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INSPECTION REPORT ON |
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Full Name of the School |
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DfES Number |
919/6016 |
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Registered Charity Number |
311059 |
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Address |
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Telephone Number |
01582
713022 |
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Fax Number |
01582
767696 |
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Email Address |
secretary@aldwickbury.org.uk |
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Headmaster |
Mr
Vernon Hales |
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Chairman of Governors |
Mr
Nigel Buchanan |
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4–13
years |
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Gender |
Boys |
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Inspection Dates |
5th
– 8th March 2007 |
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 boys’ 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
The school was founded in 1937
and took the name
1.2 The school is housed in a Victorian mansion set within 20 acres of grounds. The school has been developed over the years and its facilities include purpose-built classrooms, a gymnasium and a swimming pool. There are extensive playing fields and sport features strongly in the life of the school.
1.3 The school has 309 boys on roll aged from 4 to 13. The school is organised in three departments: pre-prep (reception to Year 2), junior (Years 3 and 4) and senior (Years 5 to 8). In the pre-prep and junior departments, boys are taught mainly by their form teacher, and in Years 5 to 8 mainly by subject teachers. There are two forms in each year group to Year 7 and three in Year 8, with setting in some subjects from Year 6 and streamed forms in Years 7 and 8. The school provides flexible weekly boarding for about 50 boarders, mainly in their last two years, with a current capacity of up to 37 on any night.
1.4 Entry to the school is non-selective, although there is some screening of boys who enter in Year 3 or above. The ability of boys is above the national average overall, though the range is wide and a significant minority are of below average ability. Boys with learning difficulties are identified, and around 40 receive additional learning support. No boys are learning English as an additional language.
1.5 Boys do not take national curriculum tests at age seven or eleven, but their attainment and progress is monitored by means of yearly standardised tests. Boys take the 13+ Common Entrance exam and individual school entrance exams, gaining entry to a range of senior schools, both day and boarding.
1.6 The school sets out to achieve high standards and to build self-esteem, providing a broad and balanced curriculum for all boys and involving them in the school’s corporate life. It seeks to give a strong grounding in the Christian faith and to foster values of courtesy, honesty, kindness and fairness. In all this, it aims ‘to ensure that boys take the maximum advantage from a caring staff, a beautiful setting and fine facilities’.
1.7 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
The Educational Experience Provided
2.1 The school provides a good all-round education in line with its aims. Boys are confident, articulate, sociable and well-mannered; they are educated ‘in the round’. The school’s Christian ethos is evident both on formal occasions, such as assemblies, and in the way that boys and adults relate to each other in the school community. The school’s ethos is particularly evident in its boarding provision, which has a wide impact on the character of the school. Boys generally achieve well, but further improvement in academic standards remains central to the school’s mission.
2.2 Boys develop good linguistic, mathematical and scientific skills. In the pre-prep, boys receive a thorough grounding in reading, writing and numeracy skills, providing a firm platform for later learning. Boys of all ages speak and listen well. The development of aesthetic and creative skills has improved since the previous inspection, with outstanding provision, particularly in Years 5 to 8, for art and design and technology. The art project ‘What is important to me?’ prompted some thoughtful and highly individual responses, including a tent inspired by the work of Tracey Emin.
2.3 The school is developing its provision for teaching languages. Boys now learn French from Year 1, and opportunities are being extended to sample other languages such as Spanish, Russian and Italian. Latin is introduced in Year 6. In Years 7 and 8, boys may continue with Latin or have extra lessons in English and study skills.
2.4 Provision for physical development is a strong feature of the curriculum, particularly in the junior and senior departments. The school offers a wide range of physical activity. It is committed to ‘sport for all’, while recognising and developing particular talent. For example, the excellent swimming pool is used well by all boys and the school’s best swimmers regularly feature in the finals of national competitions. From Year 3 onwards, there is an hour of sport daily for all boys.
2.5 The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities, before and after school and at lunchtimes. There is a high level of participation by boys, and a good balance between sport and the arts. Many staff support activities. Gap year students, known as ‘gappers’, make a good contribution and boys relate positively to these younger members of the staff team. From Year 5, day boys and boarders complete their prep at school during the week. Activities at the weekend include sports matches on Saturdays, and a chapel service on some Sunday evenings to which all families are invited.
