INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE

INSPECTION REPORT ON

Shrewsbury School

 

Full Name of the School

Shrewsbury School

DfES Number

893/6009

Registered Charity Number

528413

Address

The Schools, Shrewsbury SY3 7BA.

Telephone Number

01743 280526

Fax Number

01743 340048

Email Address

headmaster@shrewsbury.org.uk

Headmaster

Mr Jeremy Goulding

Chairman of Governors

Sir David Lees

Age Range

13 – 18 years

Gender

Boys

Inspection Dates

23rd – 26th April 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.                INTRODUCTION

Characteristics of the School

1.1               Shrewsbury School was founded by Royal Charter in 1552 to serve as a school for boys in the town.  It moved to its present site in 1882.  The school’s principal aim is to provide a thoughtful and encouraging environment in which human relationships thrive and personal talents flourish.  In its prospectus it elaborates on these aims with reference to two of its distinguished former pupils, Sir Philip Sidney and Charles Darwin, wishing to encourage pupils to combine the former’s ‘courtesy, compassion and generosity of spirit’ with the latter’s ‘enquiry, dedication and intellectual rigour.’

1.2               The school places emphasis on providing an all-round education which develops the whole person.  It aims to fulfil this vision through concern for, and attention to, pupils as individuals, accompanied with strong commitment from staff to very high quality pastoral care and teaching.  It encourages pupils to combine aspiration to high achievement within the classroom, with participation in a wide range of sporting, creative and intellectual activities outside it.

1.3               The school is set within a spacious, self-contained campus with many green spaces.  The site’s proximity to the River Severn allows easy access to facilities for rowing.  The school buildings are a mix of Victorian and more recent architecture.  The main school building has recently undergone refurbishment, and the school has also opened a new indoor cricket school and a new swimming pool.  Boarding accommodation is within a variety of houses, including a newly built boarding house, opened in 2006.  The current headmaster took up his post in September 2001.

1.4               The eleven houses, nine for boarders and two for day pupils, form the pastoral and administrative backbone of the school.  Each consists of about sixty boys, and individual houses pride themselves on retaining a distinctive character.  In addition to providing accommodation in the case of boarders, the house is the focus of many sporting, dramatic and musical activities.

1.5               Shrewsbury currently has 675 pupils aged 13 to 18 (Years 9 to 13), including 291 pupils in the sixth form.  Of these 128 are day pupils.

1.6               Entry to the school is by selective examination at age 13.  A small number of boys, around twenty, join the school at age 16.  At age 13 the school considers pupils’ potential in areas other than academic ability, in some cases, when offering a place.  Standardised tests taken at age 13 confirm that four fifths of pupils are above the average range of ability nationally, with over a half of pupils well above average and a handful of below average ability.  If pupils are performing in line with their abilities, results in public examinations in GCSE will be well above the national average for all maintained schools.  In the sixth form, if pupils are performing in line with their abilities their results will be above the average for all maintained schools.

1.7               A large number of pupils come from Shropshire and adjacent counties, but others come from a wide geographical area across the United Kingdom.  Just over a tenth of pupils come from families where English is not the principal language, some through a link with Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok.  There are currently no pupils with a statement of special educational need.  Pupils enter the school at 13 from a wide range of preparatory schools.  At present nearly all pupils continue into the sixth form.

1.8               National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.  The year group nomenclature used by the school and its National Curriculum (NC) equivalence are shown in the following table.

 

 

School

NC name

3rd Form

Year 9

4th Form

Year 10

5th Form

Year 11

Lower 6th

Year 12

Upper 6th

Year 13

2.                THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The Educational Experience Provided

2.1               The educational experience provided by the school is outstanding.  It offers great breadth and challenge within the classroom and outside it, through a wide range of extra-curricular activities.  The school fulfils its aim to provide an all-round education which is designed to develop the whole person.

2.2               The education offered is entirely consistent with the School’s aim of fostering a spirit of enquiry, dedication and intellectual rigour in pupils, whilst encouraging flourishing relationships with others.  The broad academic curriculum offered across all age groups plays a significant role in fulfilling this aim, alongside an extensive range of sporting, musical, artistic, dramatic and intellectual activities.  These are pursued both as whole-school activities and also focussed within individual houses.

