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INSPECTION REPORT ON |
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St. Neot’s Preparatory School |
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Full Name of the School |
St. Neot’s Preparatory
School |
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DfES Number |
850/6019 |
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Registered Charity Number |
307324 |
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Address |
St
Neot’s Road, Eversley, Hook, Hampshire RG27 0PN. |
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Telephone Number |
01189
732118 |
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Fax Number |
01189
739949 |
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Email Address |
office@st-neots-prep.co.uk |
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Headmaster |
Richard
Thorp |
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Chairman of Governors |
David
Chard |
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Age Range |
3mths
– 13 years |
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Gender |
Mixed |
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Inspection Dates |
9th
to 12th October, 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.
1.1 St Neot’s was founded in Berkshire in 1888 and moved to Eversley in 1894 as a traditional, all-boarding, proprietorial boys’ preparatory school. It became a trust and gained charitable status in 1955; the governors are also the trustees, but remained a small boarding school with approximately 80 boys aged from 7 to 13 until 1988. A Pre-prep for boys and girls was opened in 1988, a Nursery in 1995, and a Pre-nursery in 2003. The main school became co-educational in 1990 and weekly boarding started soon after that. From 1997 the school has worked a five day week with full, weekly and flexi boarding. The daily timetable continues to reflect the school’s boarding origins with older pupils staying at school until 6 pm and with a games afternoon on Wednesday.
1.2 The school aims to ensure that: ‘every child sets out to do his or her best in whatever task is undertaken, either individually or corporately; each child has true concern for his or her neighbour, trying to support and be a friend. Thus children will develop the self confidence to undertake any activity in the knowledge that they will be able to try their hardest and find support from those around them.’ The school, which focuses strongly on the ‘development of the whole child’, has an evangelical Anglican tradition.
1.3 The school has four distinct sections. The Pre-nursery (Little Deers) has 14 children (10 boys and 4 girls) aged from 3 months to 3 years; the Nursery has 14 children (9 boys and 5 girls) attending part time; the Lower School, Reception to Year 2, has 82 children (52 boys and 30 girls); the Main School, Years 3 to 8, has 185 pupils (104 boys and 81 girls). The total roll is 295 (175 boys and 120 girls) which is a small increase from the time of the previous inspection in 2000. Twenty-eight pupils (15 girls and 13 boys) are full weekly boarders and up to 8 others are flexi boarders at any one time. There are two parallel forms in each year from Reception to Year 8 and only a small number of children join the school in any year after Reception. A very small number leave at the end of Year 6 (aged 11+). The great majority of pupils come from homes within 15 miles of the school.
1.4 The school is based on an old country house, in its own fine and extensive grounds containing additional buildings, playing fields and a substantial wooded area. Significant additions since 2000 have been a purpose-built boarding house, the new Pre-nursery (in the old pavilion), a performing arts centre, the extended dining-room, new information and communication technology (ICT) rooms, a second science laboratory and a library. The numbers of teaching and non-teaching staff have been increased to include a full-time bursar, librarian and a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO).
1.5 The school is non-selective but a basic academic assessment is sometimes made during the preliminary visit. Standardised tests taken in each year in the school suggest an average ability above the national average, with the majority in the top half nationally but with a number below that sometimes in the lowest quartile. Two pupils have a statement of special educational needs and just over 15 per cent of pupils are recognized by the school as having learning difficulties. These all receive some extra support outside the normal classroom. Three pupils have English as a second language and two of these also receive extra support.
1.6 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
The Educational Experience Provided
2.1 A good educational experience is offered to pupils, consistent with the school's aims and philosophy: a broad and balanced curriculum with a suitable range of subjects, enhanced by substantial extra-curricular provision. The curriculum is broadly based upon the National Curriculum and also incorporates additional subjects such as modern foreign languages, Latin and sport to enrich and broaden pupils’ experience. However, a small number of subjects are not well provided for in the formal curriculum. The individual needs of the pupils are well catered for, although provision for the most able sometimes lacks sufficient challenge in Years 7 and 8. Much has been done in terms of planning and the development of the subject policies since the last inspection.
