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INSPECTION REPORT ON |
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Clifton College Preparatory School |
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The pre-preparatory and upper schools of the college were inspected at
the same time and separate reports were published. |
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Full Name of the School |
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DfES Number |
801/6000 |
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Registered Charity Number |
311735 |
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Address |
The
Avenue, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HE. |
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Telephone Number |
0117
315 7502 |
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Fax Number |
0117
315 7504 |
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Email Address |
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Headmaster |
Dr
Robert Acheson |
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Chair of Governors |
Mr
Andrew Thornhill QC |
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8
- 13 Years |
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Gender |
Mixed |
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Inspection Dates |
12th
- 15th 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 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 Clifton College is a Christian foundation and its aims include the nurturing of the spiritual life of each person; the enabling of pupils to appreciate cultural, religious and social diversity; and the teaching of responsible moral choices in private and public life The college aims to encourage academic excellence for all, together with intellectual passion and curiosity. It states that it wishes to foster an appreciation of music, art, design, drama and literature. The college seeks to encourage pupils to enjoy physical fitness and competitive games. It hopes to promote a culture of honesty, trust and respect. The college also aims to ensure that pastoral care and the house system provide a happy and homely context; and that pupils and staff can grow emotionally and learn to live together in a cooperative way.
1.2
1.3
The college is located on a
prime
1.4
The preparatory school retains
a strong boarding ethos although day pupils, mainly from the
1.1 Standardised tests indicate that the average academic capability of the pupils is above the national average, with over ten per cent of pupils in the top two per cent nationally, and a small majority in the upper quartile of the ability range. Thus, where pupils are performing in line with their abilities, results in national tests are expected to be above those achieved in maintained primary schools.
1.2 Day pupils are not only local, but also come from the wider geographical area. Pupils from 31 different countries attend the school. Most parents are engaged in professional and business occupations.
1.3
Almost 4 per cent of pupils
receive scholarships or bursaries
1.4 Two pupils hold a formal statement of special educational needs (SEN). The school has identified 88 pupils as having learning difficulties or disabilities (LDD). The Coach House provides specialist support for 70 pupils. They are also supported in mainstream classes and ability-based sets. Their most common needs are dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, although a few pupils have more challenging difficulties. Entry to the preparatory school, essentially at the age of eight, is non-selective.
1.5
Most pre-prep pupils from
Butcombe go on to study at the preparatory school in year 4.
1.6 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
The Educational Experience Provided
2.1 The preparatory school provides an outstanding educational experience which is entirely consistent with its aims and philosophy and forms the basis for a greatly enhanced curriculum.
2.2 Pupils benefit greatly from the variety and breadth of the educational experience that has been developed further since the last inspection. The curriculum overall is good with features of significant strength. The provision is outstanding for art, English, games, music, information and communications technology (ICT), and languages, where pupils study French, German, Latin, Mandarin or Spanish. Music is also excellently provided for, with over two-thirds of pupils having peripatetic tuition in at least one instrument. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) is delivered in a highly effective manner through tutor groups. Design and technology (DT) is a recent and valuable addition to the curriculum but food technology is underdeveloped.
2.3 Pupils acquire very good speaking, listening and literacy skills in many subjects. Their numeracy skills are often good. In an ICT lesson, Year 8 pupils listened carefully to instructions about designing a website before competently using ICT skills of a high order to create their own web pages. New technology is used imaginatively to enhance learning, for example, when pupils in a Year 5 mathematics lesson were helped to understand the concept of adding negative numbers by the teacher's skilful use of an interactive white board. All pupils, boys and girls alike, have access to a broad range of sports through physical education and games. This includes many opportunities to represent the school in competitive games such as rugby, netball, hockey, football and cricket.
2.4 The school makes outstanding provision for co-curricular activities and offers a very broad range of options to all. Pupils’ choices are carefully monitored by the director of activities to ensure all have a range of enhanced experiences. These experiences are often popular and include clubs as diverse as fencing, horse riding, mountain biking, art club, science club and glass painting.
2.5
The school enjoys remarkably
good links with the global community.
