Ofsted Report 2011

During their Team meetings, attended by Mr Booth and Mr Ferguson, Inspectors said that they found that;
- the quality of teaching across the School is ‘GOOD’;
- the range of courses to meet the needs of all students is ‘GOOD’;
- the work supporting students with particular needs is ‘GOOD’;
- the School’s leadership and management is highly ‘principled’ and has a ‘strong vision’;
- literacy across the School is ‘GOOD’;
- numeracy is ‘VERY GOOD’;
- progress in Years 7 - 9 places the school in the TOP 25% of schools nationally;
- the current Year 11 are set to achieve GCSE results in the TOP 25% of schools or better;
- progress in Years 12 and 13 from GCSE to A level is ‘OUTSTANDING’, as were all aspects of the sixth form;
- pupils’ conduct is generally ‘IMPRESSIVE’ – ‘co-operative, respectful, caring’, with only isolated incidents of inattentiveness observed;
- there is ‘sound practice’ in students’ social, moral, cultural and spiritual development;
- the experience for boarders is ‘GOOD’, with the buildings, including their accommodation,  ‘OUTSTANDING’.

Despite all this, that the 2010 GCSE results fell below expectations in a very small number subjects caused the Inspectors to grade the school not as ‘Good’, but as ‘Satisfactory’. It is worth noting that we are forecasting at least a 10 – 15% improvement in those subjects this year. We do feel that despite the Inspector’s assurance to the contrary, the finished report does not give a balanced view as the points above are not fully acknowledged. Our complaint to Ofsted to that effect has been submitted in the strongest terms.

Our inspection was part of a Pilot of a new national framework for inspections being put together at short notice. It will not be implemented for all schools until January 2012, by which time all the weaknesses in the framework discovered during the Pilot phase will have been resolved.  Obviously, for those of us in the first round of the Pilot inspections, it is not clear what those weaknesses with the inspection process are, yet the final judgements stand and are reported. It is clear that the Government’s requirements for each grade have been made even more stringent than before.  We are aware from our involvement in the national evaluation process that almost all schools anticipating a ‘good’ judgement have been rated ‘satisfactory’ under this new system so far.

Nevertheless, you might like to know that according to Ofsted’s own criteria, the  grades still mean that:
- pupils are generally learning well with no major weaknesses;
- pupils overwhelmingly respond to teachers’ direction;
- disruption to lessons is uncommon;
- the Headteacher and other key leaders have continued to improve the quality of teaching and learning;
- teachers have high expectations of all pupils and the teaching is consistently effective;
- teaching results in almost all pupils making better than expected progress.

We feel that the ‘satisfactory’ rating does not do justice to the quality of work being done day by day, year by year, by the staff and students of Shaftesbury School.  Ofsted have ‘raised the bar’ to drive up standards even further and we shall enthusiastically embrace that challenge in response to secure happy and successful outcomes for the young people whom we serve.

C. Brickell
Chair of Governors