ISI Report

The school must not quote the report selectively in the school prospectus or other promotional literature.

The inspection was not carried out in conjunction with the Commission for Social Care Inspections (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 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.

MAIN FINDINGS

Bromsgrove School provides a very good rounded education in a purposeful community where day pupils are well integrated into the boarding school ethos and structure. Pupils are confident in a relaxed and orderly atmosphere, with very good relationships between pupils and staff. Teaching quality is good and the commitment of teachers and support staff to the care of pupils is very high. Pupils’ attainment and progress are good. The school now faces the challenge of integrating international pupils more fully than at present in the boarding community and resolving inconsistencies in the marking of pupils’ work .

Attainment and progress are good for the ages, abilities and aptitudes of the pupils. Pupils of higher, middle and lower ability make gains in knowledge, understanding and skills that are good in relation to their abilities. Pupils who have specific learning difficulties achieve standards that are at least in line with their ability. The A* to C grade results in GCSE examinations are significantly above the average for all maintained schools and in many subjects they are also above that for maintained selective schools. In all subjects, the results for A-level examinations are well above those for all maintained schools and in many they are higher than those of maintained selective schools.

The progress made by most pupils in lessons is mainly good in relation to their abilities and good progress over time is evident from their written work . Less able pupils make significant progress in relation to their difficulties in most subjects. The attainment and progress of pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are good.

The quality of pupils’ learning is always good and sometimes very good in relation to their ages, abilities and aptitudes. Pupils are well motivated and settle easily to work . They are keen to learn; they are responsive and readily engage and focus on the work , and ask questions. They interact well, give each other appropriate help and advice, and a respectful and relaxed atmosphere exists in lessons. Pupils respond well in discussion but on occasions they are too passive, particularly in Years 9 to 11. Boys and girls work confidently together. However, pupils of the same ethnic background tend to group together to the detriment of good social integration. The behaviour of pupils is excellent.

The Quality of Teaching

The quality of teaching is good and contributes effectively to pupils’ attainment and progress. In most lessons at each stage in the school, teaching meets the needs of pupils of all abilities. Teaching is very good in English, EAL, drama, biology, art, and modern foreign languages. Teaching within mainstream classes often caters well for the needs of EAL pupils and those with specific learning difficulties. Their specialist tuition prepares them well for mainstream lessons. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are high. In most lessons, the teaching challenges pupils to work and think hard, but sometimes the demands are not sufficient for good progress to be made.

The level of pupils’ attendance is good and enables them to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the school. The school’s procedures for recording admissions and attendance are sound. Pupils are generally punctual to lessons and activities, but attendance at lessons is not consistently monitored.

The assessment and recording of pupils’ achievement, progress and needs are generally sound. An appropriate system enables the school to monitor pupils’ progress and attainment at approximately half-termly intervals; it operates very well through the houses as part of their pastoral role. The marking is accurate but inconsistency in frequency and thoroughness within and between departments, renders it less effective than it could be. Some teachers’ marking consists of just a grade with few, if any, corrections or comments to help pupils improve the standard of their work .

Curriculum
The quality of the curriculum is good; it offers a broad and balanced general education to all pupils across the full age and ability range of the school. It provides effectively for pupils’ intellectual, physical and personal development and provides continuity and progression in their learning, and for the next stage of education. All pupils, including those with EAL or specific learning difficulties, have equality of access and opportunity in the curriculum regardless of gender or ethnicity. The curriculum provides very well for the development of pupils’ ICT skills and their personal, social and health education (PSHE). It is greatly enriched by a wide range of good quality activities. Excellent careers provision gives pupils individual help and guidance in planning for their higher education or employment.

Teaching and Non-teaching Staff
The quality of the teaching and non-teaching staff is very good. Staff are well qualified and suitably experienced for their roles, and they are well deployed. Statutory induction procedures are correctly followed for newly qualified teachers. Good quality appra isa l and professional development schemes are in place. All necessary checks are carried out. The staffing provision contributes strongly to pupils’ attainment and well being.

