INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE

INSPECTION REPORT ON

Pipers Corner School

 

Full Name of the School

Pipers Corner School

DfES Number

8256017

Registered Charity Number

310635

Address

Pipers Lane, Great Kingshill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP15 6LP

Telephone Number

01494 718255

Fax Number

01494 719806

Email Address

theschool@piperscorner.co.uk

Headteacher

Mrs Valerie Stattersfield

Chair of Governors

The Countess of Buckinghamshire

Age Range

4-18 years

Gender

Female

Inspection Dates

13th -16th March 2006

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 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 full CSCI report can be found at www.csci.org.uk.

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.              INTRODUCTION

Characteristics of the School

1.1            Founded in 1930, Pipers Corner is a day and boarding school for girls aged between 4 and 18.  It is situated in glorious country high in the Chilterns above the town of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.  It is designated by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) as a school with religious (Anglican) character.  The school’s mission statement opens as follows: ‘Our aim is to provide a secure and happy environment in which each individual is helped to fulfil her potential and to emerge with maturity, confidence and a sense of independence.’  The school prospectus states that ‘fundamental is our conviction that all girls are able.  Our vision is to create a secure and happy environment in which social responsibility, integrity and mutual respect are emphasised, and in which spiritual and moral development are paramount.’

1.2            Four hundred and ninety-seven girls currently attend the school.  Forty-three are in the Pre-preparatory Department (from Nursery to Year 2); eighty-six are in the Preparatory Department (Years 3 to 6) and 368 are in the Senior Department (Years 7 to 13).  Thirty-five board and there is capacity for a further ten flexi-boarders.  Sixty-eight girls are in the sixth form.

1.3            The last ISI inspection took place in 2000.  Since then there has been an extensive building programme of which two out of the three phases have now been completed: phase one consists of ten new classrooms and the refurbishment of five science laboratories; phase two has added an additional floor which now accommodates five new classrooms for use by the modern foreign languages (MFL) department, two seminar rooms and an office for the languages staff.  The indoor swimming pool and fitness suite have been completed.

1.4            The girls are predominantly of white British background, but a small number come from other ethnic origins.  Some boarders are from service families or have parents working abroad.  Just under half the boarders have an international background, coming from Hong Kong, mainland China, Russia, South Korea and Sweden.  Pupils’ families are mainly in business or the professions.

1.5            The school’s admissions policy is to accept applicants, in the order of the date of their registration, subject to entrance results which indicate that they are of good average ability or above.

1.6            The results of nationally standardised tests indicate that average ability is above that of the average of pupils in all maintained schools.  Where pupils are achieving in line with their abilities their results in national tests are expected to be above those of pupils in all maintained schools.

1.7            A very small proportion of pupils have English as an additional language.  Approximately fourteen percent of pupils receive extra support from the school for special educational needs (SEN), but many only need help on a temporary basis.

1.8            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 tables.  In the junior department Nursery to Year 2 are known as the Pre-prep department and Years 3 to 6 are known as the Prep department.  The Senior Department is known as the senior school.

Junior Department

 

 

School

NC name

Pre-school

Nursery

Reception

Reception

Pre-prep 1

Year 1

Pre-prep 2

Year 2

Lower II

Year 3

Upper II

Year 4

Lower III

Year 5

Upper III

Year 6

Senior Department

 

 

School

NC name

Lower IV

Year 7

Middle IV

Year 8

Upper IV

Year 9

Lower V

Year 10

Upper V

Year 11

Lower 6

Year 12

Upper 6

Year 13

2.              THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The Educational Experience Provided

2.1            The quality of the educational experience provided is good.  Curricular and extra-curricular opportunities complement each other and offer pupils of all ages and abilities a valuable and extensive educational experience.  The curriculum, which covers all the areas of the National Curriculum and much else besides, is well balanced.  Curricular arrangements are designed to enable the school’s aims of ‘providing an educational environment which is challenging and rich in opportunity, and which is sufficiently flexible to recognise and support the wide ranging talents and interests of the individual girls’ to be fulfilled.  Since the last inspection the school has added a number of subjects to the curriculum and has improved organisation in some areas.

