INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE

INSPECTION REPORT ON

Abbots Bromley School for Girls

 

Full Name of the School

Abbots Bromley School for Girls

DfES Number

860/6013

Registered Charity Number

1103321

Address

Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, WS15 3BW

Telephone Number

01283 840232

Fax Number

01283 840988

Email Address

head@abbotsbromley.net

Headmistress

Mrs Patricia Woodhouse

Custos (Chairman of Governors)

Mrs Barbara Marlow

Age Range

4 – 18 years

Gender

Girls

Inspection Dates

2 – 5 May, 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            Abbots Bromley School for Girls is one of the incorporated schools of the Woodard Corporation.  It was formed in 1921 from the amalgamation of two schools situated on opposite sides of the road in the village of Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire.  Its buildings, including the Roch House Preparatory Department, which has girls aged 4 to 11, still span both sides of the road.

1.2            No significant changes have taken place since the last inspection, except that, after the retirement of her predecessor, a new headmistress was appointed in 2005.  The school has 300 girls on roll of whom 55 are boarders.  Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, some from overseas.  Given the information supplied by the school from its testing of pupil ability and potential, pupils’ average ability is above that of the national average.  If pupils are performing in line with their abilities, their results will be above the average for all maintained secondary schools.  English is a second language for 36 pupils and 3 pupils have statements of special educational need by a local education authority.  The school has identified another 29 pupils as having special educational needs.  It is able to offer specialist facilities in dance and riding, activities incorporated into the overall school curriculum.

1.3            The school’s mission statement is as follows: “Our objectives are to educate young people for responsibility, leadership and service; to provide a broad, well-balanced curriculum and enlightened pastoral care; and to offer an experience of Anglican worship and an understanding of Christian faith and values in a caring community.”  The school further explains that “What makes a Woodard School distinctive is the firm conviction going back to the Founder himself, that education is best delivered within a community whose life, thoughts and actions are shaped by Christian belief and practice.”

1.4            National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout to refer to year groups in the school, except for Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth for Years 12 and 13.  The year group name used by the school and its National Curriculum equivalence are shown in the following tables.

Roch House Preparatory Department

 

 

School

NC name

Foundation

Nursery/Year 0

KS 1

Year 1

KS 1

Year 2

U 1

Year 3

L II

Year 4

UII

Year 5

L III

Year 6

Senior School

 

 

Upper III

Year 7

Lower IV

Year 8

Upper IV

Year 9

Lower V

Year 10

Upper V

Year 11

Lower VI

Year 12

Upper VI

Year 13

2.              THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The Educational Experience Provided

2.1            Abbots Bromley School for Girls gives an all-round education of high quality.  The school provides a wide range of educational opportunities suited to the interests, aptitudes and needs of all the girls.  An outstanding feature of the school is how similar the Roch House Preparatory Department and the Senior School are in their philosophy, ethos and practice.  Therefore, readers can assume that all statements in the report refer to the whole school, unless explained to the contrary.  Another feature is that the school has, since last September, instituted a review of almost all its policies, practices and procedures, with a view to encouraging best practice.  Therefore, much is in a transitional stage.  This report indicates what inspectors actually saw, but they were aware of improvements happening in various areas.

2.2            The education as a whole is firmly consistent with the school’s declared aims and philosophy, which are built on its strong Christian convictions; the school educates girls to be very good all-rounders.  The education as a whole gives girls experience in, and contributes effectively to, linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical, and aesthetic and creative development, and makes provision for acquisition of skills of speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy.  The extended school day, for boarders and day girls, permits all these and more.  In the Prep Department, the girls are taught the basics thoroughly, and go beyond them.  At the Foundation Stage, appropriate emphasis is placed on helping the girls to achieve the Early Learning Goals and to progress beyond them.  The other years in the Prep Department build upon this and extend and deepen the work effectively.  In the Senior School, the first three years provide an effective core of subjects that provide the basis for informed choices to be made from a range of options in later years.  All pupils up to Year 11 continue to follow a core which, as well as English, mathematics, science, ICT (information and communications technology), PE and games, also includes an extensive religious studies programme and all pupils take the short course GCSE in this subject.  The Senior School currently offers two modern languages, French and German, but is to add Spanish, about which a few parents expressed support in their replies to the pre-inspection questionnaires.  One very helpful feature of the options system in Years 10 and 11 is that, though girls still follow a strong, broad core, they need not take the same number of GCSE subjects as other girls and so individual needs are well served.  In the sixth form, a suitable range of subjects is available in both years at AS level and A level.  The provision allows for the individual choice of girls in the number of subjects to be taken as well as in the actual subjects.  The provision for science is strong, and a relatively large number of girls choose to take science subjects and mathematics at A level in most years.

