WISBECH: Inspectors give grammar school glowing report but says some areas need improvement

By ADAM LAZZARI WISBECH Grammar School received glowing praise in almost all aspects of a recent report, but inspectors did point out areas that need improvement. An 11-strong team from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which is monitored by the Offi

By ADAM LAZZARI

WISBECH Grammar School received glowing praise in almost all aspects of a recent report, but inspectors did point out areas that need improvement.

An 11-strong team from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which is monitored by the Office for Standards in Education, observed more than 70 lessons and concluded that the school meets all regulatory requirements.

The report, which follows an inspection in November, concludes that the school: "Provides a good quality of education to pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, particularly through the recent creation of a well-funded bursary scheme through a period of careful financial management."

Inspectors declared the broad curriculum is enhanced by a varied choice of activities in which senior sport features strongly.

There was high praise for the provision for the youngest pupils in the two reception classes at the junior school, Magdalene House.

The report, however, states that the standard of teaching is good overall but "in some lessons pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to develop high higher order thinking and independent learning skills and in others the most able pupils are not fully challenged."

It suggests the school should make use of rigorous monitoring of classroom practice to ensure that it provides more appropriate opportunities for both the most able pupils and the 53 pupils who have been identified as having some degree of learning difficulty or disability.

Inspectors pointed out that the school should review leadership and management at all levels to ensure that roles are clearly defined and those with leadership roles are given sufficient time to carry them out.

In a letter to parents, headmaster Nicholas Hammond wrote: "It is particularly gratifying to see that we achieved the level of good in all three areas of investigation. "Our quality of education, the quality of care and relationships, and the effectiveness of governance and leadership were seen as being good.