Rikkyo School-in-England

Rikkyo School-in-England Guildford Road, Rudgwick, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 3BE

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Achievement of students Good Quality of teaching Good Behaviour and safety of students Outstanding Leadership and management Good

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This is a good school

 Students make good progress in all areas of the Japanese National Curriculum and the large majority achieve their aim of gaining a place at the Japanese university of their choice.  Teachers make good use of the excellent curriculum and facilities to provide students with good opportunities to achieve in all subjects.  Students are exceptionally well behaved. They are courteous and thoughtful in the way they interact with visitors, staff members and with each other. They feel very safe in school.  The school’s leaders continue to support the teachers well, enabling them to provide a good quality of teaching which results in good achievement.  School leaders and managers have ensured that all the independent school regulations are met, an improvement since the last inspection, and that students’ well-being is effectively promoted.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Students’ progress is not always as rapid as it could be because there are too few opportunities for English conversation.  The provision of guidance about future career options and the range of information about other world cultures are not as thorough as they could be.  The school’s processes for making checks on students’ achievement and staff performance are not as rigorous and detailed as they could be.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets schedule 1 of The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended by The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out with a day’s notice. The inspectors observed 14 lessons. All lessons were jointly observed with a Japanese speaker, eight with an interpreter and six with members of the school’s senior leadership team.  With the assistance of an interpreter, the inspectors looked at students’ work and held meetings with the headteacher, staff members and students.  The inspectors looked at documentation including policy statements, schemes of work, teachers’ planning and records of students’ progress and of staff training.  The inspectors considered the response of 17 parents and carers who had completed Ofsted’s Parent View online questionnaire. Questionnaire responses from 54 staff were taken into account, as were students’ responses to the school’s annual student views survey.

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Inspection team

John Gush, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mike Phipps Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Rikkyo School is a co-educational Anglican Christian secondary school that was founded in 1972, primarily for the children of Japanese families living and working away from home.  It occupies a large rural site near Horsham in West Sussex.  The school teaches the Japanese National Curriculum and aims to provide a high quality of education that will enable students to secure entrance to high-ranking Japanese universities.  The school is registered with the Department for Education in England to admit a maximum of 175 students between the ages of 11 and 18 years; there are currently 66 boys and 90 girls attending, who are all boarders. The families of 81 students live in Japan with the remainder based in the United Kingdom and across Europe and Asia.  There are no students with a statement of special educational needs.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The last school inspection by Ofsted took place in October 2010. The boarding provision was

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Information about this school

most recently inspected in January 2014 and was not inspected on this occasion.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, by carrying out sharper checks on students’ achievement and staff performance.  Improve students' learning and rates of progress by ensuring that they have sufficient opportunities to practise and extend their English language skills.  Extend the range of information and advice offered to students about future options so that they learn more about university courses and options for employment.  Provide students with enhanced opportunities to broaden their knowledge and understanding of different cultures from around the world.

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Achievement of pupils Good

 Almost all students leaving the high school achieve well and reach their aim of gaining a place at a high-ranking university in Japan due to good teaching and a good range of subjects and courses. Students make good progress in the broad range of subjects they study for the university entrance examinations. Some take examinations in both arts-based and science-based courses, studying during evenings and weekends to gain the high marks required for entrance to the best universities.  In the middle school (age 12–15 years) students study the full Japanese curriculum. They also work towards an international qualification in science subjects, the iGCSE, and are taught in English. Despite the difficulties of taking this examination in a foreign language, a small number achieve very high grades and the majority pass with a grade C or D; a few who find the language barrier too big do less well.  Termly test results indicate that students in the primary classes (age 10–12 years) make good