2.2            In the Junior Department, the timetable is, with almost no exceptions, well designed to meet the requirements of the girls.  The youngest pupils in the Foundation Stage cover all the work needed to achieve the Early Learning Goals, and their day is sensibly paced so that story time comes at the end of the afternoon while mathematics and English are tackled in the morning.  Even at this early stage, the pupils benefit from some specialist teaching in subjects such as swimming, music, drama and dance.

2.3            Girls in Years 1 and 2 also cover the full range of subjects appropriate for their stage, including music, dance and drama.  Year 1 pupils have specific lessons in oral skills and design technology; Year 2 pupils have lessons in information and communications technology (ICT) and begin French.

2.4            In Years 3 to 6 the curriculum is similarly broad.  However, in Years 3, 4 and 5 only two lessons per week are allowed for science while the other core subjects, mathematics and English, are allocated seven each.  This restricts time for investigative work in science.

2.5            The Senior Department curriculum maintains the breadth already established and adds Spanish and German to the language provision.  Practical subjects now include discrete lessons in food technology and textiles.  The allocation of time to subjects remains generally well distributed, but some subjects, including music and religious education, are each reduced to one period per week from Year 8 which limits the foundation from which GCSE choices can be made.

2.6            At both GCSE and A level the school tries very hard, and most often successfully, to accommodate the girls’ preferences.  Girls usually take nine subjects for GCSE although there are opportunities to add a subject by studying it as an extended day option.  Sixth form pupils normally begin by taking four subjects at AS level and then carry three of them on to A level.  Business studies is introduced as an extra option at GCSE, and psychology, sociology, classical civilisation and further mathematics are added to the generous range of choices in the sixth form.

2.7            Setting by ability is introduced in Year 6 for English and mathematics, for French at the end of Year 7 and for science from Year 10, so enabling teaching in these subjects to be tailored to the needs of each group.  The school has recently introduced four sets in the core subjects at GCSE to create smaller groups and so increase the support that can be given to the girls.

2.8            Personal, social, and health education (PSHE) is taught for one period per week to all year groups in both sections of the school.  The sixth form curriculum is further enriched by courses in ‘wider studies’, in current affairs and in critical thinking.

2.9            Throughout the school a very wide range of extra-curricular activities is provided at lunch time and after school.  They vary from, for example, a skipping club in the Junior Department through ‘Nice Nails’, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme in the Senior Department to the Pro-Share Investor Challenge in the sixth form, as well as the expected sport, music, drama, and language clubs.  There really does seem to be something for everyone and the extra-curricular programme is much appreciated by parents and pupils.  Attendance is well monitored and senior school girls, who were previously somewhat reluctant to participate, are now more enthusiastic and regular attendees.  A variety of school trips and visits, both home and abroad, further extend the cultural experience of pupils.

2.10         The school has developed a number of worthwhile links with the local community and further afield, for example the juniors have a link with an orphanage in South Africa and the seniors with a school in a deprived area of High Wycombe.  However, the school does not organise a formal work experience programme for older pupils, currently limiting the development of pupils’ knowledge of the world of work and of the expectations they will meet when they leave school.  The popular Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, provides opportunities for some pupils to take part in voluntary work or community service.

2.11         Helpful guidance from staff, from the Independent Schools Careers Organisation and from the GCSE options booklet enables girls to make GCSE choices with confidence.  Careers education and guidance in the sixth form are effective in preparing girls for the next stage of their education.

