I INTRODUCTION The inspection was undertaken at the request of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) on behalf of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) inspections committee in relation to the school’s application for accredited status The inspection was carried out by one inspector for one day. Discussions were held with the Chair of Governors, Headmistress, members of the Senior Management Team (SMT), a small group of parents and with pupils in years 2 and 6. An assembly was visited and three lessons observed, together with some time spent in the nursery. A sample of pupils’ work was scrutinised. A range of school documentation was examined with particular reference to the Independent School Standards Regulations together with school policies relating to the curriculum and extra curricular activities. Documentation scrutinised on other aspects of the school included: admission and attendance registers, documentation relating to Health and Safety, checks on the suitability of staff and the provision of information sent to parents including the complaints procedure. The current head, who has been in post since 2005, and the SMT were given an oral feedback at the end of the day Gatehouse School is a co-educational day school for pupils from three to eleven years founded in 1948 by Phyllis Wallbank, a friend of Maria Montessori. The nursery, which takes account of the Montessori principles for Early Years education, receives support from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership of Tower Hamlets. The school is located in former church premises with appropriate and sufficient outside play areas containing a good range of play equipment. The nursery occupies a large, secure but open plan area at the top of the building with its own outdoor roof terrace. At the time of the inspection there were 216 on roll of whom 52 are in the nursery for children aged 3-4+ years and 164 pupils in the junior school for pupils aged 5-11 years. The school was inspected by OFSTED from 28th February to 3rd March 2005. The main inspection report noted that one regulatory requirement was not met under the suitability of the premises and accommodation. Two points for development were outlined for the school to consider. The OFSTED nursery report of 13th January 2005 found that Gatehouse Nursery offers very good nursery education in all six areas of learning: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication Language and Literacy, Mathematical Development, Knowledge and Understanding of the World, and Physical Development. To develop further opportunities for children to explore creativity was identified as an area for improvement.
THE SCHOOL’S RESPONSE TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS The full OFSTED report did not contain any main recommendations. Two areas of development were identified as points for the school to consider:
The nursery OFSTED report stated that consideration should be given to improving the following:
The school has addressed each of the points outlined above and reference is made to them in the report under other issues. Actions required for Compliance with the Regulatory Requirements The full OFSTED inspection report contained one area that did not comply with regulatory requirements. (1)Ensure that the sound insulation and acoustics allow effective teaching and communication. [Regulation 5.(o)] An action plan and proposed timetable outlining how the school intended to implement the recommendation made by OFSTED was submitted and accepted by the department for education and skills in December 2006. To date the school has enlarged the carpeted areas in three classrooms and installed blinds in two. Two fully carpeted rooms are now used for whole class music. Each year the school intends to continue this programme of carpeting and installing blinds to refurbished classrooms as needed. There was no evidence of any extraneous noise in the classrooms visited and pupils and teachers taking part in the whole school assembly could be heard clearly from the back of the large hall. Other Issues The Quality of Education Provided (curriculum) The curriculum gives due weight to the core and academic subjects, but also offers many opportunities in music and art together with a diverse programme of extra-curricular activities, in which many of the pupils take an active part. At every stage pupils’ experiences are enriched by residential trips and educational outings drawing on the wide range of cultural opportunities that London has to offer. Pupils’ physical, aesthetic and creative development is strongly encouraged through art, drama, and music and dance. The curriculum is inclusive, with the school paying attention to ensuring that all pupils have access to the education provided with a considerable focus being placed on pupils working together in line with its aims. The curriculum is supported by detailed schemes of work and best use is made of teachers’ subject knowledge. Personal, health and social education is now supported by a well organised and balanced programme of work for all year groups. Information and communication technology (ICT) is carefully planned so that it is used in a range of subjects where it is appropriate. For children in the nursery, activities leading to the Early Learning Goals are provided in a well-planned and lively way, maintaining the good quality noted in the last OFSTED report. Care is taken to identify and support pupils with specific needs. Effective arrangements are in place for the systematic identification of pupils with a learning difficulty, and where necessary, individual education plans (IEPs) have been drawn up and implemented by the staff. Staff are fully aware of pupils who are particularly gifted or talented and take due account of this when planning their work. Two pupils have a statement of special educational needs and are given appropriate support which fulfils requirements. The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum [Standard 1]. The Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils Pupils show themselves to be intelligent and thoughtful, with a well-balanced spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. They respond well to the valuable opportunities for spiritual development, in which the school honours its underlying commitment to the Christian faith, while welcoming pupils of all faiths and of none. This is evident from the daily assembly and from the programme of religious education, planned to foster an understanding of all the major world faiths, starting from Christianity. In the whole-school assembly about the Chinese New Year pupils were made aware of Chinese culture through music and stories composed and written by older pupils in the school. Pupils showed themselves to be confident and responsible members of the school community and are helped in this by the programme of personal, health, social education including citizenship in Years 1 to 6, and of personal and social education in the Foundation Stage. Pupils respond well to the many opportunities to develop culturally and to understand their own and other cultures. The school’s commitment to achieving these aspects of the pupils’ personal development and to becoming caring members of the community within a happy environment is implicit throughout the school day, in the ethos of the school, and by the example set by teachers. The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils [Standard 2]. The Quality of Teaching and Assessment A very purposeful atmosphere was seen in the three lessons observed and the teaching had many good features. In the nursery, teachers have a good understanding of the needs of very young children. A suitable range of creative experiences encourages nursery children to use their imagination when exploring colour, shape and texture. Reception children freely chose their own resources when exploring the use of magnets and magnifying glasses in their science lesson. Teachers in the junior school make effective use of their specialist subject knowledge. They have a secure command of the subjects they teach and ensure that lesson objectives are shared with the pupils at the start of the lesson. Activities in lessons are