2.3               The education offered in and out of the classroom contributes to pupils’ all-round development by giving them access to core curriculum subjects in English, mathematics, the sciences, languages and humanities, accompanied with a wealth of optional studies, such as astronomy and Greek at GCSE level, and art history, classical civilisation and photography at A level.  The Year 9 curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to acquire a firm grasp of skills related to information and communication technology (ICT).  In the sixth form there are opportunities to pursue subjects such as Arabic and law as non-examined courses.  At all ages pupils are given opportunities to further their development through attendance at societies, lectures and meetings, led by teachers, distinguished outside speakers and pupils themselves, which enhance and extend their classroom learning.  Pupils’ physical development is a core aspect of life at the school, with games constituting a significant aspect of the school timetable.  Personal, social, and health education (PSHE) forms a suitable element in the curriculum.  Creative and aesthetic pursuits are well provided for in Years 10 to 13 as options.  Time within the curriculum is somewhat limited in Year 9, but amply compensated for by the range of cultural opportunities existing outside the timetable.

2.4               The range and quality of activities is outstanding in all areas, and high levels of participation are the norm across all ages.  Both teachers and support staff give generously of their time and expertise; pupils are appreciative of this and respond with enthusiasm and vigour.  Sporting activities operate on a variety of levels, catering for different ages and abilities; the most able can aspire to represent the school, whilst the less gifted enthusiast finds a place within his house team, and is actively encouraged to do so.  Similarly, membership of the school orchestra is open to pupils of a wide range of abilities, so that developing talents learn from the more experienced players, whose particular gifts are then further stretched by membership of smaller groups made up of similarly able musicians.  A community service programme is in place, which affords some pupils in Years 9 and 12 the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the service of the community through visits to local schools and other institutions, but this programme is not yet fully developed.  A significant link with the wider community is provided by the long established Shrewsbury House community centre on Merseyside.  Groups of boys visit the centre and reciprocal visits take place at the school, involving pupils in a range of activities.  No formal work experience is provided by the school.

2.5               Pupils are offered extensive and effective advice on the numerous opportunities available to them after they leave the school.  The Head of Careers is assisted by three staff and a secretary, providing a wealth of experience and appropriate knowledge.  The Careers Library is centrally located, well resourced and provides pupils with the information they require to research the next stage of their lives, through a mixture of internally and externally produced documentation.  This resource is enhanced by regular visits from a good range of outside speakers.

2.6               The curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that planning meets the needs of all pupils, and responds appropriately to the demands of public examinations whilst retaining the breadth envisaged by the school’s aims.  The programme in Year 9 ensures that pupils have sufficient grounding to give them a full range of choices when selecting which GCSE courses to follow.  At both GCSE and A level pupils have a wide range of options, allowing most reasonable combinations of subjects to be pursued.  The use of setting ensures that pupils are enabled to follow courses of study in individual subjects which are suited to their needs, and these arrangements are regularly reviewed to ensure that pupils are in the group which will allow them to make the most progress.

2.7               Arrangements for pupils with learning disabilities or difficulties to receive help within the curriculum are good, and ensure that the support they receive is not at the expense of the breadth of experience which typifies the school’s curricular provision.  Pupils for whom English is an additional language, are similarly given full access to all areas of the curriculum whilst receiving appropriate support in additional lessons.

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

Pupils’ Learning and Achievements

2.9               Pupils’ achievement is good, often outstanding, in relation to their abilities in lessons and in public examinations.  They perform well in an exceptionally wide range of activities with some outstanding achievements in sports, the arts, and in academic societies.  The school’s aim to encourage aspiration in pupils to high achievement enables them to make significant, sometimes exceptional progress.  Pupils are enthusiastic learners, and make good use of the opportunities created by the school to develop their personal interests through individual research.

2.10           Pupils understand their work well and develop skills to a high level.  In three-quarters of lessons in Years 9 to 11, pupils’ achievement was good or higher, making good progress towards the demands of GCSE.  A similar picture was seen in the sixth form.  Pupils of all ages demonstrate secure knowledge of the subjects they study.  Pupils are able to put theoretical understanding into practice with great success, as in design technology (DT) in Year 10, where pupils were able to produce computer-aided designs to produce high quality solutions to practical problems.  Pupils think critically to good effect, with excellent analysis evident in a Year 11 lesson in English, where they discussed poetry and prose with great perception.  In drama, music and art, pupils think creatively across all age groups, and offer their ideas in the presence of others with confidence.