2.2 The education as a whole provides suitable opportunities for linguistic, scientific, mathematical, human and social, physical, aesthetic and creative development. It also makes good provision for the acquisition of skills of speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy. In the Pre-Nursery, a stimulating indoor environment, coupled with imaginative use of the school grounds, enhances the curriculum, and in the Foundation Years (Nursery and Reception) children cover all areas of learning leading to the six learning goals as set out in the National Curriculum. The provision in some curriculum subjects in the rest of the school has shortcomings. Design and technology remains limited in Years 7 and 8. Although pupils’ personal development is very well advanced by the general education provided by the school, personal, social and health education (PSHE) does not appear as a distinct subject within the curriculum. Whilst all pupils have a period of religious education (RE) each week, the syllabus is not developed well through the school until pupils begin preparation for Common Entrance in Year 7. The school offers French and Spanish as well as Latin although only a proportion of pupils will take all three languages. The recent adoption of a one hour lesson as the norm in the timetable for all senior pupils has proved to be a success with pupils and staff alike.
2.3 The pupils' educational experience is greatly enhanced by extra-curricular activities, called guilds, held on three days in the week and compulsory for Years 5 to 8. These provide a rich tapestry of educational experiences, for example, animation, Kandinsky painting, fencing, and rock and roll. Year 4 pupils take part in guilds on a voluntary basis. Years 1, 2 and 3 have their own guild options in the Lower School. Guilds are very well liked by the pupils and enthusiastically led by the staff. The extra-curricular provision of music is particularly strong providing quality opportunities for performance in a variety of instrumental styles and groupings. The considerable emphasis upon sport and team competitions enriches the curriculum and provides further opportunities for personal development and team work. The guilds as a whole provide very good opportunities for working together, to which pupils respond extremely well. Children in the Nursery and Reception also benefit from the good use made of the school’s facilities and the very special environment provided by the school site; they are able to make particularly rapid progress in their knowledge and understanding of the world and in their creative development.
2.4 The range of experience provided by the curriculum as a whole, as well as the academic preparation for Common Entrance and the personal and social development fostered by the school, prepares pupils very effectively for the move on to their future senior schools. Pupils receive a very full and well rounded education from their school experience.
2.5 The curriculum is well planned at the subject level and most departments now have effective and well-developed schemes of work. Some policies make specific reference to links that may be made with other subjects: good examples were found, in modern foreign languages and music, and in work being done in Years 3 and 4, where art, history and music came together in a project on the Victorians. Such links are less well developed in other departments. The director of studies has overseen significant progress in the planning of the curriculum over the last few years and the appointment of a head of Middle School for Years 3 and 4 is already leading to much closer co-coordination of the curriculum in these years. In a few subjects, the continuity and progression of the curriculum, from year to year is not yet fully assured, particularly between Years 2 and 3 and between Years 4 and 5. The school is already addressing this issue.
2.6 All pupils have equal access to, and opportunities within, the curriculum. Since the last inspection, the school has done much to improve the support given to pupils with special educational needs and provision for these pupils is now very effective. Arrangements for screening pupils and identifying those with special needs are very effective. All those recognized as needing extra help with their learning, including those with statements of special educational needs, are given the individual support they need. Each pupil’s individual education plan (IEP) acts as a means both of communication with the teacher in the classroom and of monitoring the individual’s progress. Close liaison is maintained between the SENCO, the teachers and the parents. Support for these pupils is now mostly very good.
2.7 Work has started on the identification and support of the more able pupils and sound progress is being made. In the Lower School, for example, a weekly session for some able pupils has been arranged by withdrawal of a group from normal lessons. The school does not yet have, however, a detailed overall strategy for extending the experience of the most able pupils within the school, in whatever subject or area their potential may lie. Departments often have incomplete and unspecific planning for the most able pupils so that opportunities to challenge and extend them are sometimes missed in the classroom. However, extra lessons for scholarship candidates in Years 7 and 8 are fitted in outside lesson times.
2.8 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum [Standard 1].