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Achievement of pupils Good

progress in the full Japanese curriculum, which includes mathematics and Japanese, English, science, social studies, technology, art, music and religious education.  All students take part in daily English communication lessons. Their achievement in listening and reading English is measured by an international testing agency. In their listening skills, the majority are rated as ‘basic users’ of English while some progress to being ‘independent users’ and few to ‘proficient’. Students’ reading skills are not as good as their listening skills, but all make some progress. Although some outstanding teaching was seen, students’ progress is not as rapid as it might be because the opportunities they have for practising their English language skills are too limited.  Students take pride in what they do and written work is neat and well presented.  They learn to play a wide range of musical instruments in class-based music lessons, in

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Achievement of pupils Good

individual sessions after school and in some of the many after-school clubs that are organised by the students. The skills they gain are used to entertain a variety of audiences including other members of the school community, visitors from local villages and towns and residents in a nearby home for the elderly.  Neither inspectors or the school are aware of any significant difference between the performance of boys and girls in any of the subject areas. The most able and those who find learning more difficult do well.  Overall, students’ achievement is good rather than outstanding because high levels of attainment are not yet regular and sustained and because there remains room for improvement, especially in English speaking and listening and in the international GCSE results.

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Quality of teaching Good

 Teachers enable students to make good progress in all their National Curriculum and high school subjects because learning is mostly well planned so students learn and achieve well. Teachers know how well the students are progressing, for example, through the results of regular testing and through their responses in class. They provide help and encouragement; for example, many teachers work with individuals and groups of students after school and in the evenings. These actions provide students with the opportunity to extend their abilities and this helps them to make the good progress they do. Students receive good support from different adults.  Some teaching is outstanding and as a result students have opportunities to gain a very good grasp of difficult concepts. Students make excellent progress, for example, when they interact with their peers and the teacher. They attend carefully to the instructions given by teachers and

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Quality of teaching Good

make steady, good progress. In a very small minority of lessons teachers are not always fully aware of the abilities of students and so do not support them effectively enough and progress rates are slow.  Teachers throughout the school have high expectations of students. They use their subject knowledge well to provide expert instruction and to encourage students to learn. Students say that they enjoy and benefit from their lessons. Some, however, would like more variety in learning activities provided and more opportunities to talk about their learning, especially in English language classes. Nonetheless, they say that teachers make it clear to them what they need to do to improve their progress, through comments in marking, in lessons and in extra sessions after school when these are required.  Teachers and students have the advantage of working with an excellent, broad-based and well- balanced curriculum, enabling students to experience a wide range of areas of learning. As well

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Quality of teaching Good

as all the subjects of the Japanese curriculum and the additional range of courses in English as a foreign language, students take part in sessions in personal, social and health education (PHSE). This introduces them well to such issues as health and disease, drug and alcohol awareness and effective methods to manage frustration and stress.  Students receive guidance about university courses that are available in Japan, and the careers they could work towards. Although teachers provide a range of booklets and information, students say that they would like more information about the options open to them.  Information and communication technology (ICT) is used carefully, although not extensively, throughout the school to supplement learning across the full range of subjects and in a manner that is consistent with the Japanese curriculum. Each class group has dedicated time in the computer suite for subject teaching and students have the opportunity to use it for individual

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Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 Students behave exceptionally well both in their lessons and around the school. They are consistently polite, courteous and thoughtful in the way they interact with visitors, teachers and each other. They conduct themselves with dignity during the daily assembly in the school chapel and they are on time and prepared at the start of every lesson.  In the dining room the whole school eats together and students sit in mixed-age groups. The atmosphere is orderly and sociable. The older students help those who are younger or new to the school to adhere to the school’s very high expectations. The respect with which all members of the school’s community treat one another provides students with the best possible opportunities for learning and personal development.  In lessons, students are well motivated and keen to learn. They listen attentively and comply quickly with their teacher’s instructions.  Students say that they feel safe in school. They appreciate and benefit from effective, if almost