2.6 Boys are prepared well for the next stage of education. From Year 6, boys are setted for English, mathematics, French and Latin. Boys in Year 8 are organised in three streams, and preparation for individual schools takes place within these small groups. Potential scholars are identified and prepared for scholarship exams. Some boys leave at the end of Year 6 but the school does not specifically prepare boys for entrance exams at this stage.
2.7 In recent years, the school has made significant strides in planning the curriculum to bring greater coherence and continuity through the school as a whole. Teachers from across the school meet termly to consider developments in each subject. Subject handbooks set out whole-school policy and provide guidance for all those teaching the subject. The school is beginning to monitor boys’ progress from year to year, to gain a clearer overview of performance across the curriculum and through the school as a whole.
2.8 The school’s provision of learning support, for those with learning difficulties or disabilities, has many strong features. One-to-one support, funded by parents, is based on the school’s identification of needs and assessment by an educational psychologist. More general learning support is provided by the school through additional teaching in small groups, or within lessons. Documentation and recording about the progress of boys with special educational needs are thorough. Learning support is usually of high quality. However, it is provided in different ways in the pre-prep, junior and senior departments. The school does not yet have an overall framework that ensures continuity for boys, guidance for staff and clarity for parents.
2.9 Support for boys who are gifted and talented is most evident in sport, art and technology. Work in sets and in the scholarship stream in Year 8, and in opportunities such as mathematics challenges, extends the challenge for able boys. However, the needs of the most academically able are not yet consistently identified and addressed throughout the school and the school recognises this as an area for development.
2.10 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum [Standard 1].
Pupils’ Learning and Achievements
2.11 Boys are well grounded in knowledge, skills and understanding in all areas of the curriculum. Strong skills in literacy and numeracy underpin boys’ learning, supporting their progress across the curriculum. Boys learn to write and spell accurately from the start and they become confident writers. They experience a wide range of literature throughout the school and become competent readers. They have sound mathematical knowledge and understanding and show good reasoning skills in applying their knowledge to solve problems. Boys have a secure understanding of scientific concepts, particularly when these are linked to practical observations and investigations that involve them in making predictions and drawing conclusions.
2.12 Although capable of working independently, thinking critically and applying their skills creatively, there is not enough expectation that boys will do so at all ages and in all subjects. Boys become efficient learners, though they are not routinely challenged to pursue enquiries, and to develop their own ideas and arguments. At times they are allowed to be passive learners, required to complete the work set, but not to go beyond this. When more is expected, as seen in art, design and technology and in science, boys come to life as learners who can think for themselves and are interested in learning for its own sake. Boys’ work in art shows imagination and flair.
2.13 Boys work well together in pairs and in larger groups. They settle quickly and apply themselves well. However, concentration sometimes lags when they are expected to listen for too long without being practically involved or challenged to respond to what the teacher or other boys have said. In some lessons, teachers plan extension activities for the most able, but do not always ensure that thinking is extended. Learning support builds boys’ confidence and helps them to succeed in learning.
2.14 Boys achieve good results in Common Entrance and are successful in gaining entry to senior schools. Boys do not take national curriculum tests at the age of seven or eleven. The school recognises that it lacks benchmarks against which to measure its performance and the progress of individual boys. It has recently introduced a more thorough assessment process, in order to monitor progress more closely. This includes annual use of standardised tests in all year groups, to add to the information gained from subject and topic tests and boys’ effort and attainment grades. The school now has much assessment information at its disposal. This is used effectively in supporting individual boys. Its use to inform planning and teaching, to monitor progress from year to year and to highlight areas of underachievement, is still at an early stage of development.
2.15 Boys are highly motivated to achieve good results in sport and they participate with great enthusiasm in section (house) competitions. Boys value greatly the many opportunities for individual and team achievements in sport, whatever their level of ability, and they do well in mathematical challenges and in music examinations. The reward system, including the use of ‘plus points’, recognises achievement of all kinds and this is appreciated by boys.
2.16 The school encourages self-organisation, through the use of ‘pupil planners’ and the setting of personal targets. Boys in the senior department are extremely well supported in this by form tutors and other staff. Prep is used well to underpin learning, and its completion at school, from Year 5 onwards, encourages boys to work independently and to manage their time effectively.