Pupils’ Learning and Achievements
2.9 Pupils’ achievements, their level of skills and the depth of their understanding are good across the school. They are very competent learners and have very positive attitudes to their studies. In the Lower School, attainment is mostly good in both the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2. In the Foundation Stage, pupils had a particularly good knowledge and understanding of the world (one of the six learning goals) and were both articulate and knowledgeable about autumn fruits and seeds in the school woods. Numeracy in a Year 1 lesson was well above expected levels and, in a Year 2 lesson, the children showed well-developed literary skills in their retelling and dramatisation of a story.
2.10 In the Middle School (Years 3 and 4) attainment is always appropriate to the pupils’ ages and abilities and is often good. Pupils in Year 3 used a wide vocabulary in their descriptive writing and pupils from Year 4 were able to explain clearly how they planned and produced a draft for their creative writing. Satisfactory and often good work is also achieved in Years 5 to 8, where art and music are particularly strong. In Year 5, pupils demonstrated a high level of compositional skills in a music lesson and, in Year 7, pupils copied the style of their chosen artist to produce an impressive standard of oil painting. High attainment in science and a good range of scientific skills was seen in end of year examinations in Year 5 for the current Year 6 pupils. Pupils in a Year 6 history lesson on the Normans had a good knowledge of the subject and their written work demonstrated good skills of interpretation of historical material. Pupils in a mathematics interview in Year 6 showed a good understanding of the uses respectively of mode, median and mean, and were able quickly to apply shortcuts to mental arithmetic problems. In Years 7 and 8, the progress of all pupils to Common Entrance is rapid but the challenge to the more able pupils is not yet fully developed so that their progress, relative to their ability, is sometimes less rapid than it might be.
2.11 No significant difference is apparent in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their ability, growing markedly in confidence as they move through the school. Results in Common Entrance examinations have been good and all have passed to the school of their choice in the last ten years. A variety of scholarship awards to senior schools have been gained in the last three years.
2.12 Pupils achieve a wide range of individual and team success outside the classroom. Sporting, cultural and creative successes are highlighted on a dedicated display board and are recorded by a variety of certificates and rosettes for different achievements in and outside school, including: swimming, gymnastics, safety skills, art, ballet and fundraising. The school celebrates pupils’ achievements wherever they occur. Pupils represent their county in a range of sports, which include football, hockey, cricket and netball. During the inspection week 15 teams, well over three quarters of the Main School, were scheduled to play in football and hockey matches against other schools, until the weather sadly intervened.
2.13 Music performance, both group and individual, is often of high quality. During the week, the orchestra and a choir practice were seen and both demonstrated a high standard of musicianship, the latter including some accomplished two-part singing. A large proportion of the pupils learn an instrument and good results are achieved in the Associated Board examinations. The standard of the art work displayed around the school is high and the displays in the dining room are particularly good.
2.14 The quality of pupils’ learning is nearly always good as a result of good teaching and the excellent relationships established between teachers and pupils. Pupils have good study skills and positive attitudes to work; they contribute enthusiastically to lessons and are articulate and thoughtful in their ready responses to questions.
2.15 Literacy skills are well learned and used across the curriculum. Pupils read intelligently and listen effectively, both to their teachers and to each other. Good creative writing was seen at all levels in the school, for example in a Year 4 display of ‘Imaginary Worlds’ and in reports on a Shakespeare play by Year 7. Numeracy standards in lessons are satisfactory and usually good in the Lower School. However, the use of number and mathematics in other subjects was not often seen either in lessons or in pupils’ work books.
2.16 The provision and use of ICT have greatly increased since the last inspection. Pupils have one lesson of ICT each week and apply the skills learned in a number of other subjects, particularly in the Main School. Year 8 pupils word-process their fieldwork projects in geography; a group of pupils researched the Gunpowder plot on the internet and others used the internet to follow the news in French. Pupils use music software to help them in the task of composing. Increasingly good use is being made of interactive whiteboards, where these are fitted, by both teachers and pupils. One of the guild activities enables pupils to design their own website.
2.17 Opportunities are provided for pupils to manage their own learning, notably in geography and history in Year 5, and in work in the library. Pupils reason and argue cogently both orally and in their written work. Year 6 pupils demonstrated good analytical skills in their work on river flooding. Self-evaluation sheets in some mathematics work books encourage critical thinking and self-confidence in making judgements. An improvisation session in drama in Year 8 demonstrated the pupils’ ability to use their imagination and to implement their ideas in mime. Creative skills are very evident in two- and three-dimensional work in art at all levels in the school, from the Foundation Stage upward. Data-recording techniques were used in mathematics in Year 6 and in a co-operative exercise using shared information in Science in Year 7.