2.12         The curriculum is planned sufficiently well to provide for all aspects of pupils’ educational needs, and ensures equality of access and opportunity for all pupils.  A number of valuable initiatives have been undertaken since the last inspection.  Curriculum planning tends to be short-term and reactive.  The academic committee is not responsible for long-term strategic planning for the whole school curriculum.  Ideas brought forward by departments or sections of the school, and even by the girls themselves, are considered first by the academic committee and then passed to the senior management team for decisions.

2.13         Girls with SEN are identified early by the school and the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) organises an effective programme of withdrawal from lessons for one period per week according to need.  Staff are made aware of the individual education plans (IEPs) of these girls and are also alerted to less severe needs that some other pupils have, so that mainstream lessons should be able to take account of the requirements of all pupils.  The few girls for whom English is an additional language (EAL), are well supported by extra teaching organised by the head of English.  Departmental schemes of work are required to contain ideas for extension material for more able girls.  However, teaching does not always fully acknowledge these varying needs.

2.14         The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum [Standard 1].

Pupils’ Learning and Achievements

2.15         The quality of pupils’ achievement in lessons, and in their activities is good at all educational stages. Attainment in national tests taken at the ages of 7, 11 and 14, and in public examinations at GCSE and A level are good.  Pupils do especially well at the age of 7 and at GCSE.  With few exceptions, pupils also make fine progress at every stage, while the progress from Year 7 to GCSE is exceptional.  The school’s aim to help every girl reach her potential is thus largely fulfilled.  Levels of achievement have improved since the last inspection.

2.16         Pupils throughout the school are well informed about the subjects they learn and the activities they take part in.  They possess the relevant skills and in almost all cases have an appropriate understanding of the topics studied.  Pupils’ ability to think and act creatively is demonstrated well in artistic and performance subjects.  However, the ability to apply knowledge and to think critically, although possessed by many pupils, is not universal.

2.17         In the Junior Department attainment in lessons is mostly good, occasionally excellent and rarely less than satisfactory.  Results in national tests, over the three years to 2004 (for which comparative data is available), for pupils in Year 2 are high in relation to pupils’ ability; they are well above those for pupils in all maintained schools in mathematics and far above in reading and writing.  In national tests taken in Year 6, over the last three years, pupils’ performance in English is also high in relation to ability and is far above the average for all maintained schools. In science, attainment is in line with pupils’ abilities, that is above the average achieved in all maintained schools.  In mathematics, results have been in line with the national average for all maintained primary schools and so are a little below expectation in relation to ability.  However, in common with English and science, results have improved over the last three years.  Recent provision of an interactive whiteboard and the introduction of a club for mathematics support may have contributed to the recent improvement in the mathematics result.

2.18         Attainment in lessons in the Senior Department is mainly good, occasionally excellent and very rarely less than adequate.  In both Senior and Junior Departments, achievement is highest when teaching is dynamic and well paced, and when expectations are high.

2.19         National tests taken in mathematics and science at the age of 14 show pupils achieving results that are good in relation to ability and are well above the national average for all maintained secondary schools.

2.20         Over the last three years for which comparisons are available, results at GCSE are high in relation to pupils’ ability and are far above those of pupils in all maintained schools.  One notable individual success was achieved by a pupil who was recently awarded one of the top GCSE results nationally in both history and French.

2.21         At A level, results are on average above those of maintained schools.  As some high achieving pupils leave after GCSE, these results are good in relation to pupils’ ability.

2.22         Nationally standardised measures indicate that pupils make progress that is well above national norms between Year 7 and Year 11 and place the school among the top five percent nationally.  Progress from GCSE to A level is also above national norms.

2.23         Almost all sixth form leavers are awarded their first choice places at universities and other institutions of higher education.

2.24         Pupils with SEN or EAL make progress comparable with their peers and attain well in relation to their ability.  More able pupils achieve well in many lessons but their attainment is occasionally restricted by a lack of challenge.