Pupils are encouraged to raise money for charitable causes such as for
schools in Africa and the
2.6
Pupils are prepared very well,
both academically and socially, for the next stage of their education. Liaison occurs with various senior schools to
ensure a smooth transition. The PSHE
programme and the use of a study skills module aid this process. Most pupils graduate to the
2.7 Teachers plan the curriculum well. Departmental handbooks, policies and schemes of work are thorough and pupils have equal opportunities to study a broad range of subjects. Pupils are often taught in ability-based groups and this helps teachers differentiate for a broad range of needs and abilities. In some daily lessons, however, work does not always match closely the aptitudes of all. Teachers are aware of the needs of the pupils in their classes but in some lessons one task is set for all. A programme has been developed to meet the needs of gifted and talented pupils and a significant few achieve outstanding results in music, sport and art as a result.
2.8
Timetabling arrangements for
facilities shared with the
2.9 Provision for pupils with LDD is outstanding. Each pupil on the learning support register has a detailed and relevant individual education plan with carefully thought through targets for improvement. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) manages a highly effective unit and helps the pupils in her charge make very good progress. Pupils requiring extra help are identified very quickly and good support is offered. The Coach House teachers make very good use of ICT, including voice recognition software. Lesson plans show that staff are increasingly aware of the need to provide specific activities to match the needs of pupils with LDD.
2.10 A minority of pupils have EAL. Their needs are met outstandingly within The Coach House and also in mainstream classes.
2.11 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum (Standard 1).
Pupils’ Learning and Achievements
2.12 Overall, pupils’ learning and achievements are good. Those who are less able, more able or exceptionally able achieve their potential and a good many exceed expectations. Many make rapid progress in relation to their ages and abilities. They receive a thorough grounding that further strengthens their good levels of knowledge, skills and understanding. Overall levels of achievement have risen since the last inspection. The school fulfils its aim to improve life skills.
2.13 Pupils’ attainment often exceeds national expectations. Their literacy skills are often excellent and they write in a variety of styles in a broad range of subjects. Pupils articulate their views confidently and express themselves clearly in written tasks. Their numeracy skills are good. Investigative and creative skills are very well developed, with some outstanding achievements in art and music. Pupils’ ICT skills are also very good. They demonstrate outstanding skills in their independent learning. Their life skills are good with some outstanding features. Pupils in the Coach House, who have LDD, improve their skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. In physical education lessons, pupils learn the importance of being fit and healthy. Many achieve highly in competitive games.
2.14 Many pupils make very good progress. Girls do as well as and occasionally better than boys. Results achieved in national tests in Year 6 are good in relation to pupils’ abilities, being well above the average for maintained primary schools.
2.15
Individuals and teams achieve
outstanding results at regional, national and international levels. During the inspection week, the school
celebrated the Under-13 hockey team’s victory in the west of
2.16 Pupils often show outstandingly good behaviour in lessons, the playground and on visits. They express their ideas confidently and thoughtfully. Pupils settle quickly to tasks and usually work with very good concentration in lessons. On occasion, when lessons are particularly stimulating, pupils stay on after the lesson has finished to learn more in their own break or lunch time. Year 7 pupils worked very effectively when tackling some challenging work in a Mandarin lesson. A great deal of group work takes place, giving pupils good opportunities to learn how to cooperate effectively.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils
2.17 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good with outstanding features.
2.18 The promotion of spiritual development is very good in many ways. The caring attitudes of the staff, coupled with well-planned programmes of study for PSHE and religious studies make important contributions to pupils’ spiritual development. Assemblies offer pupils an opportunity to reflect on spiritual issues through hymn singing and role play. They have good opportunities to reflect upon inner values, as well as chances to celebrate and share their successes. The chaplain has a strong influence on the spiritual life of the whole school. He assists in chapel services and prepares pupils well for Confirmation. A mothers’ group meets to pray for the school each week. The school’s spiritual ethos underpins the high quality of relationships between staff, pupils and parents. It also develops pupils’ self-esteem and promotes an awareness of the less measurable qualities of life. Pupils are exposed to many aesthetic aspects of the curriculum, such as in music, art and drama; all of which make a significant contribution to their spiritual development.
2.19 Pupils’ moral development is very strong and they have a deep understanding of right and wrong. They are often mature and see school rules and social mores as important. Key moral issues are explored through PSHE lessons and are supported well by teachers’ high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils discuss issues such as self-restraint very sensitively and honestly in tutor groups. They consider the school’s rewards and sanctions to be fair and are adamant that bullying is not tolerated. A well-delivered Thought for the Day in the headmaster’s assembly urged pupils to be aware of the needs of others by working together cooperatively rather than selfishly.