2.17 Wide reading is encouraged, notably in the pre-prep and junior departments. Library facilities are currently limited in the senior department and the school has plans to develop the main school library to give reading and research a higher profile. The school is developing its use of ICT to support learning across the curriculum. Interactive whiteboards have been introduced and are beginning to be used to good effect. Boys make use of ICT to support or present their learning in a number of subjects, for example, using a program to reinforce grammar practice in French, and making a powerpoint presentation about a chosen country in geography. The boys have little access to school computers to pursue work outside lessons, but the school is beginning to extend opportunity for this.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils
2.18 The boys develop well as people and the school is successful in meeting its aims in this regard. It develops boys’ belief in themselves and fosters strong personal values. Good standards have been maintained since the previous inspection when boys’ personal development was judged to be a strength of the school.
2.19 At the heart of the school lie the Christian values of compassion and tolerance. Daily assemblies have a Christian theme and include a bible reading, hymn and prayer, and forms take turns to lead the assembly on one day a week. A theme being currently explored is that everyone has talents, and posters around the school reinforce thinking about this. In a pre-prep assembly for Year 1, boys looked at the growth of shoots and roots from a flower bulb, relating this to their own hidden potential.
2.20 The boys are open, confident without arrogance, friendly and courteous. They are kind towards each other and have a clear understanding of right and wrong. The school emphasises the importance of self-discipline, and the boys appreciate the way that this helps them to take responsibility for their own actions. Senior boys readily take on responsibility. They play an important role as monitors, helping to look after younger forms at the start of the day. Prefects actively encourage good behaviour.
2.21 The school is developing a new programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). This has clear objectives, including the development of informed opinions, awareness of public institutions and the practice of responsible citizenship within the school and in the wider community. Boys are aware of global problems and of the needs of people in other parts of the world. Much charitable fundraising goes on, and the school encourages boys to take the initiative in this. For example, boys choose the charities to be supported and take this very seriously. Recently, the boarders ran a cake stall during break to raise money to buy chickens for Ugandan farmers, and boys are regularly involved in ‘Jeans for Genes’ day.
2.22
The school is alert to the
importance of teaching boys to understand and appreciate other faiths and
cultures, although it recognises such awareness is not consistently well
developed. Boys are interested in
discussing and sharing beliefs and experiences, as in a religious studies
lesson in Year 8 when the teacher and boys had a thoughtful and interesting
debate about faith, including considering whether atheism is a belief. In the pre-prep, boys have been learning
about aspects of Chinese culture, including the story of the willow
pattern. Boys are interested in other
times, people and places, as when boys in Year 2 questioned a teacher about her
experience of growing up in
2.23 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of boys [Standard 2].
The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)
2.24 The quality of teaching is good overall, enabling boys to achieve the good standards for which the school aims. However, there is significant variation in the quality of teaching and in the quality of learning that results. The school is aware of this and is working to address weaknesses and to extend the good practice evident in a large majority of lessons.
2.25 Lessons are usually well planned. Teaching ensures that boys cover the required curriculum, acquire the necessary knowledge and reinforce their skills through regular practice. Most teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They usually manage classes well so that there is a purposeful atmosphere for learning. High standards of behaviour are expected, encouraged and generally achieved. The quality and quantity of work completed by boys is usually good. Good resources are available to support teaching and these are mainly used well. Attractive displays help to focus and to reflect boys’ learning in many classrooms. Increasing use is being made of the school’s new interactive whiteboards, though teachers’ confidence varies in using these to help boys learn.
2.26 In some lessons, teaching is outstanding. Such teaching elicits a high level of enjoyment because the pace is stimulating, thinking is challenged and learning is extended practically and imaginatively. The teaching inspires boys by building their knowledge while engaging them actively and stimulating their thinking, as when boys explored the human skeleton in Year 3, tested substances for acid or alkali in Year 7, or constructed ‘point of sale’ boards in Year 8.
2.27 On occasions, lessons lack pace, or a clear purpose for learning beyond the completion of the next page or worksheet. Though boys make some progress, teaching does not spark their curiosity or prompt further enquiry. Boys listen passively for too long. Their attention flags because work is not well matched to their abilities and may, in consequence, be too hard or give too little challenge.
