Inspection Reports

ISI Inspection 2023

Double Excellent and Fully Compliant

Our Inspection Report, January 2023 is now published on the Independent Schools Website and on our website.

There are two headline judgements are:

The Quality of the Pupils Academic and other Achievements is Excellent.

The Quality of the Pupils Personal Development is Excellent.

Please click the link: Inspection Report

We have collated some of phrases from the report, but please read the full report when you can.

The school provides a family environment where children build confidence and enjoy learning in order to achieve their potential.
Pupils have a heart for humankind, with a mature capacity to think beyond their own immediate lives. “People choose kindness here”.
The pupils are excellent mathematicians. All pupils are highly articulate and have strong communication skills.
Children in the EYFS quickly attain the expected learning goals.
Excellent staff-to-pupil ratios ensure every pupil has the opportunity to shine.
The children in the EYFS demonstrate a love of learning and thirst for knowledge which amplifies and matures into scholarship, especially in English and mathematics at the top of the school.
Core values of respect and kindness permeate the school.
Pupils appreciate the strong ‘I Can’ culture and sense of family underpins their desire to do their best at all times. Pupils show a mature appreciation of the importance of kindness.
Without exception the pupils all feel safe and appreciated within the family environment.
Teaching is tailored to individual needs and technology greatly enhances pupils learning.
Pupils are successful in achieving a place at the senior school of their choice and a number are awarded academic, sports, drama and music scholarships.
Pupils have excellent performance skills in singing and drama. Pupils of all ages sing beautifully. play musical instruments competently, and recite words with real talent, enjoyment and empathy.
A family ethos, where pupils display and discuss their inherent values of knowing what is expected and how to be kind and respectful, is a strong feature of the school community.
The pupils see the school as a harmonious and engaging community where everyone is respected and treated as unique individuals.
Pupils are aware of the schools high academic and social expectations of them, yet they felt comfortable in making mistakes in order to learn.

The quality of the pupils’ achievement and learning is excellent.

Pupils are well educated in accordance with the school’s aim to develop their potential to the optimum. Children in the EYFS achieve highly in relation to their starting points. From Year 1, the high standards of pupils’ achievement are continued in their academic and wider activities. Pupils of all abilities, including those with SEND or EAL achieve high standards of literacy, enjoying a wide range of literature and writing imaginatively and factually as required. Numeracy skills are strong; pupils can think independently and logically and enjoy solving problems in both mathematics and science.
Pupils achieve success individually and in teams. The wide range of extra-curricular activities enables pupils to explore new interests and so enrich their learning. Many pupils excel in the standard they have reached in graded music examinations, speech and drama. Almost half of the pupils play a musical instrument and are given excellent opportunities to perform to the school and to the wider public. A substantial number of pupils have won academic scholarships to senior schools with high levels of entry; others have been awarded scholarships for art, music, performing arts and ICT.

The contribution of curricular and extra-curricular provision is excellent.

The curriculum strongly supports the school’s aim to create a stimulating and supportive environment in which pupils’ potential is developed in all areas of personal, academic, social, spiritual and moral development
Planning for continuity is strong as each curriculum co-ordinator is responsible for the programme in at least one subject. The excellent extra-curricular programme provides a wide range of options to suit all tastes.

The contribution of teaching is excellent.

Pupils’ high levels of achievement, particularly in literacy and numeracy, are attained largely as a result of the excellent teaching they receive. Pupils of all abilities, including those with SEND or EAL, therefore make rapid and sometimes exceptional progress, fully in line with the school’s aim to develop lively, enquiring minds.
Staff know their children very well and this enables them to vary tasks and activities to suit individual needs.
Teachers know their subjects well and teach with energy and enthusiasm. Activities designed to challenge highly able pupils to think independently and extend their learning are evident in most lessons. The quality of marking is excellent.

The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is excellent.

The personal development of the pupils strongly supports the school’s commitment that pupils should aim high, believing that with help they can achieve their personal goals and be a confident member of a strong, cohesive community.
Pupils’ spiritual development is strong. They approach the school day happily and confidently, demonstrating emotional maturity in their dealings with one another.
Pupils’ moral awareness is excellent. During their time in the school, they are helped to develop strong moral values because the importance of respecting one another and the environment lies at the heart of the school’s mission statement and is promoted in general discussion and celebrated in assemblies. Pupils understand the importance of abiding by the school’s simple rules and talk with assurance about the need for kindness and tolerance.
Pupils work well together so that their social development is outstanding. They are encouraged from the time they join the school to take on positions of responsibility appropriate to their age.
Pupils’ social awareness is strongly developed through their contribution to the school council. They understand that the needs of the community should be discussed sensibly in an open forum and that decisions need to be based on what is best for the majority rather than for the individual.
The cultural awareness of pupils is excellent. Through discussion and in lessons, pupils gain an excellent understanding of the multi-cultural society in which we live. Pupils learn about other faiths through their religious education lessons and celebrate the diversity of culture within the school. Pupils benefit from an excellent programme of visits to places of interest, both locally and during residential trips.

The contribution of arrangements for pastoral care is excellent.

Clear and effective policies and procedures relating to the pastoral care of all pupils including those children in the EYFS, strongly support the aims of the school, which stress the importance of a happy and caring environment to the personal development of pupils. Relationships across the school between staff and pupils, and among the pupils themselves, are characterised by kindness and helpfulness.
Pupils’ physical needs are well met through regular participation in exercise during lessons, in the activities programme and in the playground. The use of the sports facilities and swimming pool of the adjacent school and college provides increased opportunities for physical development.
The school’s systems to promote good behaviour and guard against bullying are highly effective. Emphasis is placed on positively rewarding pupils who behave well, and great enjoyment is gained from receiving recognition as star of the week during the assembly held to celebrate achievement.

Leadership and Management is excellent.

Management of the EYFS is excellent. Children are safe and happy; the environment is warm and friendly, with excellent resources and displays well chosen to offer stimulation and challenge.
The school has an excellent and constructive relationship with parents, who are overwhelmingly satisfied with the education and support provided for their children and with the quality of communication with the school. In their responses to the questionnaire, they all agreed that their child is happy and safe and that the school achieves high standards of behaviour and academic standards. Parents are pleased with the progress their child makes and would recommend the school to another parent.