2.3            All the girls’ experiences are enriched by extra-curricular activities and links with the community, and in the Senior School with provision for voluntary service and work experience.  Of special note is the provision for dance and equestrian education.  Girls are allowed and indeed encouraged to bring their horses to the school, where they are stabled.  Girls can ride on a daily basis, but, because of the extended school day, still have a broad and balanced education.  The same is true of those who undertake considerable training in dance.  Music and drama are also strong and girls have the opportunity to take part in a suitable range of sports and games.

2.4            Careful attention, through monitoring and advice, is given to preparing girls for the next stage of education, training or employment and for adult life, which is university for most of them.  Girls at all levels spoke positively of the advice available.

2.5            The curriculum is effectively planned, from Reception to Upper Sixth, provides equality of access and opportunity for all girls, and promotes participation in a wide range of activities and interests.  The school meets the curricular requirements of all those girls requiring special provision, including those for whom English is an additional or foreign language and those four with a statement of special educational needs.  The school knows its pupils well and, in such matters as the choice of option subjects, tries hard to satisfy the needs of each individual.  The school is currently reviewing its policy for those who are especially able or gifted in special ways.  Currently, the provision for them is uneven.

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

Pupils’ Learning and Achievements

2.7            Girls are well educated in a balanced and all-round way.

2.8            They achieve deep levels of knowledge, skills and critical and creative understanding in their subjects and activities and learn to apply them effectively.  Pupils are well grounded in knowledge, skills and understanding in the subjects and activities provided.  In general, they can apply these and think and act critically and creatively in relation to them.  For instance, in mathematics, they are aware of basic rules and can apply them correctly to specific instances in different situations.  No significant difference in relative attainment occurs between different groups of pupils or between subjects or curricular areas.

2.9            Girls’ attainment in external examinations, GCSE and A level, is good.  At GCSE, the school has achieved results on average over the last three years well above the national average for all maintained schools.  Much the same is true of the A-level results, although the 2005 results were not up to the high standards of the previous three years.

2.10         In the wider life of the school, pupils achieve well in individual groups and team activities; for example, in swimming and netball in the Prep Department and in a wide range of sports in the Senior School.  Musical groups are strong, especially the senior choir, which has broadcast, made CDs and performed this year at St Peter’s, Rome, and at Assisi.  Those following the special programmes in dance or equestrianism gain and progress in those areas without any detriment at all to their overall progress in other areas; these other areas are actually helped.  Riding is, of course, a fine way of keeping fit, as is dancing, which also contributes to the pupils’ knowledge of music and French as well as to their grace of posture.

2.11         Pupils develop very well the skills and attitudes for work and study.  In terms of their academic work, throughout the school, pupils are articulate: they speak very well and clearly, without any slovenly intonation.  They also listen effectively and read intelligently, extending these skills beyond what might be expected of them in relation to their ability profile.  They apply mathematics and mathematical concepts effectively from an early age in the Prep Department as seen where foundation stage pupils were counting with confidence and accuracy, up to the Senior School where, for instance, in Year 8 geography, pupils were using bar graphs effectively to illustrate variations in rainfall and temperature.  Where pupils are given the opportunity, they make effective use of ICT.  However, its actual use is uneven and sometimes limited.  Few pupils have developed an effective, accurate and consistent system of fingering for the keyboard and so many pupils are slower and less accurate than they should be.

2.12         In lessons and their written work, pupils demonstrate that they are able to reason with acuity of judgement, to argue cogently and to think for themselves.  For instance, in a Year 10 religious studies lesson pupils first attained a thorough understanding of the parable of Dives and Lazarus and then demonstrated their ability to apply that parable to modern life with understanding and insight. They showed, too, their ability to defend a position with arguments and facts.  In subjects such as history pupils are well aware of context, significance and chronology.  However, few occasions were seen where girls were given the opportunity for independent thought or to reason for themselves, though they always displayed intellectual curiosity.  As girls go through the school, they are increasingly adept at taking notes, studying and organising their work by themselves.  When required, they can learn things by heart.