2.11           Pupils of all ability levels within the school achieve well across the curriculum, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language.  More able pupils throughout the school attain high levels of achievement across the curriculum, often exceeding expectations for their age.  Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress, developing confidence in their growing achievement which enables them to participate fully in lessons with success, as in chemistry in Year 10, where pupils of all abilities achieved high levels of success in understanding molecular structure.

2.12           Pupils’ attainment in GCSE is good in relation to their abilities in all subjects.  Results over the last three years for which comparative data is available have been far above the national average for all maintained schools.  Overall they are above the average for those of maintained selective schools.  Standardised measures of progress indicate that pupils’ progress to GCSE is well above national norms.  At A level, pupils’ attainment is good in relation to their abilities; their results over the last three years for which comparative data is available have been well above the average for all maintained schools.

2.13           The majority of Year 13 pupils proceed to higher education at their first choice destination, including a significant number of awards to Oxford and Cambridge, as well as to universities abroad.  Pupils are regularly awarded places at major colleges in the arts and music.

2.14           Pupils achieve high, frequently excellent, standards in the many and varied sports offered by the school, both within and outside the curriculum.  In rowing and cricket the school has enjoyed success on an individual and team basis, including the school’s eight becoming National Schools’ champions in 2006.  Pupils from the school regularly participate in the National Youth Orchestra and international festivals of drama, and in debating both teams and individuals have achieved success in national and international competitions.

2.15           Pupils read and listen attentively, and can respond with clearly structured arguments.  In a Year 9 religious studies lesson pupils listened with care to a reading from an 18th Century text and discussed its implication effectively in pairs, while pupils in Year 10 wrote successful critiques of a film in French.  Pupils speak fluently and communicatively in public, as was evident in presentations in a mathematics competition and in chapel.  Written work is clearly structured, showing a high level of vocabulary relative to pupils’ ages, and a good grasp of detail.

2.16           Mathematical concepts are applied successfully.  Data was used in a variety of formats in science lessons, such as using graphs to present data relevant to Einstein’s equation in physics in Year 12, while in a Year 12 geography lesson pupils made accurate use of statistics.

2.17           ICT is used well by pupils of all abilities and ages in lessons, and in individual work.  Pupils use the school intranet extensively to gain access to material posted by teachers.  Confident use of ICT was observed in French in Year 9, where pupils produced work using an online spell check dictionary in the language.  A group of pupils in Year 9 working at a slower pace successfully researched, produced and introduced a presentation in geography using computer projection.

2.18           Pupils are able to argue their position and defend opinions with vigour.  They think for themselves and are articulate in the expression of their opinions.  Pupils in a Year 9 history lesson discussed different aspects of opposition to Hitler’s regime with sensitivity and clarity.  Sixth form pupils argued effectively in many lessons, particularly in English, history and economics, and in debates, showing clarity and judgment in their arguments.

2.19           The volume and quantity of pupils’ written work is good.  They take notes effectively, when dictated or written on the board, in discussions, and in private study.

2.20           Pupils work well together, particularly in team sports and music ensembles.  They are effective when working together in class, as in a project in Year 9 design technology, where groups of pupils co-operated well to improve a device for firing table tennis balls.  Independent work is encouraged through the inclusion of appropriate activities in some departmental schemes of work, such as the series of mini investigations in mathematics, to which pupils respond well.  Pupils are encouraged to pursue interests outside lessons, for example through the portfolio system in year 9, where pupils work towards making presentations on individual topics.  Such activities, together with a large number of prizes and competitions, some a requirement for pupils in certain classes, result in enhanced progress in pupils’ understanding.  The school library offers an important resource for pupils’ study, and is used well by pupils for independent research, particularly in the sixth form.  Overall, the level of pupils’ independent study is much higher than noted in the previous inspection report.  The library stages exhibitions to support the curriculum and events.  The Ancient Library is a unique resource, and is used well by staff in some subjects to enrich teaching.  In history, pupils visit regularly to investigate the collection of ancient books and manuscripts, and in biology, pupils are shown original manuscripts of Charles Darwin.

2.21           Pupils work hard and are committed to their learning.  They are keen to learn and to understand how they can improve, fulfilling the school’s aim to encourage aspiration to high achievement.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils

2.22           The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is outstanding.  The school’s aim of developing ‘the whole person’ is achieved with resounding success.