2.28 Teaching assistants support boys’ learning well in the pre-prep and junior departments. Learning support teaching is effective in building boys’ skills and encouraging confidence in their own abilities.
2.29 Suitable assessment and recording systems are in place in most subjects, and progress is being made in using information from assessment to inform teaching and learning. Marking is thorough and encouraging, and often helps learning by making clear the next step to be taken. Some useful feedback is given to boys. Procedures are developing for encouraging boys’ own self-evaluation and the pursuit of targets in their learning.
2.30 The school has taken many steps since the previous inspection to improve the use of assessment, to involve boys in more active learning and to strengthen links between teachers in different parts of the school. It has developed a useful teaching and learning policy and is now striving for consistency in its implementation.
2.31 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 provides an excellent level of pastoral care and attends well to the welfare, health and safety of boys.
3.2 The high quality of care is appreciated by boys and contributes significantly to the development of their confidence, self-discipline and self-esteem, helping them to develop as individuals within a community. Praise, encouragement and opportunities to contribute are provided on a daily basis. The staff take their duties seriously and boys throughout the school know that they can turn to them for advice and help. Form teachers in the pre-prep and junior departments know boys extremely well. In the senior department, form tutors, supported by the senior tutor, work effectively to help boys thrive. Pastoral care and the monitoring of academic progress are being aligned more closely in order to support each boy’s development in all its aspects, in and out of the classroom.
3.3 The school has a firm but fair behaviour policy and boys know the conduct expected of them. The staff handbook gives clear guidance about rewards and sanctions. The reward system, including ‘plus points’ and visits to the headmaster to show work of special merit, reinforces positive behaviour. Boys feel secure and valued in an atmosphere characterised by friendly respectfulness. Initiatives by the senior tutor, such as the development of roles and responsibilities for boys in Year 8, give boys a strong sense that their contribution matters.
3.4 The school has a clear policy to combat bullying. Boys say that such problems are rare. They are confident that they could turn to adults for help if needed in order to resolve any difficulties. Prefects also play a part in monitoring behaviour. Values within the community are clearly understood and this gives a sense of security.
3.5 The school makes good provision for boys who become ill at school. The full-time school matron attends to their needs very effectively. Accidents are recorded and appropriately reported to parents. The school manages arrangements carefully in the area between the school buildings that serves as a car park during the day and for drop-off and pick-up at the start and end of the day. A road crossing and safe pathways are marked out for boys, although adult access to the pre-prep entrance is less well defined.
3.6 The school has a clear policy and procedures for the management of school trips. Risk assessments are carried out, although these sometimes lack detail. Suitable arrangements are in place for child protection and the staff have received appropriate training. All necessary measures have been taken to minimise risk from fire. Registration is carried out appropriately. Boys enjoy nutritious school meals and lunchtimes are pleasant social occasions.
3.7 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
3.8 The school has good links with parents. It has some links with the community but recognises that these are not well developed.
3.9 Parental responses to the questionnaire before the inspection showed a high level of satisfaction with teaching and boys’ progress, the subjects offered, the high standards of behaviour, the attitudes and values promoted by the school and the quality of boarding. A significant minority of parents had reservations about the provision of information, opportunities to be involved in school life and the handling of any concerns. Some were not fully satisfied with provision for learning support.
3.10 The inspection found that the school has been working successfully to improve communication with parents. Parents appreciate recent initiatives designed to give parents more information about school matters. They value the ‘open door’ policy that encourages them to come into school if they have a concern and the accessibility of the headmaster and staff. They welcome the recent improvements made to the newsletter. Parents are now able to contact any member of staff by email. The website is currently being developed to provide a better channel of communication with parents about daily life at the school.
3.11 At the time of the previous inspection, the flow of information was considered to weaken as boys moved up through the school. The school has been seeking to enhance the quality and quantity of the information parents receive about their children’s progress at each stage. For example, special evenings are now organised for parents at key transfer points. Since the last inspection, termly reports have become more detailed and now include information about the work covered each term. Effort and attainment grades are reported regularly, and parents are contacted if there is any cause for concern. In Year 6, boys host an ‘At Home’ when they display their studies through a variety of dramatic or musical sketches and host a reception for their parents.