2.13         Throughout the school, pupils study and work effectively both on their own and co-operatively with others, and in teams, as seen in the Prep Department in a lesson which included shared writing, and in the Senior School where pupils were working in groups selecting items for inclusion in an anthology of the literature of the First World War.  Throughout the school, pupils settle and apply themselves well and they persevere in, and enjoy, their work and activities.  They rise well to intellectual and other challenges.  They learn self-discipline and self-respect as well as a respect for others.  The girls wear their neat uniform with pride and care.  They exhibit excellent manners and are very cultivated young ladies.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils

2.14         Throughout the school, the girls’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is most effectively nurtured; provision for the girls’ personal development is a major strength of the school.  The ethos of the school, which underwrites all its activity, the high quality of relationships, the opportunities for responsibility and the levels of tolerance and understanding of others, ensures that the school achieves its aim “to acknowledge the worth and dignity of each member of the school”.

2.15         Pupils’ spiritual development is strong.  Assemblies and religious education, which reflect the school’s explicitly Christian ethos, enable pupils to consider and explore values and beliefs.  The school has a beautiful chapel at the heart of the school that is used by both Senior School and Prep Department for assemblies, and Eucharist and other services.  Pupils and staff spoke highly of the Chaplain who leads services and the religious activity of the school and is freely available for suitable religious advice and counsel.  In his turn, the Chaplain spoke of the strong support that he receives in his work from the headmistress and the School Council (governors).  Thus the school has strong spiritual leadership and its Christianity is well integrated into all that it does.  An assembly for all the girls in the Senior School, led by the headmistress, demonstrated this.  The school’s Christian values were given strong emphasis and the girls were invited, if they wished, to make a gesture of personal commitment, which almost all of them did.

2.16         The celebration of achievement develops personal worth and self esteem; the girls know they are valued.  Pupils are sensitive to aesthetic qualities in art, literature and music.  Some 60 girls sang a Mass in St Peter’s, Rome and also in the cathedral and other churches in Assisi earlier this year.  They used that opportunity to see the architecture and art of these cities.  The Senior School corridors and assembly areas are lined with high quality artwork produced by girls in the school and other artists.

2.17         Pupils have a clear moral sense and understand the difference between right and wrong from an early age.  They are aware of the effects of their behaviour on others and value community life and this is reinforced by notices and posters around the school.  In the Prep Department, pupils have been actively involved in producing a Code of Conduct, and amusing but telling “manners” posters adorn the dining room.  In the Senior School, pupils also perceive guidelines and sanctions as fair but firm, though never astringent and, throughout the school, understand the need to respect the new code of conduct.  The personal social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship programmes add to this.  Pupils have opportunities to weigh up moral issues in lessons, for instance, exploring Victorian values in Year 5 history, issues of deforestation in Brazil in Year 9 geography and duties to world poverty in Year 10 religious studies.  Pupils are kind and respectful to one another and to adults in school.

2.18         Pupils of all ages respond very well to the good opportunities offered to undertake responsibility whether it is as a Year 1 or 2 flower-waterer, a monitor, a house captain or head girl.  Responsibility for others is taken very seriously; as one Year 6 girl told an inspector “we watch out for each other and see who needs us.”  Pupils say they feel valued and they respond with unfailing courtesy.  In the School Forum, a kind of school council or parliament, established in the Senior School and now in the Prep Department, too, they participate in democracy at work and are eager to grasp this opportunity to contribute to the wider life of the school.

2.19         Pupils acquire an appreciation of, and respect for, their own and other cultures, promoting tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions.  Cultural diversity is celebrated in lessons and assemblies; “it’s good to be different,” one Prep girl told an inspector.  Foreign exchanges and visits take place in Senior School and history, art, geography and PSHE curriculum topics encourage understanding of other cultures and help to foster an understanding of the place of each girl in the wider world.

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

The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)

2.21         The teaching very effectively supports the school’s aims and has many positive features throughout the school.

