In this section
Inspection Reports
In this section
The final inspection report from the Independent Schools Inspectorate has now been received and it gives me great pleasure to provide a copy of this report via the link at the foot of this page.
The report is overwhelmingly complimentary about the School and captures a huge amount that is positive about the environment that we all enjoy each and every day. The feedback of the report is split into three main sections: The Quality of Academic and Other Achievements, The Quality of Pupils’ Development, and The Effectiveness of Governance, Leadership and Management (denoted as sections 3, 4, and 5 of the report). Each of these headings is then broken down into further categories to give a total of eight aspects of school life that were assessed by the inspection team. The inspection team are able to grade each of these eight sections as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sound’, or ‘unsatisfactory’. In every single one of these aspects, King Henry VIII School was found to be ‘excellent’. This is a phenomenal achievement, of which the school is very proud. I am not aware of any other independent school in the local area that can boast the same feat.
In addition, the words used by the inspection team in describing the school are extremely gratifying. For example, the report states, ‘The school fully meets its aims of creating a happy learning environment, informed by tolerance and mutual respect’, and ‘Staff understand the pupils as individuals and provide them with effective guidance and support’. Particularly pleasing is the statement that we have, ‘met the recommendation of the previous inspection to develop further the range of teaching initiatives with the aim of raising all teaching to the level of the best’. I know that an important part of parents’ choice of secondary school is making sure that their children will be able to achieve the very best that they can, and it is satisfying to note that the inspection team found that, ‘The School is highly successful in meeting its aim to enable all pupils to achieve their potential’.
Of course, like any forward thinking institution, we should always reflect carefully on areas where we might improve and we will be considering ways in which we can meet the only recommendation that the inspection team made: ‘To raise the frequency and quality of marking to the standard of the best’. This will now form part of our School Development Plan moving forward.
I do recommend that you take the time to fully read the report. Success such as that highlighted by the inspectors does not happen overnight and is not limited to the week of inspection. We strive to meet our aims consistently and provide a broad education of the highest quality each and every day. Staff and students have worked really hard over a sustained period of time to achieve this very high level, both inside and outside the classroom, and have put the school into the position of real strength that we currently enjoy. My thanks go to all of those involved in contributing to this triumph, and to the staff in particular, for all of their commitment and effort.
The school will be looking at various ways to celebrate the report in the coming weeks and months. The accolade of achieving excellence in every single aspect of school life is a rare accomplishment. Please feel free to share the report, and our success, with anyone who you feel might be interested. It is something worth ‘shouting about’.
Jason Slack
Headmaster
King Henry VIII School Inspection Report 2016
King Henry VIII School Regulatory Compliance Inspection 2019
King Henry VIII Preparatory School ISI Report 2016
King Henry VIII Preparatory School Regulatory Compliance Inspection 2019