interesting and care is taken to ensure that work is suitably matched to the spread of ability found in each class. Pupils have opportunities to take ownership for their own learning as demonstrated by Year 5 pupils who in groups gave scientific presentations on sound using material they had researched from books and from the internet. At all times teachers and pupils regard good behaviour as the norm. Effective arrangements are in place and implemented to assess and evaluate the standards pupils reach. In the nursery and reception classes, good use is made of the national Foundation Stage Profile. In Years 1 to 6, teachers use a range of assessments with emphasis placed on the use of national tests and assessing levels of achievement against the levels provided by the National Curriculum. Teachers’ marking is undertaken conscientiously. Attention is paid to providing praise and encouragement but does not always give pupils written advice as to how they might improve their work and also provide them with feedback as to how well they are doing in the areas identified for improvement. The school meets the regulatory requirements for teaching [Standard 1]. The Quality of Pastoral Care, and the Welfare, Health and Safety of Pupils The school has successfully built on the good provision reported at the last inspection. The systems in place for pastoral care enable staff to provide good quality support for individuals in a friendly and relaxed manner. They are effectively supported in this provision by good quality policies and procedures. Conscientious attention is paid to the pupils’ welfare, health and safety and they feel secure and valued. Pupils were confident that staff would take due notice of their suggestions or concerns and they felt secure and valued. A caring and friendly atmosphere pervades the school and pupils especially appreciate the family atmosphere. They enjoy being part of its community. As one pupil said ‘You can get joy out of being here.’ The school’s arrangements for promoting good behaviour are detailed and thorough. They are known and respected by the pupils who consider the rules to be fair. The anti-bullying policy is clear and conscientious attention is paid to the prevention of bullying. Successful arrangements are in place and effectively implemented to safeguard and promote pupils’ health and well-being. Detailed attention is given to child protection. The policy is up-to-date and implemented consistently. Criminal Records Bureau checks have been made on staff and form a central part of the school’s arrangements to recruit staff. Child protection officers have been designated and the necessary training has been undertaken. Fire protection is thorough and all appliances and evacuation procedures are tested regularly. Fire risk assessments are up to date. A detailed first aid policy is in place and routines for dealing with first aid medicines and accidents are well established. Four members of staff are trained in first aid with the full certificate and most other staff have basic first aid training. Adequate provision is made for pupils who are unwell during the day. Effective arrangements are in place to ensure health and safety. A health and safety committee meets regularly and reports to the governing body. The staff systematically undertake risk assessments including those for educational visits. Procedures for registration are in good order and admissions and attendance registers are properly maintained. 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 Parents are very supportive of the school’s aims and value the useful links they have with the school. In turn the school has developed productive links with the community to the benefit of the pupils. The school provides a good range of information about events including an easily accessible website, informative prospectus and regular newsletters form the Headmistress. The consultation evenings and three formal reports each year provide an ample basis for keeping parents informed about their children’s progress and personal development. The reports are of good quality. Parents are offered a range of opportunities to be involved in the life of the school. The Parent Teacher Association organise a range of fundraising events for the benefit of the pupils. In the nursery, parents are kept well informed of their child’s progress and parents often meet with staff informally at the beginning and end of each session. An appropriate complaints procedure which allows parents to make a complaint both informally and formally is readily available and known to parents. It conforms to requirements. The headmistress and teachers are approachable and accessible, providing an atmosphere in which all parents are made to feel welcome. 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]. Governance The small governing board has six members with a range of expertise to support the headmistress and the school, and are fully involved in its development of the school. The governing body meets at least once each term, receiving full reports from the head. They contribute appropriately to financial planning, investment in human and material resources and the school’s educational well-being. Meetings are well documented and include discussion of all aspects of school life ensuring that the school’s aims are clear and successfully implemented. Governors are committed to the school. They provide strong support and regularly attend school functions. The Quality of Leadership and Management In the relatively short time since the appointment of the present Headmistress effective leadership has embodied the aims and values of the school and enabled the formation of a senior management team that has flourished. The team has a good understanding of the school’s strengths and of those areas that need development. The educational direction set by the headmistress is admirably supported by the senior management team and ensures that the school’s aims are reflected in policies and procedures. The prudent management of finances by the governing body ensures that resources are sufficient for the curriculum. The school is well administered and runs smoothly. The care provided by those who administer reflect the school’s aims and contributes to the positive ethos. Staff support fully the principle of sharing good practice and lesson observation, and the staff appraisal system recognises the wider contribution of teachers, helps to produce targets for improvement, and links effectively with training and professional development. The school carries out thorough and appropriate central checks on all staff and other adults with access to children in the school. Effective use is made of the accommodation, which is well maintained. The school uses a local swimming pool and adjacent park for sports activities. The school is a welcoming place and provides a secure environment for the pupils. Outdoor space is utilised to the full both for educational and recreational play by all pupils. The nursery children make good use of the outside terrace and times are also made available for reception children to access this area for play activities. Well-organised displays of pupils’ completed work add considerably to the learning environment The school meets the regulatory requirements for the suitability of proprietors and staff and for premises and accommodation [Standards 4 and 5] CONCLUSION The school has made good progress since the OFSTED inspection and responded appropriately to the areas for development. The two issues outlined in the main report and the one area for development in the nursery report have been addressed. Since the inspection numbers of pupils on roll have risen from 182 to the present numbers of 216. The Headmistress with the support of the Governing Body provides a clear vision of how the school will develop. The Senior Management Team keeps the curriculum under appropriate review to ensure it continues to meet the wide range of pupils’ individual needs and responds to the growth in pupil numbers. Plans are well developed to refurbish and increase classroom areas to accommodate the growth in pupil numbers. The school meets all the regulatory requirements.
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