2.20 The promotion of pupils’ social development is excellent. Teachers, particularly Boarding House staff, guide pupils through a wide range of social experiences and activities on offer. Good citizenship is an implicit part of daily life. Pupils learn to accept responsibility from an early age, for example, in becoming members of the recently re-organised School Council which meets to consider important issues affecting their daily lives. Pupils have a sharp awareness of the wider and global community and raise funds for charity and good causes on a regular basis. The school’s very good provision for sports, games and other activities provides pupils with many opportunities to engage socially, as individuals, teams or groups. Drama therapy activities help to develop social awareness.
2.21 The school fully includes pupils who have LDD and is vigorous in promoting an acceptance that such pupils have a right to equality of opportunity. Such pupils get good opportunities to undertake responsibilities in the school’s daily life. This helps them greatly to prepare for the next stage in their lives.
2.22 The promotion of pupils’ cultural development is first-class. The school is a multi-national school within a multi-cultural city. The breadth of the curriculum provides good opportunities for pupils to study their own culture as well as the diversity of other cultures. This is exemplified in art and music where pupils learn much about world-famous artists and musicians. They also gain a sense of global citizenship from studying up to five languages. These provide pupils with excellent opportunities to live and work with people from other countries. In religious studies, pupils explore world religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, with intellectual sincerity. School trips, for example, to a Mandarin restaurant, enhance pupils’ experience of other cultures. Pupils show respect for the beliefs of others, as in a Year 7 religious studies lesson. In this and many other ways, the school promotes tolerance and harmony between different cultures.
2.23 The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils [Standard 2].
The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)
2.24 The quality of teaching is consistently good with outstanding features. On some occasions, teaching can be inspirational as was observed during the inspection. Teaching often supports the aims of the school to promote lifelong learning. Nine out of every ten lessons observed were at least good and four in ten lessons had outstanding features.
2.25 Teaching enables pupils of all ages, including those with LDD, to increase their understanding, develop skills, and make very good progress appropriate to their ability. Good teaching often uses a range of strategies skilfully to maximize the learning outcomes for less able and more able pupils.
2.26 Teaching fosters in pupils the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves. In many lessons teachers challenge and encourage pupils to apply prior skills, knowledge and understanding to good effect. Outstanding leadership and communication in a Chapel Choir rehearsal drew very well on prior learning and inspired pupils to improve the quality of their performance still further. Excellent teaching of English inspired pupils to analyse W.H. Auden’s poem ‘Funeral Blues’ in a critical, uninhibited, intellectual, honest yet passionate way that transfixed their peers. In an outstanding music lesson, creative planning and inspired teaching resulted in exceptionally well-informed learning about rhythm, beat, pace and composition. Outstanding art teaching enables a significant proportion of pupils to achieve well above expectations. As a consequence of skilled and imaginative teaching in the Coach House, pupils with LDD make speedy progress. This was confirmed by their parents, and by the inspectors.
2.27 Teaching is often planned well. Teachers employ suitable activities and use time wisely. They know their pupils well and those pupils respond positively to a range of methods and activities. In a Year 8 French class, the use of the interactive whiteboard, flashcards, worksheets and oral activities provided a very stimulating learning experience. Teachers usually, but not invariably, apply their specialist subject knowledge to match tasks effectively to the abilities and needs of pupils. Across the school, teaching is often lively and enthusiastic and this engages pupils well.
2.28 Teachers use an excellent range of high quality resources in many subjects. The buildings and classrooms are well appointed and teachers make good use of all available facilities. The two main ICT suites are particularly well designed and there are good computer resources located throughout the school. Seven interactive whiteboards are in place in the main building as well as in all Year 4 and Year 5 classrooms. Teachers use these effectively to enhance learning. The science, DT and music departments are well equipped with purpose-built facilities. Some of the facilities for physical education are excellent.
2.29 The quality of assessment is good overall and the school is seeking to improve it further. Teachers regularly assess pupils’ work and the newly introduced assessment for learning framework is having an increasingly positive impact on pupils’ performances. Target-setting enables pupils to have a more active part in their progress and pupils’ self-evaluation is exceptional in art and DT. Pupils keep target-setting books as genuine, living documents. They are monitored to good effect by tutors and, as a result, many pupils know how to improve their work further.
