts there and sing to the residents. The school participates in the Tamworth and Bosworth Arts Festivals. Through its charity work the junior school fosters other work with the community, raising money, for example, for Jeans for Genes. The junior school also participates in the school link with Yudong No 2 Primary School in China. The school also has a link with Leicester Cathedral, which distributed some of the school’s harvest produce to the elderly. The school maintains links with local schools through sports fixtures. The school raised a considerable sum of money for the Tsunami Appeal.
3.25 The school provides regular and detailed information for parents both about general school business and more specifically about individual pupils or year groups. The prospectus provides a clear understanding of the school’s aims and ethos, pastoral care provision, achievements and admissions procedures. Twice yearly, full reports to parents and pupils are thoughtfully prepared by subject tutors. A clear indication of levels of achievement with regard to individual subject skill areas are given as well as indicators of effort and organisation. Form tutor reports provide a pastoral overview and where a pupil has gained expertise and enjoyment within an extra-curricular pursuit this is noted as a positive, fine example of initiative and personal development. Letters of commendation to parents are one of the effective ways in which the school celebrates their son or daughter’s success.
3.26 In cases of concern, problems can be speedily addressed and resolved through a number of channels, informal in the first instance but with the proper opportunity to raise formal complaints, in compliance with the statutory requirements. On the evidence of the inspection, any concerns are dealt with carefully and properly.
3.27 The school continues to seek ways to improve general communication to parents. Regular newsletters and a school diary of events provide an overview of school activities well in advance. The school website is kept up to date and is increasingly being accessed by parents and interested bodies. Parents of pupils with specific educational or medical needs are consulted appropriately. Parents are requested to check homework diaries and work with the school to monitor progress academically.
3.28 The Parent Teacher Association provides strong support for the school as a whole as well as a focus for social events where parents can meet and share experiences. Fund raising has enabled the purchase of large items of equipment for the school, including sports equipment of a kind requested by pupils in sports not played in the school until relatively recently, like basketball, a sound system for the school hall, digital projectors and whiteboards to advance teaching and learning in, for example, in science.
3.29 New parents to the school are warmly welcomed and are encouraged to become involved in the many areas of school life where they feel best able to contribute. Some choose to become involved in organising of events and occasionally this is done in conjunction with pupils for example the joint endeavour with the 6th Form Business Studies group to provide a 60’s/70’s revival experience ‘a fabulous finale for the end of fashion week’. Other parents come into the school to provide insight into career opportunities and others help establish community contacts. Staff representatives, both teaching and non-teaching, serve on the PTA committee alongside parents encouraging closer relationships with the school. The headmaster who is president of the PTA, and his wife are invited to meetings and activities held throughout the year at suitable intervals providing an informal means of contact.
3.30 The school encourages pupils to ‘think of others less fortunate’. Charity is a deep concern and many ways are found to raise awareness of the plight of individuals both near and far within assemblies, PSHCE and subjects generally. Charities supported recently include Children in Need and Breast Care for Cancer as well as the Stella Louise project in India, and the Jacaranda Children’s Home in Malawi.
3.31 The school is very aware of its role and commitment within the local community. Visits to factories, universities, galleries and museums enrich the curriculum and there are many examples of other strong community links. Local businesses welcome pupils to assess their range of food in Home Economics. Sporting activities provide good links with other schools. Community service is encouraged in the Sixth Form. For example, some pupils work in residential homes. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme has a community service aspect. Work experience enables pupils to become familiar with the work ethic in a vast array of business connections, some suggested by parents. The choir actively seeks situations to become involved in community activities like the Bosworth Festival.
3.32 The Sparkenhoe Arts Society makes use of the school hall to offer a broad range of lectures on various areas of cultural interest which are attended by parents as well as the community at large.
3.33 The school promotes positive links with the global community and in particular its link with a Chinese school has resulted in reciprocal trips for pupils aiding their understanding of another culture. The school is now looking further afield than the local forest for expeditions related to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and is becoming involved in the World Challenge, which promotes leadership skills and fosters a positive desire to help third world communities. Pupils studying languages continue to benefit from foreign exchange trips.
3.34 All of these initiatives benefit pupils’ personal development and help develop the school’s value to the community at large.
3.35 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the provision of information and the manner in which complaints are to be handled [Standards 6 and 7].
4. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
4.2 The school is strongly governed by its Board of Trustees. The Trustees, many of w