2.18 Pupils are competent at note-taking and they organise their work well. From an early stage in the Lower School, the importance of presentation and lay-out is emphasised. Pupils are able to study and work effectively on their own, usually in the formal classroom situation. They also work well co-operatively, in lessons and in their other activities, and the ethos of support and mutual friendship makes for positive group learning.
2.19 Pupils settle well in lessons. They persevere on tasks and obviously enjoy much of their work. They appreciate the variety and range of the curriculum and of their activities. In a Year 2 lesson, the children had obviously enjoyed the story they had read to them and concentrated hard for a considerable length of time on their writing task to retell it in storyboard form. Pupils behave very well in class and around the school. They help and support each other sensibly and very readily. Pupils interviewed in Year 6 expressed great enthusiasm for, and enjoyment of, their geography and history lessons, and were articulate and knowledgeable about what they had learned.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils
2.20 The personal development of pupils as they move up the school is outstanding. The school has more than maintained the high standards in this area noted in the last report, and consequently fulfils its aim that all pupils should have a real concern for their neighbour, always ready to offer support and be a friend.
2.21 Pupils’ spiritual development is very well advanced. From the Foundation Stage upwards, pupils are able to appreciate the world around them, in particular the very fine school environment with its woodlands and nature trails. Children in Reception expressed a real sense of wonder at the natural world. Pupils practising in the school choir experienced an emotional and spiritual response to the music they were singing. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on meaning and purpose in their lives in their classwork, for example in their study of a Shakespeare play or in their recollections of a recent trip to the World War II D-Day battlefields.
2.22 The ethos of the school leads pupils to a strong sense of self-esteem and self-value, as well as the development of a genuine respect and concern for others. Pupils gain some insights into other faiths, as well as their own Christian beliefs and practice, through RE lessons and in assemblies and major festivals during the year. Pupils in the Lower School were preparing for the school’s Harvest service during the inspection week.
2.23 Pupils’ moral development is outstanding. Strong foundations are laid in the Lower School, where there is much discussion of being part of the school family and the responsibilities and self-discipline that entails. The children have a very clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. All pupils learn to make sound moral choices, and they appreciate the need for rules and respect them.
2.24 Whilst no formal programme of PSHE is built into the school’s timetabled curriculum, moral and social issues are raised regularly in lessons, in form periods and at other times. Outside speakers/experts are invited into the school to talk, for example, on drugs education, and the school nurse talks to pupils about healthy living and the physical and emotional changes they experience as they grow up. Staff are strong and consistent role models for pupils in terms of how they behave towards others. Staff and pupils respect and trust each other. Pupils demonstrate a practical concern for those less fortunate than themselves through House charity fund-raising.
2.25 Pupils develop very well indeed socially in the warm, caring atmosphere of the school community. In the Nursery and Reception classes children learn to share and to wait for their turn to speak. Pupils become increasingly aware of the benefits of working together in plays and sports teams. They showed, in lessons such as drama in Years 2 and 8 and in many of the guild activities, their enjoyment of teamwork and their considerable skill in working co-operatively.
2.26 Good behaviour and acts of kindness are rewarded with stickers in the Lower school and with citizenship awards in the Main School. Pupils readily take on responsibility as prefects, house monitors, members of the school council or form mentors. They are given the task of presenting thoughts and ideas in the weekly House assemblies. Two Year 2 pupils showed considerable initiative in organising a fundraising event for children in Africa. Lunch time is a very civilized and happy occasion in the school day, where staff and pupils of different ages sit together for the meal.
2.27 The provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. In lessons, particularly history, geography, modern foreign languages and RE, they learn about their own culture and that of other peoples. From time to time the school organises a Chinese or Indian Day, when pupils can sample traditional food and wear national dress. They all have the chance to take part in drama and music, and visits to the theatre and other places of interest are included in the school’s list of trips for all age groups. Pupils said that they had greatly enjoyed the Tudor Day, involving the local community and parents, as well as staff and pupils, in many aspects of life in Tudor England.