2.22         Most of the teaching requires pupils to work hard.  Staff not only have high expectations of pupils, but also encourage them to be actively involved in their work and to enjoy it; indeed, pupils say they enjoy much of what they do.  Teaching enables pupils to acquire new knowledge, make progress according to their ability, increase their understanding and develop their skills.  This includes those with SEN (Special Educational Needs) and EAL (English as an Additional Language), and those with talents in areas such as dance and equestrian sports who are receiving extra education in these fields.  However, provision is uneven for the very academically able, especially during Years 10 and 11, where teaching’s emphasis on gaining good examinations results leads to less challenging work being set.  Nevertheless, some teachers provide additional tasks to extend and challenge the thinking of their more able pupils and provide examples of good practice that could, with advantage, be shared.  Moreover, teachers know their classes and individual pupils well and most constantly make implicit adjustments to what they are doing to take account of different abilities and aptitudes.  The new learning and enrichment support policy, which makes mention of the gifted and talented, and the setting arrangements are helping, but pupils would benefit from more co-ordination of best practice and guidance for teachers about how best to “differentiate” work.  This lack of “differentiation”, that is providing different work and targets for pupils of different abilities, is marked in the Prep Department in both numeracy and literacy.

2.23         Teaching fosters in pupils the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, as well as interest in their work.  Teachers are well-qualified specialists who have appropriate knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; they work hard.  The best teaching gives pupils a chance to think for themselves.  In the main, teaching is well planned, employs suitable activities and manages class time wisely.  Teachers generally create a classroom atmosphere that is most conducive to learning.  Each girl is encouraged to take a full part in the lesson.  On the whole, no pupil is allowed to dominate and have more of the teacher’s time at the expense of others.  The quiet and reticent girl is involved by skilled teaching tactics and the other pupils are very tolerant of mistakes by pupils.  Usually, up to sixth form level, the seating and classroom decorum is formal.  Teaching is rarely less than adequate, but not many lessons observed gave the opportunity for individual learning, critical thinking, or encouraged the pupils to use ICT for themselves.

2.24         Teaching is supported by an adequate quality, quantity and range of resources and generally makes effective use of them.  The buildings are plentiful, especially for the Prep, and are well suited to their purposes with no shortage of specialist facilities.  Inspectors noted the improvement in the provision of ICT resources since the last inspection but these resources were not always used effectively, especially in the girls’ own work.  Not all departments have a logic or clear reason for the use of ICT and, consequently, the use is haphazard.  The approach to ICT is not helped by the school’s lack of an effective system for tracking either its use or the development of pupils’ ICT skills.

2.25         The assessment of pupils’ work is sound but marking is uneven between and within departments.  Marking ranges from the helpful and detailed to the perfunctory.  The best marking is comprehensive and diagnostic, positive without ignoring that which is wrong.  Pupils appreciate and value this practice.  New guidelines introduced into the Prep Department this academic year have resulted in noticeable improvement.  Information from assessment, such as the scores in standardised and internal school tests, is used to some extent to plan teaching so that pupils can progress, but the information is not always properly co-ordinated and disseminated.  This is done particularly well in the Foundation Stage and good examples of use were occasionally seen in monitoring the progress of individual girls and in target setting.  Some departments have their own assessment systems.  The inspectors are aware that assessment for learning is currently under review.

2.26         Teaching encourages pupils to behave responsibly.  Teachers have firm discipline and the atmosphere in the classroom and elsewhere is generally positive.  Very few examples of a negative attitude to pupils were noticed and these should be even rarer as the new school policies are implemented.

2.27         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 school staff care most effectively for all the girls’ well-being and development.  Girls are very well supported by an effective pastoral structure, the heart of which is the class tutor in the Prep, and form tutor in the Senior School, who meet the girls regularly.  The staff involved in pastoral care at all levels are outstanding.  The provision for ensuring the safety and health of the pupils are sound except for some matters concerning buildings mentioned later in this report.

3.2            The staff provide excellent support and guidance for all girls: they know to whom to turn in times of need and they appreciate this.  Pastoral arrangements are clear, unambiguous and well understood by all pupils.  The daygirls are integrated well into houses.  A clear hierarchy of staff exists for dealing with problems and matters of discipline.