3.12 Some parents question whether the frequency of parents’ consultation meetings is sufficient for certain year groups. The inspectors find that parents are well informed overall about their children’s progress, although there is little consultation with parents to secure their views about what they find most useful. The school has a clear complaints procedure, but concerns are usually resolved informally. The head of pre-prep liaises closely with the headmaster over any concerns regarding younger boys.
3.13 Parents’ contributions to the school are welcomed and valued, and a few parents give regular support, for example, with music and French. A large scale bazaar is organised jointly by parents and the school each autumn
3.14 Learning support is a developing strength of the school. Boys with learning difficulties are identified and the additional support given is often of high quality. However, some parents do not fully understand the school’s policy about provision across the school as a whole.
3.15 Currently, the school’s links with the community are somewhat modest. Some local primary schools use the swimming pool regularly, and the gym and music room are used on occasions by outside groups. The school is at an early stage in planning to build further links with the community.
3.16 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
3.17 The quality of boarding life is excellent, contributing much to the boys’ all-round education. A Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in October 2006 concluded that the school provided ‘a happy and safe environment in which boarders are well cared for’.
3.18 Boarders enjoy a high quality of adult support and supervision. They are looked after by day and night matrons, duty teaching staff and the student ‘gappers’, and boarding arrangements are overseen by the headmaster and his wife. There is a relaxed and friendly family atmosphere between the staff and boarders.
3.19 The school’s provision for boarding adds significantly to the boys’ educational experience and personal development. Boys gain a sense of increased maturity, independence and responsibility. They learn to organise themselves, to look after their belongings and to find the right balance between work and play. Extra prep time is given for boarders who are preparing for examinations. The school offers boarders a wide range of activities in the evenings, often in response to boys’ requests. For example, the boys enjoy art, drama and debating clubs in addition to physical activities including dry slope skiing and ball games. There is also the opportunity for quiet activities including reading or board games, and conversation with adults.
3.20 The dormitories are well furnished and decorated and have a homely atmosphere. There is an ongoing programme of refurbishment to provide more storage facilities and to complete the updating of bathrooms. A cosy communal area is provided where the boys can watch television or sit and chat.
3.21 Boarding is very flexible, with boys having the opportunity to board from Sunday or Monday to Thursday evening, or to spend single nights at school. The head is keen to encourage boarding and sees it as central to the life and ethos of the school. Boys, parents and staff share an extremely positive view of the school’s boarding provision.
4. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
4.1 Strong and effective governance is serving the school well in meeting its aims and pursuing its vision for the future.
4.2 Governors bring a wide range of professional expertise and educational understanding to the management of the school’s strategic development. The governing body is well led and operates efficiently through termly meetings of the full board and the finance committee.
4.3 Governors are well informed about the school. The staff appreciate increasing opportunities to meet socially with governors. Presentations to the governing body, for example about provision for music, extend governors’ overview of the school’s work and of its future needs.
4.4 The governing body is closely involved in the school’s development planning. It is effective in working with the bursar and the headmaster to ensure sound financial management and secure funding for enhancement of the school’s buildings and facilities. The provision of new changing rooms, and current plans for creating a new dining room and library, exemplify purposeful planning to further the school’s educational aims.
4.5 The governing body supports and challenges the school’s leadership and management, with a clear ambition to strengthen further the quality of education that the school provides.
The Quality of Leadership and Management
4.6 Good leadership and management are enabling the school to meet its aims with growing consistency and clarity of purpose.
4.7 Much has been achieved since the previous inspection in 2001, and since the appointment of the current headmaster in 2003. The school’s continuing success owes much to the headmaster’s clear articulation of its values and aims, and the fostering of an ethos that helps boys to flourish as well-rounded young people.
4.8 The school’s longstanding strengths have been underpinned by systems and procedures that harness the efforts of all staff in working for improvement. This has been much helped by the development of a senior management team with shared responsibility for leading the school forward. The headmaster works very effectively with this team. The director of studies and the more recently appointed senior tutor are helping to drive the school’s academic and pastoral development, bringing vision and consistency to this endeavour.