2.28 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils [Standard 2].
The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)
2.29 The overall quality of teaching in the school is good and some outstanding teaching was seen in each section of the school. Assessment procedures are good and their use is beginning to be usefully developed.
2.30 Outstanding lessons were characterised by a brisk pace and well-planned activities that were well matched to the ages and abilities of all the pupils in the class. All teachers know their pupils very well and are fully aware of those needing extra support. Nearly always, teaching enables all pupils to make good progress and to acquire the knowledge and skills they need. Teachers themselves have good subject knowledge, although sometimes they lack the confidence to improvise in class and then opportunities may be missed to challenge and extend the most able pupils. They have a clear understanding of the curriculum they are following. This is particularly helpful in the Foundation Stage and the Lower School, but in Years 7 and 8 teaching sometimes is too narrowly focused on the perceived demands of Common Entrance. Very rarely was teaching unsatisfactory and then it was a result of a lack of clarity in the aims and organisation of the lesson.
2.31 In the best lessons, pupils are encouraged to think and reason for themselves. Lessons are well planned and include an appropriate variety of teaching methods and activities. Time is well used. A good example of this was a Year 7 art lesson which, following an introduction to the whole class combining effective explanation and demonstration, provided a sufficiently long uninterrupted period for the pupils to work on their own. In the Middle School, lesson planning is particularly well co-ordinated. Assessment is now integral to planning throughout the school and is used in the preparation of day-to-day lesson plans as well as informing longer-term curriculum development.
2.32 Resources are plentiful and are used well to support teaching. The Foundation Stage and the Lower School are very well and appropriately resourced, as are the school art and music departments. All classrooms in both sections of the school have networked computers. Two well equipped ICT suites are available in the Main School. Many classrooms now have interactive white boards.
2.33 The school library, new since the last inspection, is a valuable resource with a wide variety of reference books covering most subjects of the curriculum, as well as a good stock of fiction for all ages. Two computers, one with internet attachment, are available for pupils to use. The presence of a full-time librarian ensures that the library is well used and that the stock is well maintained. The librarian teaches study skills and introduces pupils to the library. She also supervises the pupils using the library for private study and general reading. The Lower School has its own well stocked library area.
2.34 The school makes particularly good use of its varied and extensive grounds. Facilities for sport are very good, including an all-weather pitch, and the grounds lend themselves to adventure activities, such as the tetrathlon guild activity. Nature trails are used by all ages but especially by children in the Lower School. Reception and Year 1 children greatly enjoyed their autumn nature walks in the woods and were amazed to discover a large number of hibernating toy animals.
2.35 Marking is thorough and regularly completed, usually with encouraging comments, and sometimes now with detailed corrections and an indication of how to improve. Pupils are expected to complete their corrections and they reported that teachers often, in addition, go through their written work and deal with any problems they may have in class.
2.36 Assessment procedures are thorough and well implemented. The school has come a long way since the last inspection to meeting the aims that have now been set for assessment. The school makes good use of a variety of standardised tests to track pupils’ progress and to identify those who are in need of support or who are gifted in some way. The SENCO liaises closely with the class teacher and, in the Lower and Middle Schools, with the classroom assistants, who have a particular role helping these pupils, which they do very well.
2.37 A good start has also been made in the use of assessment data for curriculum development and to track the overall progress of pupils as they move through the school. The need for new reading and spelling schemes in the Middle School has been identified and testing has also led to the introduction of supplementary teaching material in mathematics. Continuous assessment in the classroom and of written work leads to the weekly and monthly effort and attainment grades which are discussed by class teachers with their pupils and are also sent to parents. However, not all the resulting data is appropriate or used well for individual pupil guidance or by middle and senior management for monitoring overall progress.
2.38 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 welfare, health and safety of day and boarding pupils at the school is outstanding. As at the time of the last inspection, the supportive and caring atmosphere is one of the most striking features of the school, and fully reflects the school's aims.