2.30 Teaching encourages pupils to behave responsibly. As a result, pupils usually behave very well and are excellent ambassadors for the school. They show this by being very courteous and pleasant to visitors, whether their teachers are present or not.
2.31 The school evaluates pupils’ efforts and achievements through mid-term tests, end-of-year standardized tests and end-of-topic assessments. Teachers make effective use of digital database and assessment systems to monitor pupils’ progress.
2.32 The school meets the regulatory requirements for teaching [Standard 1].
2. THE QUALITY OF CARE AND RELATIONSHIPS
The Quality of Pastoral Care, and the Welfare, Health and Safety of Pupils
3.1 Staff provide outstandingly effective care and support for pupils and show genuine concern for their well-being.
3.2 Pupils feel secure and are confident in turning to their teachers for advice. The very good relationship between staff and pupils is an outstanding feature of the school. Pupils are often relaxed and friendly and staff are committed to carrying out their pastoral duties in a most supportive manner. The School Council provides an excellent and inclusive forum to involve pupils in decision-making processes. This gives them greater ownership of their school and a fuller understanding of citizenship and the democratic process.
3.3 The school has appropriate polices and procedures in place to deal with child protection matters and all new staff are checked with the Criminal Records Bureau before being appointed. The headmaster is the recognised child protection officer. He is ably supported by his pastoral deputy and all staff are either already trained or being trained in child protection issues. A governor also oversees this aspect of school life conscientiously.
3.4 The school enforces an excellent anti-bullying policy. The recent introduction of an e-bully box gives the pupils direct access to the headmaster. Cases of bullying are rare and staff deal with them swiftly and sensitively. In the pre-inspection questionnaires, many pupils mentioned that bullying is rare. House Tutor groups provide a crucial and very supportive role on a constant basis. Since the last inspection, tutor groups have reduced in size and additional support is now available through the provision of day matrons in all houses. The introduction of structured target-setting has proved popular and effective in improving standards. Tutor groups have also focused on key themes this year, such as respect and restraint, to excellent effect. The strength of the tutorial system underpins an outstandingly supportive school environment.
3.5 The school has very good systems with which to identify and monitor the pastoral development of pupils with LDD. External specialist agencies are involved to very good effect. Pupils are mentored well. Individual education plans include thoughtful targets to improve behaviour. The administration and recording of medication is meticulous.
3.6 Appropriate measures are in place to deal with risks from fire and other hazards. The domestic bursar is the health and safety officer and the head of college chairs the health and safety committee which meets twice a term. Health and safety policies are comprehensive and relevant meetings are recorded carefully. The number of teachers who are qualified to administer first aid has increased dramatically since the last inspection from one to twenty-four. A full range of documentation provides guidance to staff on risk assessments, which are invariably undertaken for visits abroad and locally. Staff get clear guidance on care from a full range of policies and a comprehensive staff handbook. The school has well-qualified medical staff and medical arrangements for dealing with accidents and illness are very good.
3.7 Pupils fully understand and respect the school’s comprehensive system of rewards and sanctions for encouraging good behaviour and achievement. These measures are very effective and pupils are outstandingly well behaved, polite, helpful and supportive of each other.
3.8 Food is of good quality and variety, is plentiful and is enjoyed by pupils and teachers alike. The dining hall is a civilized place where pupils dine with excellent table manners. Special dietary requirements are met. Pupils behave excellently at lunchtimes and are courteous towards visitors as well as their peers. The school is a well-disciplined and civilized place.
3.9 The house parents are ably supported by a team of matrons and Gap Year students. They ensure that welfare of boarders is in safe hands.
3.10 Good pastoral arrangements were a strong feature of the school in the previous inspection report but further progress has been made to provide support and care that is not just good but frequently outstanding.
3.11 The school fulfils its statutory obligations for maintaining an admissions register and keeping registers of attendance. Registers are completed properly at the beginning of the school day and at the beginning of the afternoon session, for both day pupils and boarders.