3.3            Inspectors noted the excellent relations between staff and pupils and between the pupils themselves.  A good rapport exists.  When pupils talked with inspectors, the girls were loyal to their school, though they had interesting, intelligent and useful suggestions for general improvements.  The girls are confident that their views will be heard and taken into account.  At a Senior School Forum (a kind of school council or parliament) meeting, for example, girls from Year 7 to the Sixth Form earnestly but politely put forward views for improving the school ranging from matters of maintenance, to those of routine and practice.  The headmistress personally responds to these concerns.

3.4            Food is of good quality and variety, is plentiful and enjoyed by the pupils.  The dining hall is a civilized place where, after saying grace, girls dine in their houses with excellent table manners and cultivated conversation.

3.5            Measures to promote good discipline and behaviour, including procedures against harassment and bullying, are effective in dealing very constructively with unacceptable behaviour, should it occur.  The girls know and understand the expectations and policies.  In the pupil questionnaires, the girls mentioned that even minor instances of bullying were rare.  The school, therefore, is a well-disciplined and civilized place.  It has an air of being busy within a caring framework.  The girls care for each other as was seen in such simple ways as girls in various situations saving places for each other and making places for all.

3.6            Effective careers guidance is given from Year 9 onwards, including preparation for option and sixth form choices and preparation for university.  The school has two special careers rooms, a plentiful supply of brochures and university prospectuses.  Staff support and guidance for the pupils are helpful and constructive.

3.7            Child protection measures are in place and are successful.  The headmistress, as designated person for such matters, has undertaken relevant training and keeps up-to-date.  Pupils said that they feel safe and are well cared for.  The medical centre is a very good facility, well equipped and staffed by the school sister and her colleagues, with the capacity to provide residential nursing for up to six girls.

3.8            All necessary measures to reduce the risk from fire and other hazards have been taken.  Fire practice logs, responses to letters from the fire service, electrical testing of equipment, and safe storage of chemicals are all properly done.  Risk assessments have been done for all rooms.

3.9            Arrangements to ensure health and safety are generally effective but attention needs to be given to certain areas which provide a potential hazard.  However, the school in its procedures has due regard for health and safety.  Extra-mural visits are well managed with risk assessments duly completed.

3.10         The school complies with the requirements for maintaining an admissions register and keeping registers of attendance.  These registers are completed properly at the beginning of the school day and at the beginning of the afternoon session, for all pupils, daygirls and boarders.

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

The Quality of Links with Parents and the Community

3.12         The school has a very strong and effective partnership with parents and some worthwhile links with the wider community, varied and beneficial in the Prep Department, and adequate in the Senior School.

3.13         A very high proportion of parents who returned the pre-inspection questionnaire, indicated strong support for both the Prep Department and Senior School.  They are particularly happy with the school’s values, the teaching and pastoral care, and the extra-curricular activities.  No general area of complaint was found.  A handful of parents asked whether Spanish could be put on the school curriculum and, in fact, this is to be done.

3.14         Parents are given very many worthwhile opportunities to become involved in the work and progress of their children and in the activities of the school.  All the parents are encouraged to contribute to the quality of school life through the very active Parent Teachers Association, the Friends of Abbots Bromley.  Parents from both Senior School and Roch House Prep Department are represented.  Likewise, both Roch House Prep Department and Senior School staff are committee members.  This committee organises many family and social occasions and, along with staff and pupils in the school, supports many and varied charities.  Considerable sums have been raised for the school and charities.  Parents of Prep Department girls are welcomed into the school at the start and end of the school day.  This provides useful opportunities for informal discussions with staff if parents have concerns.

3.15         A very wide range of helpful information is provided and this keeps parents well informed.  It includes an informative prospectus, regular newsletters and the relatively new parent email system, where parents can be alerted to any immediate alterations or announcements.  For instance, in the winter when the weather became increasingly poor, parents were requested to collect girls as soon as possible.  In the Senior School and Roch House Preparatory Department, the ‘planner’ or ‘reading diary’ provides an effective means of communication between home and school.