2.25         Pupils’ achievements are not confined to successes in academic examinations, but extend, individually or as members of teams, to the creative arts and sports.  For example, one girl has gained a place in the National Youth Theatre, while Year 7 pupils did well in the secondary schools’ competition at the Festival of Quilts.  Many pupils attain distinctions and merits in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) examinations in speech and drama and in Associated Board music examinations.  Sports teams enjoy success in netball, swimming, cross country running and lacrosse.  Some pupils are invited to play at county level, and a number have been selected to train with the under 13 county development squad.  Both the junior choir and the senior vocal group have competed successfully in the Marlow and Watford music festivals.  Two pupils recently won the trophy for the most outstanding ensemble performance at the Marlow festival.

2.26         The school, in the light of recommendations in the previous report, has put a number of initiatives in place to develop pupils’ abilities to reason and to think independently.  Many skills are of a high order, enabling pupils to take full advantage of the curriculum but the quality of pupils’ skills and attitudes to work and study is uneven.  Pupils of all ages speak clearly and confidently, and could explain cogently to inspectors the work they were doing.  In almost all lessons they listen carefully to their teacher and to each other.  They behave sensibly and courteously, and low-level disruption in lessons is rare.  They read intelligently and the fluency of their writing is appropriate for their age.

2.27         In the Junior Department pupils are beginning to write for a variety of purposes using a range of styles.  They compose interesting yet concise book reviews, take notes efficiently and enjoy creative writing.  In the Senior Department, high levels of literacy and oracy are maintained.  For example, GCSE coursework is maturely expressed and, in foreign languages, the most able pupils can construct lengthy essays using complex grammatical structures.  In most subjects, pupils are able to use correct specialist terminology but, in others, including science and mathematics, this ability is more limited and restricts progress.

2.28         Pupils are reasonably able to apply mathematical concepts.  In the Junior Department, pupils steadily acquire mathematical skills and begin to apply them to practical tasks when opportunities are presented to them, as in the Puzzle Club.  In the Senior Department, girls successfully use mathematical concepts to answer specific questions. However, in both the junior and senior departments, opportunities for the application of mathematics in other areas of the curriculum are occasionally missed.

2.29         In the Nursery, the girls regularly make use of classroom computers to practise basic skills.  After this good start, progress is slower in Reception and Year 1 as neither class has a lesson in the ICT suite.  However, Year 1 girls can practise their skills by using the computers stationed in the adjoining lobby.  In Years 3 to 6, pupils improve their skills in discrete ICT lessons, though they make little use of these skills in other subject lessons.  In the Senior Department, appropriate and imaginative use of ICT is made in music and art; sixth form psychology and business studies.  Pupils use ICT for research and the preparation of essays and projects. Younger pupils used it in geography to discover, by entering their postcodes on a website, whether their homes were in a flood risk area.  In other subjects, especially science and mathematics, opportunities for pupils to investigate or explore, or to derive mathematical concepts by using the available powerful software are not always fully exploited.

2.30         Pupils throughout the school argue cogently, and most are able to reason effectively and think out for themselves the implications of what they are learning.  However, for some pupils the teaching does not provide enough opportunities for them to think and reason for themselves, and when they do ask searching questions, their inquiry is not always followed up.

2.31         In both departments of the school pupils are able to take their own notes effectively.  Their exercise books and files are neatly kept and are very orderly, enabling the girls to consolidate their work.  Corrections are usually done.  Pupils enjoy the opportunity to work independently in project work in both departments, and in coursework in the Senior Department.  They work effectively on their own and in groups.

2.32         Pupils usually settle well to their work, work responsibly and are prepared to persevere until a task is completed.  They enjoy much of their work, especially practical lessons, and lessons where they are able to participate in other ways.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils

2.33         Provision, both within and beyond the curriculum, for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural growth is good, and pupils’ awareness of these issues is high, reflecting the importance the school places on this side of their development.  These high standards have been maintained since the last inspection.  The school has an Anglican tradition and is designated by the DfES as a school with religious character.

2.34         The spiritual and religious life of the school is flourishing.  The spiritual awareness of the girls, of all denominations and faiths and none, is most effectively stimulated in a number of ways.  The school chaplain visits the school each week; she takes an assembly, prepares girls for confirmation, celebrates Holy Communion in the school chapel, and offers counsel when needed, all of which are greatly appreciated.  Representatives of other denominations regularly visit the school and arrangements are made for Roman Catholic girls to attend Mass.  Girls take up opportunities for personal prayer and meditation.  The Christian Union is attended by groups in both the Senior and Junior Departments: the younger girls are currently considering the theme of forgiveness while the senior group is trying to start a youth band for devotional worship.  A sixth former is responsible for Holy Communion arrangements and sets up the chapel for service.

2.35         The spiritual life of the pupils is further fostered in religious education (RE) lessons and through the curriculum.  Staff awareness of the contributions they can make to spiritual and moral education is reinforced by the requirement for each departmental handbook to contain a statement on spiritual and moral education.  Girls learn about other world faiths in RE lessons.

2.36         Pupils’ moral development and ability to distinguish right from wrong is supported by the ethos of the school and the example set by staff.  Moral issues are discussed in PSHE and in many other lessons: for example by sixth formers in psychology; in geography where topics include discrimination, poverty and environmental problems; and in English where the theme of friendship in one lesson led on to a discussion of the value of friends and strategies to counter bullying.  Younger girls in the Pre-preparatory Department board games club learn about sharing and fair play.  An assembly in the Foundation Stage tackled the concepts of right and wrong.  Pupils understand and accept school regulations.

2.37         Pupils’ social development is a considerable strength throughout the school and owes much to the ways in which the school encourages all to work and play together, for example in house assemblies, team sports, and charitable work.  There is a strong sense of community, and a genuine care and concern for others.  Pupils are grouped into houses from Year 3 to the sixth form.  Sixth form house captains collect house points (and order marks) and encourage the development of house spirit and loyalty.  Pupils are able to develop their ability to take responsibility by holding positions in form, in sport or by attending school council and, for boarders, the boarding council.  Sixth formers act as form prefects to younger girls who trust them and would turn to them if they had problems.  However, knowledge of public institutions and services in England is sketchy at all levels.

2.38         The school’s provision for cultural development is good.  Pupils acquire an appreciation and respect for their own and other cultures in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony.  The RE department plays a particular role in enabling girls to understand diversity and cultural tradition through the syllabus and through effective wall displays.  Celebration of the Chinese New Year was especially appreciated by the boarders, a number of whom come from Hong Kong or mainland China.

2.39         The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils [Standard 2].

The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)

2.40         Most teaching is good and occasionally it is outstanding.  It has improved since the last inspection and now very few lessons are less than satisfactory.  Teaching enables pupils to make good progress and to achieve well in public examinations.  The last inspection recommended that teaching methods should offer more challenge to pupils of all abilities and should ensure that pupils are more actively engaged in their learning.  The school has made improvements to these aspects of teaching, and is aware that there is still more to be done, for example, it plans to develop a teaching policy and is considering ways to improve the sharing of good practice.

2.41         Teaching, at all educational stages, enables pupils to acquire knowledge, increase their understanding, develop skills and make good progress, at GCSE excellent progress, according to their ability.  Girls with SEN or EAL make comparable progress as they are very effectively taught in special lessons.  Rapport between teachers and pupils is almost always very good, and the teaching is characterised by patience and the will for the girls to do well.  Staff give generously of their time outside lessons to help pupils with difficulties.