3.12 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
3.13 The school has maintained a strong and highly effective partnership with parents since its last inspection. A high proportion of parents, who returned the pre-inspection questionnaires, expressed great satisfaction with the school’s work. This mirrored the results of the school’s own survey of parental views conducted in June 2006. They are very pleased with the progress made by their children, the attitudes and views promoted and the range of co-curricular activities. The inspection team fully endorses these views. A minority of parents expressed concern about homework, which the school has identified as an area for imminent review. The school has sought to address promptly concerns expressed by a small number of parents about consultation evenings by introducing a booking system.
3.14 The parents of pupils with LDD express high levels of satisfaction with the support their children get in the Coach House. These parents enjoy a strong partnership with the teachers who support their children. They receive very helpful reports on the progress made in reaching the targets set in individual education plans and also are involved fully in annual reviews.
3.15 Communication with parents is very good and has benefited from the recent introduction of email and text messaging systems. Communication between parents and staff often takes place informally first thing in the morning via contact with house tutors. Pupils have a school diary which parents can use to relay messages to school. Information about the school can be accessed from a very informative website and a fortnightly newsletter. The considerable range of opportunities and achievements are celebrated in an annual magazine.
3.16 Parents are actively involved in fund-raising for the school and promoting social links. The Friends of Clifton College organise a range of events, such as coffee mornings for new parents, a summer barbeque and a Christmas fair. Parents actively support matches, plays and concerts. A number of parents periodically join pupils and teachers in singing with the chapel choir.
3.17 A comprehensive system of reporting provides parents with regular information about their children’s progress. A curriculum overview is provided at the beginning of the year, along with an opportunity to meet class teachers and tutors. Half-termly reports for attainment and effort include a section for parents to provide written responses. Full and informative, written reports are sent home in the summer term and consultations take place twice a year. Most parents rightly regard the reporting arrangements as comprehensive and purposeful.
3.18 The school conforms to current statutory obligations by having clearly set out guidelines for dealing with parental concerns. Members of staff keep detailed records of any matters raised. New systems have recently been put in place to increase the speed of response to concerns voiced by parents.
3.19 The school continues to forge meaningful links with the wider community, reflecting its aim to help pupils ‘to learn about their responsibility to a wider community and a wider world.’ A number of fundraising events support organisations within the local community, such as a day care centre and a hospice. The Pre-amble, a bi-annual sponsored walk, raised a large amount of money this year for charitable causes. Pupils are involved in a small number of events in the local community, such as The Rotary Concert which is attended by residents from local homes for the elderly.
3.20
Two local primary schools
joined pupils from the preparatory school in participating in a ‘hands on’
Science Day last year. Groups from the
local community make extensive use of school facilities. There are a number of projects designed to
promote understanding of and service to the global community. A shipment of
3.21 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
3.22 The quality of boarding is good with some outstanding features. The boarding experience serves as a role-model for all the aspects and values of the school. It is based upon strong peer relationships within a happy, caring multi-national and well-disciplined community.
3.23 The school has responded well to almost all the recommendations made in the CSCI inspection. The basement of the boys’ boarding house, Guthrie’s, is still in need of urgent refurbishment. The school plans to refurbish this as part of the Summer Works programme this year.
3.24 Relationships in the boarding houses are outstandingly positive and pupils enjoy the opportunities afforded by its international community to learn about and appreciate other cultures and customs. Pupils look after one another very well and on arrival in the boarding houses are assigned a pupil-guide of their own age to induct them into boarding life. Relationships with the house staff are good. Pupils feel confident about going to adults for help in any situation. They feel that house staff are readily available and easy to approach.
3.25 Pupils value the care that they are given within the boarding community and understand the necessity for high levels of safety and security necessary in an urban setting. Pupils stated that they would value the chance to develop greater independence within this framework as they get older, in preparation for moving on to their senior education.
3.26 The range of additional activities available to boarders is outstanding. Pupils are actively involved in a wide range of high quality activities and past times and appreciate the choice they are given. Pupils spoke particularly highly of the opportunities they are given at weekends for activities off site.
3.27
The boarding accommodation
overall is good with areas for improvement.
The girls’ boarding house,
3. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
4.1 The effective governance of the preparatory school ensures that pupils receive an education of high quality. The full governing body, which meets annually and has a membership of over 150, delegates power to the College Council which is responsible for the overall governance of the three sections of the college. Management authority is vested in the college executive committee and the preparatory school is led by its own general purposes Committee (GPC). This has two members who sit on the Council and is also made up of leaders and other teachers. The GPC ensures that the Preparatory School has effective plans in place to meet its educational objectives. It also makes sure that governors are well informed about issues such as curriculum development, accommodation and staffing. There are, however, no overarching priorities for the whole college to encompass the future needs of each of its schools that have been agreed upon by the Council.