2.23           Pupils develop high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence, fostered by strong support and encouragement from staff throughout the school, and particularly in the Houses.  Their enjoyment and achievement in activities also make a significant contribution.  They learn to know and respect themselves, secure in this supportive environment.  Pupils spoke of their appreciation of the many opportunities they use successfully to develop informed opinions on personal beliefs, such as in Year 11, where consideration of a Wilfred Owen poem led to discussion of the idea of an interventionist God.  Chapel services present a variety of styles of spirituality, including conversations between pupils of different faiths, and times for quiet reflection.

2.24           Pupils have a very strong sense of right and wrong, seen in their respect for the school code of conduct and their impeccable behaviour around school.  The school’s emphasis on praise and encouragement strengthens this, as does its aim to stress the importance of respect for others.  This respect is evident amongst pupils as well as between staff and pupils, and stems from a code of conduct based on common sense, common courtesy and reciprocal trust, in which the individual is always valued and cherished, even if his behaviour will not be tolerated.  Pupils have a very active sense of fair play as seen in an A level physical education (PE) lesson, in which pupils condemned gamesmanship, and in a highly sophisticated discussion on morality in a Year 13 lesson on ‘Measure for Measure’.

2.25           The fulfilment of the school’s aim to create a ‘thoughtful and encouraging environment in which human relationships thrive’ is seen in pupils’ outstanding development of social skills.  Pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour and have a strong sense of duty, indicated by the seriousness with which pupils approach their roles as praeposters (prefects) and house monitors, and their care for younger pupils.  Pupils make significant contributions to school life and to the wider community, such as in their support for Shrewsbury House and a variety of fund raising activities.  Typical of these is the ‘Blue Chair’ project, a house-based project raising money for leukaemia research.  Pupils develop a clear general knowledge of public institutions through courses such as the Year 9 history syllabus focussed on British history, and a well designed and effective PSHE course, which includes citizenship.

2.26           Pupils show an excellent level of cultural awareness.  They take pride in the achievements of the many distinguished former pupils of the school, and are keen to show to visitors the many artefacts gathered from around the world that individual houses possess, many relating to Old Salopians.  Individuals’ musical and artistic successes are widely celebrated and enjoyed across the pupil body, and the range of weekend activities available to boarders, and appreciated by them, includes regular concert and theatre trips, as well as visits to sporting fixtures.  An outstanding level of tolerance and harmony is observed everywhere, summed up succinctly by a pupil who said ‘this is a multicultural school’.  In a Year 13 theatre studies lesson on ‘The Royal Hunt of the Sun’, pupils discussed cultural differences related to the Spanish Conquistadors with a high level of awareness and maturity.  Pupils’ strongly developed cultural awareness is illustrated by the winning of top awards in recent Model United Nations conferences.

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

The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)

2.28           Throughout the school, the quality of teaching is good, and a significant proportion of it is outstanding.  Teachers’ excellent subject knowledge, combined with high expectations and generous resources, allows pupils of all ability levels to develop aspiration to high achievement in line with the school’s aims, and to fulfil that aspiration.  All pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, and the most able, are enabled to make progress which is good or better.  Helpful assessment of pupils’ work contributes well to their progress.

2.29           Teaching enables the school to achieve its aim of encouraging all pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, and those for whom English is an additional language, to acquire knowledge and make progress according to their level of ability, or better.  More able pupils are frequently enabled to make excellent progress.  Pupils further their understanding with alacrity in response to stimulating teaching in most lessons, and develop their skills, confident in the teaching they receive.  Teaching encourages a spirit of enquiry in pupils, which is complemented by the application of physical effort stimulated by teaching and coaching in sporting activities.  In creative subjects, pupils are encouraged to apply themselves not just to the acquisition of appropriate skills, but to look beyond to the aesthetic principles which inform their work, as in a Year 12 music lesson where pupils were challenged to discuss stylistic influences on their compositions, with excellent results.  At its most effective, notably in some English, classics and PE lessons, teaching continually stimulated pupils of all ages to pursue their own study outside the lesson, showing progress in this area since the last inspection.

2.30           Teaching is well planned, with many examples of imaginative and dynamic approaches and methods.  The most successful lessons involve active pupil participation, such as in a Year 9 geography lesson, where pupils enthusiastically discussed the geography of crime.  However, this best practice was not always consistent within and between departments.  In less effective teaching there were fewer opportunities for pupils to articulate their views and develop ideas.