3.16         Clear and useful reports about the girls’ work and progress are produced three times a year alongside three parents’ evenings in the Prep Department and two in the Senior School.  In both the Prep Department and the Senior School a “New Girl’s Report” is also produced in the first half of the term, to give parents further information regarding how well their child is ‘settling in’ to the new school.  An appropriate reply slip enables the parents to acknowledge receipt of the report.

3.17         The school handles the concerns of parents with appropriate care, meeting the regulatory requirements.  The later stages of the comprehensive complaints procedure have not needed to be used in recent years.

3.18         Links with the local and wider community are satisfactory.  In the Prep Department these are somewhat more positive than in the Senior School, where links are limited.  In the Prep Department, local services are invited to enhance the curriculum.  For instance, the fire brigade, local lollipop man and occasionally parents with particular skills are welcomed into school to contribute to relevant curriculum subjects.  The Senior School involves parents and also the local community in its work experience arrangements.  Pupils regularly visit places of interest in and around the area.  Such visits support and enrich work undertaken in the classroom.

3.19         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].

The Quality of Boarding Education

3.20         The outstanding quality of the boarding experience supports very well the girls’ education and development.

3.21         Relations within the boarding community and the quality of the boarding accommodation are excellent.  The boarding staff are well trained and very committed to providing care and support for the pupils, both for those who are full-time boarders and for those who take advantage of the flexible boarding opportunities.  Standards of behaviour are high and pupils treat each other and adults with consideration and courtesy with a pervading atmosphere of friendliness and warmth.  New boarders are quickly integrated into the boarding community by being placed in rooms with others in the same year.  To help Year 7 pupils settle, they are given a “buddy” in Year 9 and mentored by a sixth former.  The grouping of younger pupils in rooms of three or four in Years 7, 8 and 9 together on one floor, and Years 10 and 11 on the floor above, and a separate wing for the individual study bedrooms for sixth formers, allow all pupils to mix socially among their peers while also remaining very much part of an integrated community.  The housemistress is a qualified nurse and medical care is available both in the boarding house if pupils are taken ill after school hours and during the day in the school medical centre.

3.22         The school offers boarders a wide range of activities out of school time and at weekends.  The Saturday activity programme organised by the head of boarding in consultation with pupils offers an interesting programme of events such as whole-day visits to local places of interest, rollerblading, cycling and half-day activities such as a conker competition, cooking, quiz and board games.  Compulsory for boarders, optional for sixth formers, this programme is run on a rota basis by members of the teaching staff.  On Sundays, boarders are expected to attend a School chapel service but also have time for relaxation and are regularly entertained to lunch by the headmistress.  A Friday night film evening held in one of the common rooms has proved popular among full-time boarders and flexi boarders.  The increasingly popular flexible boarding arrangement allows pupils to be either weekly boarders, flexi boarders staying for two or more consecutive nights, or occasional overnight boarders.  This system is open to pupils from Year 5.

3.23         The buildings set among the well-maintained grounds in an attractive village do create a very civilised boarding environment.  The location of the boarding accommodation in the centre of the school allows boarders to have access to many of the school facilities after school hours such as the art rooms, music rooms, computers and, under supervision, the recreational facilities such as the swimming pool, fitness suite and sports hall.  Each area has a common room in which pupils can relax and a larger room on the Year 10 and 11 corridor where all pupils can play table tennis and pool and watch television on a larger screen.  The overall quality of the boarding accommodation is excellent despite the buildings’ being of different ages and style.  Pupils enjoy being able to personalise their rooms with their own duvet covers and colourful pictures and posters.  The standard of decoration along the Year 7, 8 and 9 corridor and in their rooms is bright and cheerful.  The rooms, corridor and the refurbished showers for Years 10 and 11 have recently been most attractively redecorated in pastel shades.

3.24         Boarders with a special interest and ability in riding or dance have an outstanding opportunity throughout the day to pursue a full training programme alongside their school studies.  Horses are stabled very close to their owners, and superb dance facilities are in the same building as the boarding house.

3.25         The school last had an inspection by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in March 2004.  The report was “positive”.  The school has built on the several strengths identified in that report and effectively addressed the few areas where recommendations were made.

4.              THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Quality of Governance

4.1            The Council, the governing body, and the Woodard Corporation help to set and secure clear aims and values for the school, thus providing excellent oversight and guidance.  The two levels, that of a national body responsible for several schools, and a local one of an individual board of governors, the Council, is a strength in that it enables local control but gives the advantages of a larger organization and family of similar schools.