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Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

imperceptible, supervision provided by staff. They know that they have regular access to advice and support for any personal or academic concerns from their form tutor and from the school’s very well-staffed care team. They learn to care for themselves in PSHE lessons and from the regular messages delivered during assemblies by the school’s chaplain and by the Japanese nurse. All safeguarding procedures are in place and fully implemented.  One student explained why bullying does not occur at the school. She said that the atmosphere of mutual respect that is promoted by the school helps students understand and accept that people are different from one another. Observation of an energetic physical education lesson confirmed this view. A large group of students of mixed age and gender were practising the skill of baton passing in relay races. Students accepted and celebrated the achievement of those who

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Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

were clumsy and slow as well as those whose grace and speed in their movements enabled them to make rapid progress in developing these skills.  Students’ spiritual and moral development is supported by the school’s strongly promoted Christian ethos. They develop as self-confident individuals, aware of their own capacities and equally willing to help others, for example, through fund raising for local and international charities. They are well placed to understand cultural difference and actively learn about and experience the difference between Japanese and English cultural attitudes. Nonetheless, although they learn about other religions in religious education lessons, their knowledge of different world cultures is not as broad as it could be.  Regular social studies lessons provide students with very good opportunities to learn about English institutions and services. This is extended by regular surveys carried out in the local area

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Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

and by their annual week-long stay with an English host family.  Students are aware of the school’s policy that partisan views must not be promoted and that whenever political issues are raised balanced views should be expressed.

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Leadership and management Good

 The school is well led by the headteacher and his team of senior leaders and department heads. Teachers evaluate their own performance each term and the deputy headteacher and heads of department carry out regular lesson observations. In addition, an annual survey of students’ views about the effectiveness of lessons and teaching is held to inform teachers about students’ experience of their lessons.  The result of these procedures is that teachers and managers are broadly aware of the quality of teaching and student progress that is achieved. However, the school’s procedures for gaining a view about how well students and staff are doing are not as sharp as they could be. As a result, leaders have not been able to make all the changes necessary to raise achievement from good, as it was at the past inspection, to outstanding.  The Board of Trustees meets termly in Japan. Members of the board provide valuable support

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Leadership and management Good

both in financial terms and in scrutinising the headteacher’s detailed termly reports of the school’s performance. They have a good grasp of information on the quality of teaching, standards, staff appraisal and rewards.  All of the regulations for independent schools are met. This improvement since the previous inspection is a result of effective management by school leaders. Students’ safety is assured by rigorously implemented policies for safe recruitment of staff and for child protection. All the required checks are made to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and recorded on the required central record.  Staff members receive thorough induction training when they start at the school in areas including child protection, fire safety and first aid and this training is refreshed annually. The school’s designated safeguarding lead and his deputy regularly update their advanced-level

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Leadership and management Good

training in child protection. Thorough and well-implemented fire safety and health and safety policies promote students well-being. Health and safety risks, including those posed to students on trips and visits away from the school, are thoroughly assessed and mitigated.  The proprietor has made available an excellent range of buildings and facilities for the school. Specialist teaching resources for science, music and physical education complement spacious and well-resourced classrooms. These facilities, including the computer suite, are well used by students to enhance their opportunities for learning and progress.  A good range of useful information about the school is provided through termly newsletters, in the school’s prospectus and on its website. This enables parents, carers and others to have access to the information they need to stay in touch with the school. Informative reports about

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Leadership and management Good

students’ progress are made available to parents and carers each term.

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Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Non-association independent school inspection handbook which is published on the Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/140053 .

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School details

Unique reference number 126132 Social care unique reference number SC014681 Inspection number 446181 DfE registration number 938/6188 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Type of school Japanese secondary school School status Independent boarding school Age range of pupils 10–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 156 Number of part time pupils 0 Number of boarders on roll 156 Proprietor Rikkyo School in England Trust Chair Jun Itoigawa Headteacher Roger Munechika Date of previous school inspection October 2010 Annual fees (boarders) £17,400, £20,700 or £21,900 depending on age Telephone number 01403 822107 Email address moorhead.rikkyo@yahoo.co.uk guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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