2.31           A highly developed understanding of what pupils might achieve is a hallmark of most teaching, based on a clear appraisal of their individual potential, especially in Years 9 to 11 where the results of standardised tests are used well to inform planning.  The needs of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, or those for whom English is an additional language are attended to by teachers through careful, and often highly sensitive, use of teaching materials and styles of questioning.  High expectations of all pupils, especially more able pupils, is a marked feature of teaching in all age groups.

2.32           Teaching frequently demonstrates exceptional subject knowledge and understanding, which often imparts a hunger for learning, and a genuine sense of intellectual enquiry in pupils.  Pupils commented on the high regard in which they held their teachers, and their desire to emulate their expertise.

2.33           A good range of resources is provided for teaching and is used well.  Books are plentiful in supply, and up to date.  ICT equipment is used distinctively in sciences, particularly in revision exercises in chemistry, in lessons in DT, languages, geography and PE, and in composition work in music.  Accommodation for teaching is often spacious and welcoming, particularly within the newly refurbished main school building, although teaching space in art and design technology is cramped when larger groups are being taught.

2.34           The assessment of pupils’ work is thorough and regular, often including detailed comments and giving individually tailored advice for future achievement.  Teachers use questions well in lessons to suit individual pupils’ needs and offer helpful advice which frequently aids further progress.  Work is marked with clarity on a regular basis.  Marking is frequently reinforced by careful and extensive guidance in the classroom, highlighting areas where individual pupils might make progress, and how this can be achieved.

2.35           Teaching encourages responsible behaviour in pupils, as shown in the courtesy, respect for other viewpoints, empathy, and spirit of co-operation which were seen in many lessons and on the games field.

2.36           The school makes good use of the results of standardised tests of ability to monitor pupils’ progress, alongside regular internal examinations.  The tracking of pupils’ progress is meticulous in methodology and clear in its application, both in planning for future teaching and in giving information to parents.

2.37           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 shown for pupils, and for their welfare, health and safety, is outstanding.  There is an emphasis within the school on good relationships, individual care and a sense of community, which enables the school to fulfil its aim to show concern for pupils as individuals, with great success.  In this respect the school has maintained the excellent standards noted at the time of the last inspection.

3.2               The school meets its stated aim to achieve a holistic approach to pastoral care by placing the emphasis on relationships rather than rules in maintaining the life of the school community.  All teachers show the highest level of commitment to pupils’ well-being, both in their roles as teachers, and as tutors.  Those with specific responsibility for pastoral care, whether involved with boarders or day pupils, give excellent levels of support and guidance.

3.3               The strong house tradition lies at the heart of the school, ensuring that both boarding and day pupils are valued, and feel secure.  The housemaster has the key responsibility for a pupil’s personal and academic development.  Housemasters are supported by an assistant housemaster and team of tutors, who know the pupils for whom they have particular concern well, through timetabled tutor time and regular visits to the house.  The second master has primary concern for the oversight of pastoral care, and for disciplinary policies and sanctions.  An effective framework is in place, with clearly outlined responsibilities for relevant staff, and well defined and efficient channels of communication.

3.4               Pupils spoke warmly of the care and guidance they receive from staff, and referred to an environment of mutual trust, respect and friendship.  They expressed confidence that any problems or issues which might arise would be dealt with sensitively and constructively.  Pupils relate to each other with ease, and support one another well in class, in games and activities, and around the houses.  Sixth form pupils assist in the care and control of pupils, and praeposters are given appropriate training to take on leadership roles responsibly.

3.5               The school has a comprehensive policy for behaviour which seeks to promote good behaviour in order to minimise the likelihood of bullying.  Rules are clearly understood and acknowledged by pupils as the framework for ensuring the security of the community.  Pupils considered rewards and sanctions to be fair, properly applied, and appropriate, considering, for example, that losing free time to clear up litter was a more suitable sanction than being given extra work for its own sake.  Excellent behaviour was seen across the school throughout the inspection.

3.6               Procedures to safeguard children are in place and appropriate training in child protection is given to staff in positions of responsibility.  The child protection officer duly passes on updated information to other staff, and whole staff training is arranged at the required intervals.  Child protection measures are properly applied when the need arises.  Teachers volunteer for training as counsellors to form a school based listening team in liaison with the chaplain, who has a pastoral as well as spiritual role within the life of the school.  Links with outside agencies are in place, and all pupils have contact details for independent advice.