4.2            The structure and management arrangements related to the governing body and the Woodard Corporation are well defined and support effective oversight of the school.  The Woodard Corporation, the trustees and owners of the school, provide excellent overall guidance.  They keep in touch with the family of schools and ensure the schools are in touch with each other.  The heads of the schools (Lancing, Ellesmere and others) meet regularly and the Woodard Corporation provides a framework for general activities such as the course for school prefects.  The latter was highly spoken of by the sixth formers of the school who, in the way they do their duties, have obviously benefited from the course.  The Woodard Corporation directly appoints the head, the chaplain and the bursar, who is clerk to the Council, thus giving a stamp to the school; thenceforward, the Council takes over all other governing responsibilities.  Council members are decided locally, but have to be approved by the Woodard Corporation.  The Custos, the chairman of governors, is an old girl of the school and former teacher there.  She combines a strong sense of the traditions of the school and the continuity needed with realism to ensure the school makes all necessary changes.  She works exceedingly well with the headmistress, helping to define strategy and supporting the headmistress in her management of the school.

4.3            The Council is well aware of its responsibilities and suitably involved in educational development, financial planning, strategies to ensure effective educational provision, and the investment in people and material resources.  The Council knows the difference between governance and management.  It does not try to manage the school and thoroughly supports the headmistress in what she does.  This is seen in the well-worked-out development plan which has been produced this academic year.

4.4            The Council has a clear insight into the working of the school and provides advice, support and stimulus for growth and improvement.  A theme running through the governance and management of the school is the preservation of all the great traditions of the school, especially a strong and pervasive Christian presence, while wanting continuous improvement.

4.5            Since the last inspection, the Council has become more aware of its responsibilities and more involved in strategic decisions while fully supporting the management.

The Quality of Leadership and Management

4.6            The quality of leadership and management is outstanding at the top level; it is less so below this level, though it is always adequate.

4.7            Outstanding educational direction, leadership and vision are provided by the headmistress, who is in her first year in the school, as reflected in the quality of education, the care of pupils, and the fulfilment of the school’s aims and ethos.  She is very effective in analyzing the school's needs, setting priorities, planning to meet those priorities, and putting decisions into practice.  She is also effective in drawing up and implementing appropriate procedures and policies, checking and reviewing their effectiveness, and in securing, supporting, developing and motivating high quality staff.  Similarly, the head of the Roch House Prep Department provides very effective leadership and management, under the overall headmistress.  As with the headmistress, she is in her first year.  The two heads have instituted a review of current practice and are both determined to make a good school even better by establishing ways of ensuring best practice is followed by all while keeping to the traditions and aims of the school.  The school’s aims are very largely achieved.

4.8            Below the top level of management, things are not so closely defined or effective.  In particular, the role of head of department in the Senior School and subject co-coordinator in the Prep Department are not clear.  Important monitoring functions such as the monitoring of the marking of girls’ work and the effective use of ICT are, therefore, neglected.  The School has a leadership team and also a senior management team but yet the work of monitoring what goes on, and ensuring daily efficiency, is not yet carried out thoroughly, though the new headmistress is already addressing it.

4.9            Financial resources are well managed to secure appropriate teaching and learning equipment and materials.  These are sufficient to support the school’s educational aims, and to meet the needs of the school's pupils.  No signs were apparent of any extravagances.  This academic year, a new marketing policy has been inaugurated and implemented.

4.10         The administration of the school is generally efficient.  The reception area is busy but very welcoming.  The school buildings are attractive and it has a chapel which is a fine piece of architecture and which is regularly used for school worship.  The new head is increasing the opportunities for girls to go into this beautiful and inspiring building.

4.11         The school has improved in several ways since the last inspection.  Most particularly in reviewing all its policies, procedures and practices.  This has not been done with the idea of facile innovation but with the purpose of improving standards and raising the quality of provision to the best that the school can provide.

4.12         The school meets the regulatory requirements for the suitability of proprietors and staff [Standard 4].

4.13         The school meets almost all of the regulatory requirements for premises and accommodation [Standard 5].  In order to meet all the requirements, the school must: