Focused Compliance and Educational Quality Inspection Reports

St John’s School, Billericay

February 2020
Contents 2

Contents

School’s Details 3

1. Background Information 4
What the school seeks to do 4
About the pupils 4

2. Regulatory Compliance Inspection 5

Preface 5
Key findings 6
PART 1 – Quality of education provided 6
PART 2 – Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils 6
PART 3 – Welfare, health and safety of pupils 6
PART 4 – Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors 6
PART 5 – Premises of and accommodation at schools 6
PART 6 – Provision of information 7
PART 7 – Manner in which complaints are handled 7
PART 8 – Quality of leadership in and management of schools 7

3. Educational Quality Inspection 8

Preface 8
Key findings 9
Recommendations 9
The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements 10
The quality of the pupils’ personal development 12

4. Inspection Evidence 14

© Independent Schools Inspectorate 2020 St John’s School – February 2020

School’s Details 3

School’s Details
School St John’s School, Billericay

DfE number 881/6013

Address St John’s School

47-49 Stock Road
Billericay
CM12 0AR

Telephone number 01277 623 070

Email address headteacher@stjohnsschool.net

Head Mr Andrew Angeli

Proprietor Mrs Joanne Osen

Age range 2 to 16

Number of pupils on roll 329

EYFS 46 Juniors 144

Seniors 139

Inspection dates 11 to 13 February 2020

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1. Background Information
1.1 St John’s School is a co-educational independent day school for pupils aged between two and
sixteen. It is governed by the sole proprietor, who is the daughter of the previous owners. The
school was founded in 1928 by an Oxford scholar, who named the school after St John’s College. The
school is divided into three sections: kindergarten for ages 2 to 7, which includes the Early Years
Foundation Stage (EYFS), junior school for 7 to 11, and senior school for 11 to 16. Since the previous
inspection, a new head has been appointed, taking up the post in January 2020, having previously
been the deputy head. The school has continued to refurbish the buildings, maintain its investment
in information and communication technology (ICT), increased curriculum choice at GCSE, and has
provided accommodation and resources so that children are now admitted when they reach the age
of two.

What the school seeks to do

1.2 The school aims to value, respect and nurture each individual, and to pursue academic quality
through children’s hard work and practice, and a curriculum that is broad and caters for the
academic, sporting, creative and musical needs of individual pupils.

About the pupils

1.3 Pupils come from a range of professional family backgrounds, about two-thirds from white British
families and one third from 18 different ethnic backgrounds. Data provided by the school indicate
that the ability of the pupils is broadly average compared with those taking the same tests
nationally. The school has identified 79 pupils as having special educational needs and/or disabilities
(SEND), which include dyslexia and dyspraxia, 57 of whom receive additional specialist help. No pupil
in the school has an education, health and care (EHC) plan. English is an additional language (EAL) for
27 pupils, one of whom requires and receives additional support. The school identifies those with
particular talents in individual sports and the curriculum is modified for them.

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2. Regulatory Compliance Inspection

Preface
The registration authority for independent schools is the Department for Education (DfE), which directs
inspection according to a specified frequency or at any time where the DfE has particular concerns about a
school. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is the body approved by the Secretary of State for the
purpose of inspecting schools which are, or whose heads are, in membership of the associations which
form the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and reporting on the extent to which they meet the
Independent School Standards (‘the standards’) in the Schedule to the Education (Independent School
Standards) Regulations 2014. Accordingly, inspection records whether the school meets each of these
standards, which are arranged in eight Parts, each of which is divided into separate paragraphs. The
inspection of schools that have early years settings not requiring registration similarly records whether the
school complies with key provisions of the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework, and for
registered settings the full range of the Early Years Foundation Stage provisions is considered. Additionally,
the inspection reports on the school’s accessibility plan under Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and the
ban on corporal punishment under section 548 of the Education Act 1996. It comments on the progress
made by the school in meeting the compliance action points set out in the school’s most recent statutory
inspection.
All association independent schools will have an inspection within three years from April 2016, in
accordance with the Framework and DfE requirements. The inspection may be of COMPLIANCE ONLY or a
combined inspection of EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AND COMPLIANCE depending on a number of factors,
including findings from their most recent inspection. Schools judged not to meet the standards may also be
subject to a progress monitoring visit before their next routine inspection. The progress monitoring visit
will judge whether the school has taken the necessary action to meet any un-met standards identified at
their previous inspection.
The inspection was also carried out under the arrangements of the ISC Associations for the maintenance
and improvement of the quality of their membership.
This is a FOCUSED COMPLIANCE INSPECTION which was combined with an inspection of EDUCATIONAL
QUALITY, the report of which appears later in this document. The COMPLIANCE inspection reports only
on the school’s compliance with the standards. The standards represent minimum requirements and
judgements are given either as met or as not met. All schools are required to meet all the standards
applicable to them. Where the minimum requirements are not met, this is clearly indicated in the relevant
section of the report and the school is required to take the actions specified. In this focused compliance
inspection, key regulations and standards have been inspected in detail. These are the regulations on
safeguarding; measures to guard against bullying; arrangements for pupils’ health and safety,
arrangements to check the suitability of staff; the provision of information to parents; the handling of
parents’ complaints; and other related aspects of leadership and management.
Inspections do not include matters that are outside of the regulatory framework described above, such as:
an exhaustive health and safety audit; compliance with data protection requirements; an in-depth
examination of the structural condition of the school, its services or other physical features; contractual
arrangements with parents; an investigation of the financial viability of the school or its accounting
procedures.
Inspectors may be aware of individual safeguarding concerns, allegations and complaints as part of the
inspection process. Such matters will not usually be referred to specifically in published reports in this
document but will have been considered by the team in reaching its judgements.
Links to the full regulations and requirements can be found here: The Education (Independent School
Standards) Regulations 2014, Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework.

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Key findings
2.1 The school meets the standards in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards)
Regulations 2014, and relevant requirements of the statutory framework for the Early Years
Foundation Stage, and associated requirements, and no further action is required as a result of this
inspection.

PART 1 – Quality of education provided

2.2 In the junior school, the school uses its own framework to determine attainment, instead of the
national framework.
2.3 At GCSE in the years 2017 to 2019, performance has been above with the national average for
maintained schools.
2.4 The curriculum is documented, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work for the pupils
and covers the required breadth of material. The teaching enables pupils to make good progress,
encompasses effective behaviour management and is supported by suitable resources. A suitable
framework for the assessment of pupils’ performance is in place.
2.5 The standards relating to the quality of education [paragraphs 1–4] are met.

PART 2 – Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

2.6 Principles and values are actively promoted which facilitate the personal development of pupils as
responsible, tolerant, law-abiding citizens.
2.7 The standard relating to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development [paragraph 5] is met.

PART 3 – Welfare, health and safety of pupils

2.8 Arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils by means that pay due
regard to current statutory guidance; good behaviour is promoted; bullying is prevented so far as
reasonably practicable; health and safety requirements are met, including those relating to fire
safety; provision is made for first aid. Pupils are properly supervised; admission and attendance
registers are maintained, as required, and there is a strategic approach to risk assessment. A
disability access plan is in place.
2.9 The standards relating to welfare, health and safety [paragraphs 6–16], the requirement of
Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010, and the ban on corporal punishment under section 548 of
the Education Act 1996 are met.

PART 4 – Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

2.10 The school makes appropriate checks to ensure the suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors,
and a register is kept as required.
2.11 The standards relating to the suitability of those in contact with pupils at the school [paragraphs
17–21] are met.

PART 5 – Premises of and accommodation at schools

2.12 Suitable toilet and changing facilities, and showering facilities where required by the standard, and
appropriate accommodation for pupils’ medical and therapy needs are provided. The premises are

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maintained to a standard commensurate with health and safety; acoustics and lighting are
appropriate; water provision is adequate. Suitable outdoor space is provided for physical education
and outdoor play.
2.13 The standards relating to the premises and accommodation [paragraphs 22–31] are met.

PART 6 – Provision of information

2.14 A range of information is variously published, provided or made available to parents, inspectors and
the Department for Education. This includes details about the proprietor, the ethos of the school
and the curriculum, and of the school’s arrangements for admission, behaviour and exclusions,
bullying, health and safety, first aid, details of the complaints procedure, and the number of
complaints registered under the formal procedure during the preceding school year, and the
provision for any with education, health and care plans or English as an additional language. It also
includes particulars of the school’s academic performance during the preceding school year,
inspection reports and (for parents only) a report at least annually of their own child’s progress. The
safeguarding policy is posted on the school’s website.
2.15 The standard relating to the provision of information [paragraph 32] is met.

PART 7 – Manner in which complaints are handled

2.16 Parental complaints, if any, are handled effectively through a three-stage process, (informal, formal
and a hearing before a panel of three, one of whom is independent of the school). Each stage has
clear time scales, and at the third stage the panel can make findings and recommendations which
are communicated to the complainant. Records are kept appropriately, including of any action
taken, whether or not a complaint is successful.
2.17 The standard relating to the handling of complaints [paragraph 33] is met.

PART 8 – Quality of leadership in and management of schools

2.18 The proprietor ensures that the leadership and management demonstrate good skills and
knowledge, and fulfil their responsibilities effectively, so that the other standards are consistently
met, and they actively promote the well-being of the pupils.
2.19 The standard relating to leadership and management of the school [paragraph 34] is met.

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3. Educational Quality Inspection

Preface
The EDUCATIONAL QUALITY inspection reports on the quality of the school’s work. It focuses on the two
key outcomes:
- The achievement of the pupils, including their academic development, and
- The personal development of the pupils.
Since the school was last inspected, the framework for inspection has changed. The current inspection
framework uses different criteria and arrangements for grading from those used in previous inspection
frameworks. The judgements made on this inspection are, therefore, not directly comparable to
judgements made on previous inspections.
All independent schools are required to meet the requirements of the Independent School Standards.
However, different inspectorates apply different frameworks that are suited to the different types of
schools they inspect. The ISI terminology reflects quality judgements that are at least equivalent to those
used by the national inspectorate, Ofsted. ISI reports do not provide a single overarching judgement for the
school but instead give a clear judgement about key outcomes for pupils and information on the quality of
the school’s work.
The headline judgements must include one of the ISI descriptors ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sound’ or
‘unsatisfactory’.
Where necessary, National Curriculum nomenclature is used to refer to year groups in the school. Where
the school’s own names differ from those used nationally, the details are given in the table below:

School name National Curriculum name

Pre-Reception Nursery
Reception Reception
Lower K Year 1
Upper K Year 2
Form 1 Year 3
Lower 2 Year 4
Upper 2 Year 5
Lower 3 Year 6
Upper 3 Year 7
Lower 4 Year 8
Upper 4 Year 9
Lower 5 Year 10
Upper 5 Year 11

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Key findings
3.1 The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is sound.
 Pupils develop skills appropriate for their age as result of a curriculum that is in line with the
school’s objectives; those with SEND benefit from the generous staffing levels in the school.
 Pupils have excellent creative skills, as seen in the high quality of art and music they produce.
 At all stages pupils make progress that is generally in line with expectation; junior school pupils’
progress is supported by regular use of data, but this has yet to be developed for older pupils.
 Pupils collaborate well, and group work is productive, but the school’s leadership has already
identified that they are sometimes over-reliant on teaching and few take the initiative in or
outside lessons.
 Pupils have good communication skills, and can argue with passion, although senior school
pupils have a limited range of non-technical vocabulary.
3.2 The quality of the pupils’ personal development is good.
 The personal development of pupils as they move through the school reflects the successful
fulfilment of the school’s aim to value, respect and nurture each individual.
 Pupils’ ability at all stages to distinguish right from wrong, understand and respect systems of
rules and laws, and accept responsibility for their own behaviour is a considerable strength.
 Pupils show very strong respect for and value diversity, respect and appreciate their own and
other cultures, and demonstrate sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds,
traditions, or with physical or emotional needs.
 Pupils’ evident strong loyalty and social awareness is underpinned by an ethos and atmosphere
that reflects one, seamless school, although almost all of the school’s community work is
initiated by adults.
 Pupils can show sensitivity and emotions in their written work, but in general have limited
awareness of the non-material aspects of life.

Recommendations
3.3 The school is advised to make the following improvements:
 Make more frequent use of data in the senior school to evaluate and support pupils’ progress.
 Improving the effective monitoring of lessons in order to ensure that the needs of pupils are
met, and different groups of pupils make the progress of which they are capable
 Enable pupils to rely less on teaching and take more initiative in their studies and interests both
in and outside class by developing their attitudes to academic work and their understanding of
independent learning.
 Develop pupils’ vocabulary and hence further improve their already good communication skills
by reinforcing the leadership’s current initiatives in these areas.
 Enable pupils to develop an appreciation of the non-material aspects of life by identifying and
evaluating fresh approaches for them to do so.

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The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements

3.4 The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is sound.
3.5 Pupils to some extent meet the school’s aim of successfully pursuing quality in their academic work.
As they move through the school, pupils develop skills appropriate for their age as result of a
curriculum that, in line with the school’s objective, caters for their individual academic, sporting,
creative and musical needs. In responses to the pre-inspection questionnaire almost all parents and
most pupils agreed that there is suitable range of subjects.
3.6 In the EYFS, pupils build on experiences both inside and outside the classroom at a rate expected for
their age. They apply their knowledge and understanding with increasing success, for example using
their phonic knowledge to find the letters for other children’s names in the class. Children at this
stage quickly develop writing and vocabulary skills and an awareness of number, supported by the
small class sizes and individually planned activities, made possible by the leadership’s investment in
a generous level of teaching support. The most recent data provided by the school indicates that
during the EYFS children make progress that is overall in line with expectation compared with
national benchmarks.
3.7 Pupils grow their knowledge, skills and understanding at an appropriate rate. There is variation
between the different areas of learning. In Spanish, pupils successfully extracted key words and
information from a listening comprehension and replicated the words in writing. Junior school pupils
showed sound knowledge for their age and ability in history and geography. In an English lesson
more able senior school pupils showed a good understanding of Shakespearian sonnets, identifying
the key words in each line, justifying their choices, and discussing the aesthetic depiction of love. In
music, more able pupils of the same age expertly analysed the impact of music and sound on a scene
from The Lord of the Rings, speaking about the impact on emotions with advanced technical
vocabulary. On such occasions, teaching was unafraid to try and stretch pupils’ understanding and
allowed pupils to set the pace of their learning through group work. More frequently, in both the
junior and senior schools, teaching is one-paced, and because more able pupils seldom reach
planned extension activities of worth, they are unable to make the progress of which they are
capable. Although regular monitoring of lessons takes place, it does not routinely focus on the
achievement of pupils. SEND pupils receive excellent support and on the evidence of their
contributions, make progress at least in line with and often faster than other pupils. In the
questionnaires most pupils said that the teaching helps them to learn and make progress, and
teachers’ good knowledge of pupils’ strengths and relative weaknesses informs the copious help
given in lessons. The very large majority of pupils in the questionnaires stated that teaching helps
them to make progress and gives help if they have problems. Inspection evidence supports this view
in part. A small minority of pupils disagreed that marking helps them to improve. Scrutiny of written
work in both junior and senior schools shows some excellent examples of dialogue between teachers
and pupils, but also an over-emphasis on whole-class activity or copied notes, which impedes the
opportunity for pupils to develop their own thinking.
3.8 Pupils have excellent creative skills, particularly in art and design and music: younger senior school
pupils created accurate three-dimensional maps of India to contrast the geography of the Himalayas
and the Ganges delta, and the consequent impact of rising sea levels. Others showed good creative
skill in making sculptures inspired by Alberto Giacometti, sketching and then producing a range of
human postures that reflected strength and motion. The focus on basic techniques at a young age is
the foundation for the very high quality of painting and sculpture produced by GCSE pupils.
Portfolios contain informed analysis of a range of artists and media, for example, the influence of the
work of Gaudi studied on a school trip to Barcelona. Other work shows a strong command and
understanding and perspective and colour in the style of David Barnes’ landscapes. Younger pupils
sing with enthusiasm, and choral groups for older pupils successfully develop their mastery of
harmony.

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3.9 Data provided by the school show that cumulatively the progress made by pupils between the ends
of Reception and Year 6 is in line with other pupils who take similar tests nationally, and this
confirms observations in class and of pupils’ written work. The school’s leadership has already
recognised the need to further promote senior school pupils’ academic success by bringing more
sophistication and regularity to the use of data in analysing their progress. During the last three
years, about 90% of pupils’ GCSE examinations were graded A* to C or 9 to 4, compared to about
70% in all schools nationally. Data provided by the school suggest that these results are in line, or
sometimes just above, those expected for the ability of the pupils.
3.10 Pupils’ communication skills are good. The school’s leadership has already identified the need to
expand pupils’ general vocabulary and develop creative writing and inspection evidence confirms
the need to do so. Junior school pupils can use excellent descriptive language; in the EYFS pupils
spoke of ‘creeping into a dark castle’ and in a piece of writing from older junior school pupils opened
with ‘Neon lights rushed around me in a whirlwind of colour’. Data provided indicate that pupils of
this age make good progress in their reading levels. In the senior school, pupils advance their
speaking skills across a range of disciplines. They are successful in acquiring subject-specific
vocabulary at a high level and are able to speak with a degree of authority about their work. In
discussions many pupils conceded that they do not read beyond the set texts; teachers
acknowledged that this has a negative impact on pupils’ range of language. Pupils of all ages listen
attentively, and in formal interviews were quick to silence those who interrupted.
3.11 From a young age there is a strong and successful focus on learning tables: junior school pupils
showed excellent recall, and older pupils worked fast and accurately in timed tests. The school’s
leadership has already introduced more opportunities to problem solve. Their good record in the UK
Maths Challenge indicates that more able pupils develop excellent powers of numeracy and problem
solving and more able pupils confidently used Pythagoras’ theorem or derived empirical formulae
for hydrates. However, other pupils were observed to need individual prompting when encountering
more simple calculations.
3.12 When pupils use ICT, they show skills appropriate for their ages. Although teaching commonly draws
on ICT in lessons, pupils’ use is less frequent outside specific subject areas and their acquisition of
skills is thereby limited. The youngest pupils expertly constructed and sent a software presentation
reflecting through the choice of colour and font the seasons of the year, and the more creative
pupils ably selected apposite slide designs. Older pupils have generated a high quality personalised
video of a visit to Hadrian’s wall, and GCSE musicians confidently use specific software to create
compositions, for example a medieval style piece for choral performance.
3.13 The school has already identified approaches to strengthen and extend pupils’ critical approaches.
Pupils of all ages analyse text and video clips effectively, for example in drawing conclusions about
the characters in Of Mice and Men in the context of the historical period. From a young age, pupils
bring a scientific method to problems following encouragement in teaching, for example in
investigating how different shoes produce the frictional forces. Pupils are at ease when being led
through a consequential argument, for example in history tracing the reasons for the rise of the
gentry during the sixteenth century. They respond well to questions from teachers, but do not
commonly probe behind explanations they are given. Pupils are reticent to move beyond the factual
even though occasionally teaching plans tasks that would require interpretation and hypothesis. In
discussion pupils spoke enthusiastically about how the frequent overseas visits had underpinned
their knowledge and catalysed their interest in relevant academic study.
3.14 Individual pupils enjoy success typical for their age in a wide range of activity outside academic work.
A high proportion of pupils achieve silver and bronze level in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme
(DofE), with several being able to achieve gold level after they leave the school. A large number
achieve initial grades in external music and drama examinations, and several win local music
competitions. A few pupils have competed nationally in their own sports, and pupils regularly win
athletics and swimming medals in closed competitions for independent schools.

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3.15 The very youngest pupils learn quickly to work collaboratively. They have a keen will to succeed,
supported by calm environments and clearly understood expectations. Older pupils continue to
show positive attitudes towards their learning. They work well together in pairs and in small groups
in class, and there are good examples of pupils taking the initiative to request revision and extension
clubs and activities. Pupils with particular behavioural needs are well understood by staff, so that
their progress, and that of others, is supported. In the questionnaires, most pupils opined that they
are encouraged to think and learn for themselves, but inspection evidence shows that, in lessons,
they are highly dependent on the strong direction given by teaching. The school’s leadership rightly
has a key objective to promote through teaching more opportunities for pupils to take initiative in
their learning. Pupils’ written work is very well organised and completed with great care and pride.

The quality of the pupils’ personal development

3.16 The quality of the pupils’ personal development is good.
3.17 The high level of personal development of pupils as they move through the school reflects the
successful fulfilment of the aim to value, respect and nurture each individual. This is enhanced by
the school leadership’s accurate and analytical grasp of the strong areas, and those that need
attention. The investment in levels of staffing that ensure full support for each pupil, whatever his or
her need, results in pupils who develop an understanding of themselves appropriate for their age. In
discussions, those pupils with difficult educational histories were particularly forthright about the
confidence they have gained since joining the school, and the influence of the school’s ethos and
being part of a small environment. Others reported that they had learnt flexibility in an atmosphere
that focused on individual needs. All pupils develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-
confidence, self-discipline and resilience, so that they are well prepared for the next stage of their
lives in post-16 education.
3.18 From the earliest stage, children in EYFS quickly learn how to improve through informal
conversations. The youngest pupils said, ‘If work is really hard it is good because it is good to get
things wrong – it means you are learning.’ Junior school pupils identify errors that they have
repeatedly made, and in going through questions or evaluating a piece of writing become
increasingly confident in self-correcting. Pupils with SEND were able to explain answers and thinking
behind their answers to the whole class. Senior school pupils do not develop these decisive or
reflective qualities. The school’s leadership has already identified that too few pupils reflect on their
learning at the end of lessons or in their written work, and that many are anxious about making
decisions, and reluctant to acknowledge and meet their own challenges. Inspection evidence
supports this. Pupils commonly rely exclusively on teachers to guide and advise. Pupils were able to
relate questions about decision making to life away from academic study, and could see that they
develop skills in sport, the school council, the DofE award scheme. The youngest pupils are relaxed
about making choices, especially about with whom, with what, and where to play. A specific
‘decision-making table’ was the site of passionate negotiation about the rules of play-area games.
3.19 The ability of pupils at all stages to distinguish right from wrong, understand and respect systems of
rules and laws, and accept responsibility for their own behaviour, including towards others, is a
considerable strength. In discussions pupils were candid with themselves, each other, and inspectors
about their behaviour, and had unambiguously identified actions that they had taken. Almost all
parents and pupils responding to the questionnaire agreed that the school actively promotes good
behaviour. The youngest pupils are supported visually so that they have clear understanding of the
expectations in class. As they move through the school, pupils begin to develop an informed
approach to appropriate conduct. Older junior school pupils identified the core good behaviours in
the parable of the Good Samaritan, and older pupils focused on the conflicting decisions facing Irena
Sendler with the Polish underground movement in World War II. The accepted moral code is
strongly reflected in the way pupils respond to each other and in the empathy shown to pupils with
SEND by their peers.

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3.20 Pupils of all ages identify spiritual understanding with an awareness of others’ faiths but show
limited understanding of other examples of an appreciation of non-material aspects of life, whether
religious, philosophical or other. Pupils interviewed showed an assumption that such an
understanding would come solely through religious worship. During prayers the youngest children
were uninhibited in sharing their thoughts, thanking variously their families, the temple where they
worshipped or their ballet teacher. Older pupils showed sensitivity in creating letters written home
from soldiers in the First Word War and discussing the Dalai Lama’s ‘My religion is simple; my
religion is kindness’. Others showed it through their studies in art. The need for all pupils to take
time to reflect and think more widely has been identified, and the content and style of assemblies is
being reviewed: some pupils spoke positively about the impact on them of the ‘Mindfulness Minute’
where they were given the opportunity to reflect.
3.21 Pupils are socially aware and work effectively with others. In the questionnaires, almost all parents
agreed that the school develops strong teamwork and social skills, although the proportion of pupils
agreeing was lower. In discussions, pupils initially identified the question solely with team sports:
many cited as a positive example the approach to school netball as making them feel included.
Younger pupils move freely between activities, and collaborate well in for example, building models
or problem solving in mathematics. Pupils spoke enthusiastically of Friday activities as an
opportunity they valued to collaborate with other ages, others of the impact of the forensic
workshop and camping trips, and experiences in the trial woodland environment. During breaks and
lunchtimes pupils of all ages interact positively, and older pupils promote the welfare of younger
children. An ethos and atmosphere that reflects one seamless school, rather than junior and senior
sections sharing a site, helps underpin pupils’ evident strong loyalty and social awareness.
3.22 Pupils contribute positively to the lives of others within the school. The school council has
successfully initiated new ideas that benefit other pupils, for example the lunchtime use of the
library, instituting lost property monitors and friendship posts. Senior pupils take on responsibilities
with ease and fulfil them effectively. Pupils overcome the constraints of the school’s size and age
group to give strong help in the local community and wider society. They work collaboratively to
support local, national and international charities, particularly those that benefit other young
people. The school choir and other groups support local festivals in the town. However little of this
activity is initiated by pupils.
3.23 Pupils show very strong respect for and value the diversity within the school, honour and value their
own and other cultures, and demonstrate sensitivity and tolerance to those from different
backgrounds and traditions. Almost all pupils who responded to the questionnaires agreed that the
school encouraged them to respect other people. They show tangible sensitivity to those with
different physical and emotional needs. In lessons and during after school activities pupils work well
with each other, regardless of ethnic, gender or other difference. In history, male pupils brought
contemporary experience to a discussion about the challenges facing Elizabeth I as a female leader.
Pupils study the commonality and differences in world faiths at a level appropriate for their age.
Junior school pupils contrasted creation as described by the Old Testament and Hinduism, whilst
senior school written work included a sophisticated simulated interview with John Wycliffe.
3.24 Pupils have an excellent knowledge and understanding of how to stay safe, including when using
technology, and be physically and mentally healthy. They articulate strong views on what constitutes
a balanced diet and healthy food, and the need for regular exercise. Almost all spoke favourably
about the weekly mile walk completed by all pupils. The school has introduced several initiatives to
promote pupils’ mental well-being. As a result, pupils are well informed about the need for and what
constitute successful approaches to a balanced lifestyle, the pursuit of calmness, and the wisdom of
alerting adults if they feel under pressure.

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4. Inspection Evidence
4.1 The inspectors observed lessons, conducted formal interviews with pupils and examined samples of
pupils’ work. They held discussions with members of staff and with the proprietor, observed a
sample of the extra-curricular activities that occurred during the inspection period, and attended
house activities. Inspectors visited the facilities for the youngest pupils, together with the learning
support and educational resource areas. The responses of parents, staff and pupils to pre-inspection
questionnaires were analysed, and the inspectors examined curriculum and other documentation
made available by the school.

Inspectors
Mr Stephen Cole Reporting inspector
Miss Helen Newman Compliance team inspector (Head of human resources, HMC
school)
Mrs Emma Stanhope Team inspector (Head, IAPS school)
Mr Paul Vanni Team inspector (Head, ISA school)

© Independent Schools Inspectorate 2020 St John’s School – February 2020