3.7               Highly efficient systems are in place to ensure the health and safety of pupils.  Necessary measures to reduce risk from fire and other hazards have been taken, with thorough inspections and regular checks on equipment, alarms, and evacuation drills taking place.  A highly organised database exists to log the results of inspections and it is effective in ensuring that necessary work is completed where required.  The school maintains an up to date and comprehensive admissions register, and arrangements for the registration of day pupils are good.  The school has responded responsibly to the requirement to review access for those with disability or special educational need, and both new and refurbished buildings reflect this, as do plans for future improvements in access.

3.8               The sanatorium is spacious and well organised, with a qualified nursing staff in attendance throughout the day and night.  All teachers have completed a basic first aid course, with some trained to a higher level.  Menus in the dining hall are well balanced and attractively presented, offering a range of healthy and nutritious food.  Sensitive monitoring by matrons, together with advice given through PSHE lessons, effectively promote healthy eating.

3.9               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

3.10           The school has good, productive links with the local and wider community, and with parents.  Pupils are given challenging opportunities to develop the skills which will enable them to play a positive part in the wider world.

3.11           A high proportion of parents who responded to questionnaires strongly supported the attitudes and values that the school holds, and the education provided for pupils.  A significant number of parents made specific comment about the high quality of pastoral support offered.  Some parents felt that the school does not always do enough to encourage parents to be involved in its life and work.  However, several responses were qualified with the comment that the boarding nature of the school, and the distances involved in travelling there, made this less likely in practice.  The school has recently taken steps to address this issue.  An informative school newsletter, ‘Shrewsbury School News’ has been launched, and the school magazine, ‘The Salopian’, has recently been updated to good effect.  The school website now plays a major part in keeping parents and others informed about and involved with the school.  There is no formal parents’ association but the Headmaster regularly attends meetings of the dayboys’ parents’ committee.

3.12           A new informative reporting system has been introduced, providing reports five or six times a year, depending on the age of the pupil.  Two are full reports, and the rest short, half-termly reports, all produced electronically.  They include particularly detailed and helpful reports from the Housemaster and tutor.  Parents’ meetings are appreciated, as is the easy availability of immediate communication with Housemasters, and with tutors and subject staff when necessary.

3.13           The school works hard to ensure that parental concerns are handled fairly and a response is provided as soon as practical.  The school’s procedure for dealing with formal complaints complies with statutory requirements, although it is seldom called into practice.

3.14           The school has strong and developing links with the Community.  Facilities, such as the indoor cricket school, offer attractive opportunities to train on state of the art equipment to local schools and organisations, which are well used.  Various local initiatives, such as a recent scheme to bring an international junior summer soccer camp to the school, have involved close liaison between the school and the wider community.  There are many concerts and arts programmes involving the local community.  Pupils from a local preparatory school make up the top line of the chapel choir, and members of other local schools play in the school orchestra, allowing pupils to mix easily with the local community.  A whole-school sponsored walk undertaken in September 2006 to raise funds for Shrewsbury House ensured that all pupils were able to play a part in supporting this enterprise.  ‘Salopian Ventures’, an organisation run by a group of Year 12 pupils each year, markets school merchandise, with the proceeds going to charities, often locally-based, giving pupils useful experience of the community.

3.15           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

3.16           Boarding lies at the heart of the school and the school’s provision in this area is outstanding.  All staff involved provide excellent support for boarding pupils.  Boarders are offered a wide range of experiences which complement and sustain those offered in the classroom, and in sporting and creative activities.  Accommodation varies from the new to the older and revered, but all houses provide a supportive environment in which pupils flourish.  All the recommendations from the last report by CSCI have been implemented in full.

3.17           Relationships within the boarding community at all levels are excellent, with clear and effective lines of communication between boarding staff, between those staff and pupils, and between boarding and other staff with responsibility for pupils’ academic wellbeing and welfare.  This is achieved through regular meetings of all concerned, including housemasters, tutors and matrons, and through important informal communication throughout the school week.  Pupils speak extremely highly of, and with great affection for, the staff who work in their house, viewing their housemaster and matron as significant influences on their school life.  This is symptomatic of the strong loyalty which individual pupils develop for their boarding house.  Relationships between pupils of different ages are excellent, nurtured by mentoring systems and by the strategic arrangement of boarding accommodation within houses which mixes up junior year groups.  Older pupils frequently take time to help younger ones, for example in introducing them to the experience of rowing in a house boat, or organising entries for the annual house singing competition.