Resources for Learning
The books, equipment and materials that are needed to support the teaching, learning and recreation of pupils are very good in quality, quantity and organ isa tion and are very effectively used. ICT provision is also very good, with a large number of computers and other equipment available for use by pupils and staff.

Libraries
Library facilities offer very good support for the curriculum and are very effectively used by pupils. The school library houses an extensive range of books, audio and video recordings for most subjects, which meet the educational and recreational needs of the school very well. Departmental libraries in some subjects give good additional support.

Premises and Accommodation
The quality of buildings and accommodation is generally sound and appropriate for the gender, ages and abilities of the pupils. Recent additions have been timely and have added considerably to the ambience and facilities of the school. A well-planned humanities building, scheduled for a summer 2004 start, is designed to deal effectively with almost all the remaining shortcomings in accommodation for subjects. The quality of boarding accommodation is uneven: that for girls is almost all of good quality. Boys’ boarding accommodation varies in quality from sound to unsatisfactory: two of the boarding houses are very crowded.

Links with Parents and the Community
The quality of the school’s links with parents is good. Parents receive thorough, high quality general info rmation from the school and are kept well info rmed of their children’s progress. The few parental complaints have been handled effectively. In the pre-inspection survey of their views, parents responding were very satisfied with the school’s provision and performance. A significant number raised concerns about the crowding in some boarding houses and the inconsistent integration of overseas students, which inspection evidence confirms. Links with the local community are good and under continuous development.

Pupils’ Personal Development
The quality of the school’s provision for the personal development of its pupils is very good. It offers very good opportunities for spiritual development, for example through assemblies and religious studies. The work in PSHE and of house staff plays a major role in the very good provision for moral education. Very good opportunities occur for pupils to develop cultural awareness within and outside the timetabled curriculum. Except for the uneven social integration of a proportion of the international boarding pupils, especially boys, the social development of pupils is very high; they interact well with each other and with staff and grasp the many opportunities to develop responsibility.

Pastoral Care
The quality of pastoral care is very good. The school provides effectively for pupils’ personal development and general well being through its very good arrangements for support, guidance and welfare, and health and safety. The houses provide very good pastoral support both for boarders and for day pupils. The commitment of the staff ensures that all pupils are provided with a safe and secure environment, and that a happy atmosphere is generated. Effective measures to promote good discipline and behaviour are in place, including procedures to guard against bullying and harassment. Good behaviour and respect for others are significant features of the school.

Boarding Standards
No Commission for Social Care team took part in the inspection.

Governance and Management
The overall quality of governance and management is good, with some aspects that are very good. Governors provide good strategic direction to the school. They work closely with the headmaster and senior managers in setting appropriate aims, values and expectations of high standards, and monitor performance regularly. The headmaster gives strong and effective leadership and has spearheaded the successful drive over recent years to raise the school’s academic standing. The senior team co-ordinates and manages the work of middle managers well, so that the work of house parents and heads of subject departments is of good quality. Deployment of staff and of material resources is closely monitored.

Achievement and Quality in Activities
Achievement and quality in activities are good in relation to pupils’ ages and aptitudes. The scope of activities is extensive and a balanced programme caters for a wide range of interests. Pupils’ participation is purposeful and constructive, with some activities well led by pupils. Teams and individuals reach very high standards in a wide range of sports and other activities, and many pupils gain representative honours. Staff participation is very high, resulting in well-run, successful activities.

Since its last inspection in 1998 the school has met nearly all the recommendations made at the time. It has improved its provision for pupils with specific learning difficulties, encouraged greater use of ICT and the library, and improved the effectiveness of the PSHE course. Departmental budget allocation has become more effective. An excellent art and design centre has been built, and unsafe practices in technology have been eliminated. Pupils are now safely collected from the car park by their parents. Teaching approaches that promote more independent learning remain to be further developed. The school requires further initiatives to assist the assimilation of overseas pupils.

No action is required.

In addition to the actions set out above, the school is asked to deal with the issues highlighted in What the School Should Do Better. These are set out as recommendations for the school in Section 2 of the report.