4.2 The head of college works closely with the preparatory school headmaster, the deputy heads and the bursar to ensure that sufficient resources are available for school improvement. As a result the school is well resourced in many areas. Several governors regularly attend chapel services, concerts, plays and sporting events and the Preparatory School has recently instituted a Governors’ Day once each term. This encourages governors to become more involved in school life.
4.3 The structure of governance is well defined and governors bring a range of expertise to their roles. A number of committees provide guidance in appropriate areas. These committees report to the full board regularly. One member of Council is also a parent at the preparatory school and chair of its GPC. This provides a valuable link with the school’s daily life.
4.4 Governors fulfil their responsibilities for monitoring health, safety and child protection and ensure that policies are reviewed.
4.5
The Council is kept fully
informed about important aspects of financial management and administration and
exercises appropriate financial control.
Members of council take their roles to maintain a Christian ethos and
improve the quality of the school very seriously. They are committed to ensuring compliance
with regulatory and legal requirements.
Governors are very proud of
The Quality of Leadership and Management
4.6 The overall quality of leadership and management at the preparatory school is good with outstanding features. The headmaster has outstanding skills in building teams and managing people sensitively and well. He mixes with pupils with easy but firm authority and provides the school with visionary leadership. The academic and pastoral deputy heads provide the school with leadership and management skills of a high order. Key personnel with academic, pastoral and boarding responsibilities are fully involved in leadership and management. The SENCO makes a valuable and much-valued contribution as a senior teacher. Managers liaise often to ensure that school improvement is a continuous and corporate process. They show great care and commitment for pupils and staff.
4.7 The school enjoys a happy, friendly yet very purposeful and fast-paced ethos. Teachers ensure that both boarding and day pupils work and play in a well-ordered community. The personal dedication of the headmaster and his colleagues to the best interests of pupils is clear. A strong team with a high morale is in place. The staff has a good blend of specialists in primary education as well as in a very broad range of subject specialisms.
4.8 Since the last inspection, much has been achieved. The school’s leadership has been restructured to good effect. The curriculum has been enhanced further. Resources and facilities have been improved in many areas. Over the last fifteen years, under the strong leadership of the headmaster, the school’s quality has continued to grow. Parents confirm that the school’s communications with them have improved greatly over the last six years.
4.9 The school development plan and its self-evaluation are key elements of its corporate management and provide good guidance for its educational direction. The school development plan, however, is not yet linked with a college development plan because this is being rewritten.
4.10 The school derives its objectives for improvement from thorough, widespread, honest and perceptive self-evaluation. The self-evaluation process includes many of the school’s stakeholders, including the pupils and their parents, and ensures that many have a voice in its development. The school at all levels constantly analyses its strengths and needs for future improvement.
4.11 Subject leaders have done well in developing their subjects further. They have developed good action plans. They generally ensure that good policies and schemes of work are in place to guide teachers and learners. The overall leadership of many subjects, is at least good. The leadership of subjects such as English, ICT, art and games is outstanding. The management of provision for pupils who have LDD is of the highest quality.
4.12 The school has a well-qualified, hardworking and loyal staff, both teaching and non-teaching. The arrangements for recruiting any adult who might have contact with pupils are rigorous and have due regard for government safety guidelines. These arrangements include appropriate checks with the Criminal Records Bureau. Generally, the school supports staff well through continuing professional development and in-service training although teachers need more guidance in the use of ICT in other subjects. Senior managers know their staff well but the system for monitoring and evaluating the work of teachers is only planned for, rather than in place.
4.13 At every level, staff are supported by clear and helpful policy documentation and guidelines. School administration is very well organised and highly efficient and the preparatory school is smoothly run. Financial management is of high quality, being linked closely to educational priorities. It is effective in ensuring that the school has very good resources in many subjects. Specialist resources for subjects such as physical education, art, music and for pupils with LDD are outstanding. The well-appointed internal and external accommodation is suitable for the educational needs of pupils and is very well maintained.
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.