3.2 The staff provide excellent support and guidance for all pupils. Parents’ and pupils' responses to inspection questionnaires echo and support this judgement. Pastoral arrangements are managed well and help to ensure the involvement of all staff in the care of pupils, reflecting the school's family ethos. The professional concern of staff for the pupils is supported very effectively by the formal and informal procedures that are well established throughout the Main and Lower Schools and in the Foundation Stage, and are well understood by all staff. The provision for children under the age of three is characterised by warm caring relationships within a stimulating environment.
3.3 The quality of relationships between staff and pupils, and among the pupils themselves is excellent in all situations. In lessons, pupils show respect for staff and their peers. Around the school, older children carry out their various duties with genuine concern for younger pupils, and often provide good role-models for them. The class teacher is the key adult in the support for each pupil but, throughout the school, the feeling created is one of mutual trust and respect for all, in line with the school’s stated aims. In the boarding house, a real sense of family is apparent. The House system promotes good behaviour, community and responsibility, as well as healthy competition. Houses have duty weeks in which pupils have a number of responsibilities during the school day. Pupils also have the opportunity to be House leaders or monitors.
3.4 The school’s procedures for promoting good behaviour are clear and effective. They are well known to pupils and respected by them. Pupils are positive about the systems of rewards and strive to accumulate stars and citizenship credits. A group of Year 4 children was eager to show off the badges they had been awarded for effort and good citizenship, and proud to have won these for their respective Houses. The school has an effective anti-bullying policy and deals well with any problems between pupils when very occasionally these arise. Pupils discuss the consequences of teasing which goes too far: they learn to appreciate how much better it is to be kind and thoughtful. A successful school council under the supervision of two members of staff, discusses pertinent current matters raised by class representatives. Issues are then fed back to the class as a whole at the Friday form period. The mentor system, where a pupil from each class in the Main School is chosen by their peers, identifies pupils who will take particular care for their friends in their year. A number of pupils said that they would often be the ones they would turn to first if they had a problem.
3.5 The general provision to safeguard and promote pupils' welfare, health and safety is excellent. Admission and attendance registers are properly maintained and registration arrangements meet obligations. Child protection procedures and training are effective and appropriately set up. Welfare arrangements provide a very caring and sympathetic environment for pupils; as well as the pupil mentors, the children can turn to a range of adults, including teachers, the school nurse, the headmaster and his wife. When necessary, the pupils receive excellent medical and first-aid care and attention from the well-qualified school nurse who also makes a significant contribution to health issues in the wider provision for PSHE. Meals are nutritious and of high quality, with a good range of both hot and cold choices at mealtimes. Years 7 and 8 pupils were quick to acknowledge how much the school meals were appreciated and how much they enjoyed lunchtimes as a social occasion.
3.6 Measures to reduce the risk from fire and other hazards are fully effective. Appropriate records are kept of risk assessments, fire drills and medical information. The school has recently received a satisfactory report from the fire authority. Fire protection is thorough and all appliances and evacuation procedures are tested regularly, although electrical testing of appliances is currently incomplete. Staff and pupils are health and safety conscious. All staff are trained to deal with first aid at an elementary level; four have more advanced qualifications.
3.7 The school meets almost all 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) ensure that routine testing of electrical appliances is complete and up to date [Regulation 3.(5)(a)].
The Quality of Links with Parents and the Community
3.8 The quality of the school’s relations with its parents is excellent and the school has good links with the local community and further afield.
3.9 Parents are very satisfied with the education and support provided for their children. The parents of more than half the pupils responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire. They rated very highly the quality of pastoral care, the standard of teaching and the progress made by their children, and they were very satisfied with the breadth of the education received. Approval of the boarding arrangements was unanimous and the breadth of the education offered was noted and approved. A very small number of concerns were raised about the information received by parents, and about the opportunities for parents to be involved in the education of their children. The inspection found that parents receive very good school information and that many opportunities exist for parents to share and be involved in their children’s education.
3.10 The school provides parents with much valuable information. In addition to well written and informative twice-yearly reports, parents are informed weekly about the effort and attainment grades gained by their children, and about the stars or badges they have won. Annual or bi-annual meetings are arranged for parents to meet their child’s teacher. The new, but now well-established email communications system enables parents to keep abreast of school events and other news via a weekly newsletter. Hard copies are made available outside the school office for those who want them.
