ISI Regulatory Compliance and Educational Quality Inspection Report
June 2021
The school was rated ‘Good’ for both educational quality and pupils’ personal development and several areas of strength were identified.
Pupils display excellent attitudes, evident in their enthusiasm and motivation, which support their learning well.
Children in the EYFS progress well from their individual starting point and at the end of Reception achieve a good level of development which is well above the national average. Pupils continue to progress well in relation to their abilities and their progress in English and Mathematics throughout the school is above that of pupils nationally.
Pupils show excellent attitudes towards learning.
Pupils develop excellent communication skills, quickly developing proficiency, due to an efficient, systematic approach to the teaching of reading and spelling. In the EYFS, many children develop a strong competency with sound recognition, which they use to aid their writing. This is the result of careful attention paid to the acquisition of phonics. For example, children in Reception eagerly wrote lists of food for the spider’s party, linked to their minibeast topic. They were motivated by the encouragement and high expectations of staff who exhibited genuine delight at their success.
Pupils display a natural respect for one another.
From the earliest years, pupils develop wide interests, in accordance with the school’s aim to develop a life-long passion for learning. As they progress through the school they become intuitive and inquisitive learners. Older pupils further develop cross-curricular skills by incorporating out-of-school experiences into their learning. Pupils say weekly activities, known as Passport are interesting and help them develop wider skills and knowledge.
Pupils converse eloquently with adults and communicate their answers to teachers’ questioning well. They are excited to articulate their knowledge in lessons, often contributing eagerly and without fear of making a mistake. Many display a love of reading and most are competent readers for their age. In the upper school, pupils demonstrate consistently high levels of communication and mature levels of interaction.
Pupils show a firm appreciation of the school’s core values and reflect on them with maturity, saying ‘generally the core values are probably what would sum up the best person you can aspire to be.’ The demonstrate empathy and compassion, such as when making videos and gifts for residents of local care homes or when supporting one another with revision, showing solidarity and drawing on one another’s strengths.
Pupils have a well-developed moral code based on the school’s values, and are quick to perceive and challenge injustice. Pupils display strong social awareness and collaborate with each other successfully.