2.42         The school is actively seeking to improve the intellectual challenge to pupils.  Schemes of work and departmental development plans include sections on extension work for the more able; Junior Department pupils are taught to identify thinking skills according to different coloured ‘thinking hats’ and sixth formers are offered a critical thinking course.  In all parts of the school and across all subjects, notable examples of strong teaching were observed where pupils were challenged by the pace and expectations of the lessons and given opportunities to think for themselves.  Seminar-style sixth-form teaching was particularly successful in this way for older pupils.  A spelling test in the Junior Department fully involved all pupils, who were attentive, expectant and focused.  In a GCSE English lesson, pupils were enthused by the opportunities for them to analyse the text being studied.  Year 6 technology pupils were challenged to think for themselves and make decisions, and high levels of challenge were provided throughout the school in music, drama and physical education (PE).

2.43         In the best lessons, teachers clearly know their pupils very well.  Almost all lessons are well planned, many clearly building sensibly on pupils’ previous performance, and the time is well used.  Good planning and organisation ensure that teachers are informed of the particular needs of pupils requiring learning support.  Work tailored to the differing abilities and aptitudes of individual pupils is used to good effect in some mainstream lessons, though it is not yet consistent practice in all.

2.44         The teaching staff have a sound knowledge of their subjects and are almost always teaching within their subject or age specialism.  The school has generous arrangements for in-service training.

2.45         In several lessons where the teaching was less challenging, it centred too much on imparting information and discouraged pupils from learning by experience or exploration.  For example, in a science lesson pupils were told the results of an experiment before it was demonstrated and so missed the opportunity to make their own deductions.  The formality of some lessons tends to stifle spontaneity and when pupils do ask questions these are not always followed up.

2.46         Resources for teaching are good.  Classrooms are light and spacious, and the completion of the recent phase of the building programme means that most department teaching rooms and offices are grouped together.  However, ICT resources are not always used to full effect, especially in the Senior Department, where worksheets and handouts are not always word-processed, so making updating difficult.  Although many departments have access to interactive whiteboards, this technology is not yet used to its full extent.  Specialist resources are plentiful, for example the music department makes full use of notation software.  The design technology department has excellent equipment although, occasionally, when the teacher is working alone with a large class, constraints are put on its use.

2.47         The libraries in both the Senior and Junior Departments are pleasant, and well stocked with suitable fiction and non-fiction books that contribute well to teaching and learning.  They are well used and much appreciated.  The Senior Department library is supported by an enthusiastic and helpful librarian.

2.48         Marking is usually, but not invariably, thorough, and comments are frequently encouraging and informative, enabling pupils to understand how they can improve.  Occasionally marking is sporadic and lacks helpful comments.  Methods of assessment vary between departments, but girls keep notes on assessment grades in their exercise books and most of them understand what the grades mean.

2.49         Pupils take national tests in Year2, Year 6, and Year 9 as well as public examinations at GCSE in Year 11 and A level in year 13.  Pupils are also regularly assessed by internally held tests and examinations.  Results are reported to parents and targets, agreed with their form tutors in the term following each report, are entered in the girls’ handbooks where they can be routinely monitored.  Although nationally validated measures of baseline assessment and progress are applied throughout the school, little use is made of these data at present to track progress, and this information is not easily accessible to staff in a form that would enable them to plan for the needs of the pupils.  A member of staff has now been given the responsibility to develop methods of tracking pupil progress.

2.50         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

3.1            The quality of pastoral care and the measures to promote the welfare, health and safety of pupils are very good.  The staff care very effectively for the well-being and development of all pupils throughout the school.

3.2            In the last inspection report, pastoral care at Pipers Corner received considerable praise, and the standard set then and the school’s commitment to providing a supportive and nurturing environment have clearly been maintained since.

3.3            Form tutors, the traditional first port of call for any pupil, are well supported by the year heads and co-ordinators.  The whole system is overseen by the pastoral committee, which ensures liaison with other key personnel from all parts of the school.  The strength of the system lies in the several efficient channels of communication open to staff, ranging from informal conversations over coffee to the pastoral register, read by all teachers and updated termly.  The tried and tested ‘apricot’ forms provide a reliable method of bringing details of incidents, phone calls or discussions with parents swiftly to the notice of relevant colleagues.  Girls know they can turn to any member of staff or perhaps their form prefect from the sixth form when they have a problem.  The provision of an independent listener and the appointment of the chaplain in addition to the school counsellor have added an extra dimension to the support network, and pupils are very appreciative of this.