4.9 The school is intent on affirming its identity as one school providing for boys from 4 to 13. To this end, closer links are being developed between the pre-prep, junior and senior departments, while recognising the distinctive needs of each age group. Subject teachers in each part of the school now meet together termly. This is helping continuity and shared understanding of how the curriculum develops through the school. The school recognises the need to weld a single staff team with a shared investment in all aspects of school life. For example, the pre-prep department, which is led and managed very effectively on a day-to-day basis by the head of pre-prep, is being linked more closely to the school as a whole. Consideration is also being given to ways of increasing links between the junior department and the rest of the school.
4.10 Staff turnover has been high in recent years, including a number of retirements. Much is being done to recruit and develop a strong teaching team and to manage this team effectively in order to achieve greater consistency in the quality of teaching. The school’s leadership monitors teaching and learning, identifying areas for improvement and providing guidance and support where appropriate.
4.11 The induction and mentoring of newly qualified teachers are excellent, enabling them to learn from and to share new ideas with other staff. Heads of subject departments, including a number who are new this year, play an active role in developing the curriculum, keeping subject handbooks up to date. Some work closely with others to improve teaching and learning within the subject. However, opportunities for teachers to observe each other, in order to share good practice within and across subjects and different parts of the school, are not yet widely developed. The school’s teaching and learning policy provides a valuable framework, clearly setting out the school’s expectations. The school’s leadership is working purposefully to enhance teaching and invigorate learning by ensuring that these expectations are translated consistently into practice.
4.12 The school is developing systems for assessing progress, to pinpoint whether boys are doing as well as they could or should. This is providing useful information, but the school recognises that outcomes from assessment are not yet being used to the full to monitor and to strengthen academic progress across the school as a whole.
4.13 The headmaster’s wife, who fulfils many roles including that of registrar, does much to ensure the school’s smooth running and the nurturing of a happy community where adults and children are valued. Administrative and domestic support staff are strongly committed to the school and make an important contribution as part of the team.
4.14 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the suitability of proprietors and staff and for premises and accommodation [Standards 4 and 5].
4.15 The school participates in the national scheme for the induction of newly qualified teachers and meets its requirements.
5.1 The school is successful in meeting its aims. It gives boys a broad and well-rounded education. The school has a strong sense of community and boys benefit from and contribute to this. They grow in confidence and belief in themselves, and demonstrate values, such as kindness and courtesy, that the school fosters very effectively. The pastoral care of boys, and the provision for boarding, are excellent. Boys are generally taught well, although the quality of teaching and learning is not consistently high. The school achieves good standards, while continuing to pursue its aim of improving academic performance by ensuring that each boy makes the progress he is capable of throughout the school. The pre-prep, junior and senior departments are being drawn more closely together within one vision for the whole school.
5.2 Since the previous inspection in 2001, the school has maintained and built on its strengths, and has made significant improvements in response to recommendations in the last report. In particular, management roles and responsibilities have been developed very effectively. The school has begun to improve co-ordination of the curriculum between parts of the school, and has greatly enhanced provision for creative and aesthetic subjects. The school’s senior management has developed its monitoring of teaching, encouraging a wider range of teaching approaches and more active learning, and this work is ongoing. The school has a good development plan, showing clear awareness of areas for improvement.
5.3 The school meets all the regulatory requirements.
5.4 In order to build further on its strengths the school should:
1. continue to strengthen links between all parts of the school, and with the community, to maximise boys’ learning and the quality of their educational experience;
2. share and extend good practice to develop consistently high quality teaching and learning by:
· using information from assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning;
· involving all staff in observing and considering what works and what could be better in teaching;
· ensuring that teaching takes account of boys’ abilities and responses and provides active challenge.
5.5 No action in respect of regulatory requirements is required.
6. summary of inspection evidence
6.1 The inspection was carried out from 5th March to 8th March 2007. The inspectors examined samples of boys’ work, observed lessons and conducted formal interviews with boys. They held discussions with teaching and non-teaching staff and with governors, observed a sample of the extra-curricular activities that occurred during the inspection period, and attended registration sessions and assemblies. Inspectors visited the boarding provision. The responses of parents and boys to pre-inspection questionnaires were analysed, and the inspectors examined a range of documentation made available by the school.
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Mrs |
Reporting Inspector |
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Mrs Philippa Cawthorne |
Director of Studies, IAPS school |
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Mr Adrian Gobat |
Head, IAPS school |
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Mr Gordon James |
Head, IAPs school |
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Mrs Jenny Jones |
Head, IAPS school |