3.18           The programme of activities available to pupils throughout the working week, and at weekends offers a vast array of educational, creative, sporting and recreational activities.  A formal programme is drawn up termly, to which pupils sign up, but there are many ad hoc activities which arise from the interests of staff or pupils.  These often lead to shared, memorable experiences.

3.19           The quality of the boarding accommodation varies from house to house, often the result of architectural necessity or age; however, the school has an ambitious and strategically ordered plan in place for the refurbishment of the houses.  This realistically takes account of the constraints of time and money, but the refurbishment which has already taken place has produced accommodation which is roomy and attractive, comparing well with the excellent facilities in the most recently built boarding house.  All houses offer a good array of resources and space for both work and leisure, with easy access to the school’s computer network, pupil kitchens, and areas for recreation.

4.                THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Quality of Governance

4.1               Strong and highly effective governance ensures that a good quality of education is offered to pupils at every stage, in line with the school’s aims.

4.2               The governing body contains a good range of expertise, drawn from a variety of backgrounds, including universities, commercial enterprises and local representatives.  A well-balanced programme of meetings includes those of a carefully structured group of sub-committees.  The specifications of these committees have recently been updated, strengthening their ability to scrutinise different areas of operation within the school, particularly with regard to educational issues.  Minutes of governors’ meetings and sub-committee meetings indicate that governors have a good knowledge of the school, and plan for its future development needs with care and clear vision.

4.3               Governors are aware of their responsibilities, and have effective oversight of those areas where they have specific legal duties, for example in health and safety and child protection, which are discussed at appropriate intervals.  Planning is strategic and resolute, informed by detailed discussion of proposals put forward by the headmaster and other members of staff.  Financial planning is detailed in both the short and long terms, enabling the successful completion of developments such as the recently opened cricket school and swimming pool, and the long term development of boarding facilities.

4.4               Governors are routinely provided with good quality educational, pastoral and management information by the headmaster.  They receive an annual report which is a philosophical and practical account of the school’s activities and achievements, and this is used to inform future planning in combination with a continually updated ten-year financial plan.  Relationships between governors and staff within the school are enhanced by the opportunity for staff to consult a nominated governor who visits the school weekly.

The Quality of Leadership and Management

4.5               The headmaster, supported by a senior management team with well defined roles, provides leadership which is clear-sighted, and informed by sensitivity and thoughtfully ordered educational principles.  Those in positions of responsibility within the school lead by example in pursuing the school’s aims and ethos, and management of the school is good.

4.6               The headmaster displays a deeply held belief in a vision for the school which reflects its historical development as a place of intellectual, physical and creative endeavour, whilst seeking to view these qualities within a modern perspective.  This philosophical viewpoint is expressed with clarity in much of the school’s documentation, and enhanced by its application in the leadership shown by members of the senior management team, and by housemasters.  It is put into practice within an ethos which places the care of individual pupils at its heart.  Academic excellence, sporting, aesthetic and creative achievement are equally encouraged and valued.

4.7               Regular communication, both formal and informal, within the school, ensures that the school’s needs are identified with clarity.  Communication between boarding houses and other areas of the school, and within the houses, is swift and effective.  Regular reviews of educational needs produce appropriate changes in management structures and policy, as recently in the academic curriculum.  Senior management within the school has the confidence to put decisions into practice as future needs dictate.  The significance in pupils’ lives of individual boarding houses is reflected in a collegiate, consultative approach to instigating change, through structures such as the fortnightly housemasters’ meeting.  Heads of faculties (academic departments) put policies into practice to good effect and many give strong guidance regarding philosophical approaches to the teaching of their subject.

4.8               The school secures highly motivated and well-qualified teaching staff, many with forward-looking educational ideas, together with a wide range of support staff who contribute much to the diverse activities within the school.  The school’s appraisal system enables individual teachers to discuss their performance with the headmaster to good effect, particularly with regard to their role within the school’s many-faceted life.  However, at present the process lacks regular, structured observation of individuals’ performance, limiting effective sharing of new ideas and good practice.  CRB checks are carried out appropriately, and arrangements for the induction of new teachers are good.