3.11 Parents also have good opportunities to be involved in school activities and in the progress of their children. They attend the many sporting events, concerts and drama productions and after a recent performance of Alice in Wonderland they were able to buy a recording/DVD of the production. Parents have been involved in whole school theme days, such as the recent Tudor Day. The school welcomes parental help with the annual Fireworks Night and a parent recently helped to run a guild activity on jewellery making. Parents also attend the annual Harvest Service and Christmas celebrations. The Friends of St Neot’s, the school’s parents’ association, is active in promoting links with the school and has organised events such as a school disco, an Easter egg hunt and a Hallowe’en evening.
3.12 Parents indicated that any concerns they may have are, with very few exceptions, dealt with promptly and appropriately. They have ready access to the headmaster at all times and, indeed, they can very easily contact their child’s form teacher or other member of staff over any routine matters. An appropriate complaints procedure exists and parents are regularly informed about it.
3.13 The school promotes positive links with the community near and far. With the close support of the chairman of governors, a link has been established with the ‘Chernobyl Children’s Trust’. Children from Chernobyl visit the school and pupils thereby meet children from very different backgrounds and circumstances. Year 8 pupils have visited a local retirement home as part of their guilds activity and each House supports a charity chosen by the pupils. The school has good links with the local parish church and also with nearby primary schools through the Hampshire Schools Early Years Group, of which the head of Lower School is currently secretary. The school accepts trainee teachers on attachment and the local cricket club makes use of the school pitches.
3.14 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
3.15 The provision and operation of boarding is excellent.
3.16 The boarding pupils enjoy living at St. Neot’s and regard it as a special privilege. They are happy and secure in their relationships with each other and the pastoral staff. Pupils are keen to invite visitors to the new boarding house and share their positive experiences of boarding with them.
3.17 The school provides a range of additional extra-curricular activities which are available solely to the boarders; they include sport, Latin and trips out. In this and other ways, boarding enriches the educational experience of these pupils. Boarding reinforces the sense of family and community and the necessarily extended day contributes to a richer experience for all pupils. All full boarders are weekly boarders and return home at weekends; other pupils who board on a flexi basis are welcomed into the boarding family.
3.18 Boarders are housed in a new, purpose-built, and most attractive, log chalet in an ideal location a little away from the main building. The excellent accommodation is bright, light and well designed, with suitable space for recreation and sleeping. Wide corridors and a range of bright soft furnishings provide a high quality home for the mainly senior pupils, although some boarders are as young as seven. The pupils share rooms of up to four persons and enjoy a good range of recreational and entertainment resources.
4. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
4.1 The school is effectively governed. The eleven governors, who are also trustees and directors of the charity St Neot’s (Eversley) Limited, share a range of expertise and have a well-defined structure for their work. The full governing body meets four times during the year and is assisted by the general purposes and finance committee, and by an ad hoc building committee. The chairman of governors takes a very close interest in school affairs and, with his colleagues, is able to provide strong support for the headmaster.
4.2 Governors are fully aware of their responsibilities. Through the finance committee, they maintain a close control of the school’s finances. They allow a high level of bursary funding to support the education of pupils in the school; and they take the lead in the planning of capital funding. They recently commissioned a strategic plan for developing the school site and buildings, starting with a new Nursery and Pre-nursery due to be completed in the current academic year. Responsibilities for the day-to-day running of the school, the curriculum and staffing matters are delegated to the headmaster who reports to the governors at each full meeting of the board.
4.3 Relationships between the governors and the school are good. Governors visiting the school are welcomed to the staff room and many governors’ meetings include a presentation by a head of department or other teacher responsible for an aspect of the school’s work. Governors have a full understanding of the school’s performance and priorities.
The Quality of Leadership and Management
4.4 The school is led with great purpose and clear vision by its experienced headmaster and management is good at all levels. High standards and expectations are set from the top, both pastorally and across the whole range of the school’s activities. The headmaster is very well supported by his wife and the rest of the senior team, so that the school’s aims are fully met. The new management structure works well but some of the recent, and often very detailed, policies and planning, although subject to regular review, are yet to be fully implemented in practice.