3.4            The supportive environment means that girls settle very quickly into the school at whatever stage they join.  The care taken to ensure that girls joining in Year 7 are placed in a form with at least one friend, and that those from other schools are paired with a buddy coming up from the Junior Department, helps this rapid integration.  The flexibility which allows a pupil to change forms at the start of the academic year if shifts in friendships make this desirable is also valued by the girls.  This system of support, combined with the opportunities for the development of self-confidence provided through activities such as drama and public speaking, results in articulate, self-assured girls.  Within each form, opportunities are provided to take a lead, for instance in devising a form assembly, or to assume a post of responsibility.

3.5            To aid development and help to prepare girls for the wider world, a well structured PSHE programme covers topics as diverse as citizenship, study skills and drugs education.  The scheme of work for this programme covers the whole school and also maps the contribution of all subjects to PSHE in each year group.  From Year 7, careers guidance is also included in PSHE and, for the older girls, specialised advice is given as and when appropriate, for example at the GCSE choices season and the period for making university applications.  The school plans to introduce careers conventions and the ‘Take Your Daughters to Work’ scheme, although no opportunities for formal work experience are currently provided.

3.6            Aided by small teaching groups, the staff are able to get to know their pupils well both in lessons and in their forms.  Form tutors go through reports with their tutees at the beginning of the following term and together they set targets.  Throughout the school and in spite of some formality, relations between staff and pupils, particularly in form groups, are relaxed and happy, with much goodwill on both sides.  Pupils work well together and they behave in a friendly manner towards each other around the school.

3.7            It is clear from the school prospectus that courtesy and good manners are highly valued at Pipers Corner.  Behaviour is indeed good at all stages and incidents of serious breaches of the behaviour code are rare.  However, the system of sanctions for minor offences is unusually complex.  At house assemblies, although successes are celebrated, on occasion, transgressions are highlighted when the names of those with order marks are announced.

3.8            The last report recommended that the anti-bullying policy should be updated and revised.  This has now been done, and pupils who have had cause to make use of it report that, when they have sought help, suitable supportive strategies have been swiftly put in place and have been very effective.  The pastoral team are aware of the potential of modern technology, such as text messages and internet chat services, for the would-be bully and have enlisted the help of ICT and PSHE colleagues in their attempts to deal with this.

3.9            Medical care of the girls is well organised.  Two registered nurses are on the staff, one of whom is the head of boarding.  The medical centre is light and spacious and appropriately furnished.  The school has a suitable number of first aiders among the staff.

3.10         All child protection measures are in place and are satisfactory.  The head is the child protection officer, and the child protection governor has been trained in this role.  The school employs a security officer in a high-visibility jacket who also patrols the premises during the evening.

3.11         All necessary measures have been taken to reduce risk from fire and other hazards.  The school has a comprehensive health and safety policy, and an effective health and safety committee.  All fire extinguishers are properly labelled and maintained, and all exits are clearly marked although, as the bursar is aware, a few fire exit signs have not yet been updated to the latest luminous design.  Substances hazardous to health are properly housed, with the exception of some kitchen cleaning agents which are kept in an unlocked shed.  Risk assessments are thorough and are regularly reviewed, and this process involves both staff and pupils.

3.12         Some health and safety matters were noted and discussed with the bursar: the two ponds, although in an area that is out of bounds to the girls, are not fenced; not all netball posts are padded and weighted; the swimming pool entrance is not locked, and there is no system for ensuring that outdoor shoes are not worn on poolside.  The school has recently commissioned independent reviews of fire and security arrangements.

3.13         The school meets the regulatory requirements for the welfare, health and safety of pupils [Standard 3].