4.5 In recent years, the structure of management has changed significantly so that the full range of active management roles is delegated first to a very effective senior team and through them to a middle tier of management, so that almost all staff have an area of responsibility and a role in taking the school forward. The senior team of nine fulfil their own clearly specified roles and responsibilities very successfully. They also form an effective advisory group to support the headmaster. In a similar way, the middle management team provide a sounding board of other staff views which can offer ideas and suggestions to the senior team as well as review policies and other proposals. The effectiveness of these quite complex arrangements is assured by the very strong team spirit formed by the staff as a whole, non-teaching and teaching. All staff are fully supportive of each other and of the school’s leadership, confident in each other’s ability and united in the priority given to the welfare, happiness and good development of each pupil in their care. The school has a very distinctive ethos of mutual respect and common purpose which is carried over from the staff room to the pupils and every part of the school.
4.6 The reshaping of the senior team and its responsibilities has coincided with a comprehensive renewal of policies and curriculum planning, a very detailed audit of the school, which engaged all members of staff, and an ensuing school improvement plan. At this stage, the reality of implementation, for example in the systematic monitoring of standards of teaching and learning, does not always equate fully to the written expectation. The senior team is fully aware of the need now to refine and simplify policies, so that the excellent principles on which they are based are reflected in more practicable and less burdensome procedures. Clearer lines of responsibility are being established and the improvement plan is being reviewed to make it more manageable.
4.7 Most middle managers carry out their responsibilities very effectively but a few heads of department are not yet giving enough priority to raising the standards of teaching and learning in their subject.
4.8 The school is very well served by the quality and commitment of all staff, both teachers and non-teachers, a fact reflected in the very comfortable arrangement for the sharing of the staff room and its facilities by all staff. Teachers recognize the contribution made to the school community by their non-teaching colleagues and vice-versa. All necessary procedures for the recruitment and appointment of staff are fulfilled and Criminal Records Bureau checks are completed for all staff on appointment. The induction arrangements for new and newly-qualified staff provide effective support during their first year. Staff are encouraged to undertake training and whole school in-service training is held at the start of each term. The school is currently reforming its programme of appraisal for staff, which in turn will further support the good training opportunities for staff and their career development.
4.9 The bursar and his team manage the school’s finances with due care so that resources needed in the classroom and throughout the school are provided and are in good condition. Department budgets are generous and a budget system enables heads of department and co-ordinators to plan ahead to resource and develop their subjects. The buildings are very well maintained, furnished and decorated, as are the extensive and very attractive grounds. Important additions to the facilities have been added since the last inspection.
4.10 The school is very well administered, at all levels. Notable advances have been made in the use of ICT to support the administration and in promoting communication both within the school and to parents. The school routine is very well managed on a day to day basis, so that staff and pupils are quite clear about where they should be and what they should be doing.
4.11 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the suitability of proprietors and staff and for premises and accommodation [Standards 4 and 5].
4.12 The school participates in the national scheme for the induction of newly qualified teachers and meets its requirements.
5.1 The school very successfully meets its aims to develop the whole child and to create an atmosphere in which each child grows in confidence, both in themselves and in the support of their neighbour. The pupils enjoy a particularly full and well-rounded education.
5.2 The school is very well led and effectively managed at all levels and a distinctive ethos of common purpose, and mutual respect and support is firmly established. This stems from a very committed and competent staff team, which in turn leads to a very high level of pastoral care and welfare provision for all pupils, day and boarding. Relationships between staff and pupils and among the pupils themselves are excellent. The personal development, the confidence and sense of self-value achieved by the pupils is a feature of the school’s success. The school has very good relationships with its parents, who strongly approve of the education provided for their children. The school offers a broad education and curriculum for all the pupils with a particularly successful programme of extra-curricular activities. Children are given an excellent foundation to their education in the Lower School and the quality of pupils’ learning throughout the school, both inside and outside the classroom, is high. A small number of weaknesses remain: in the curriculum and in the challenge offered to the most able pupils; in the use of assessment; and in the implementation of some new policies.
5.3 Considerable changes and improvements have been made since the last inspection. The school has a particularly fine site, which is very well used to