International Stanborough School

International Stanborough School Stanborough Park, Watford WD25 9JT

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Context of the inspection

 The Department for Education commissioned Ofsted to carry out a one-day education-only progress monitoring inspection.  The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate the progress that the school has made in meeting the education standards for independent schools that were unmet in the integrated standard inspection of education and boarding in October 2015.  Social care inspectors from Ofsted carried out a full inspection of boarding the week before this monitoring inspection.  Following the previous integrated inspection, school leaders and governors were required to submit an action plan to the Department for Education to address the education standards and the national minimum standards for boarding that were not met in the last inspection. The school submitted its action plan in January 2016.  The action plan was evaluated by Ofsted in February 2016 and was judged to require improvement. Planned actions to improve the admissions register, training of governors in

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Context of the inspection

safeguarding and weaknesses in leadership and management were not fit for purpose. In addition, there were weaknesses in planned actions for some of the national minimum standards for boarding schools.  The school updated its action plan, addressing all of the identified weaknesses in the original plan, and submitted it to the Department for Education in April 2016.  The inspectors observed teaching and learning in a range of subjects and looked at pupils’ written work. Records of pupils’ progress and attainment were examined. The inspectors met with the headteacher, the director of English as a foreign language, governors and pupils. The school’s policies, procedures and documentation for safeguarding its pupils and the admissions register were checked. The school’s records to check the quality of teaching and learning were seen.

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Main findings

 The previous inspection found that teachers did not plan their lessons well enough to meet the needs of individual international pupils and take into account their variable understanding of English. School leaders have carried out extensive, valuable work to introduce new systems and procedures to ensure that pupils acquire new knowledge and make progress, in all subjects, according to their ability and starting points.  When pupils first arrive at the school, their starting points in all subjects are carefully assessed. A variety of checks, including formal tests, self-evaluations and conversations with the director of English as a foreign language, establish their proficiency in speaking English. This provides Monitoring report: International Stanborough School, 21 June 2016 2 of 5

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Main findings

staff with a level of attainment for pupils on entry, on which to base future plans for pupils’ learning.  Written reports of pupils’ achievement in other subjects from their home countries are taken into account. This ensures that content in subjects other than English is not repeated and the level of challenge is usually high enough to ensure their good progress from their starting points.  School leaders have developed definitions for inadequate, expected, good and outstanding progress. In termly meetings involving staff who teach all subjects, each pupil’s achievement is assessed, evaluated and moderated against the criteria. The outcomes are summarised over time. In turn, this is discussed with pupils and the summaries are sent to parents in pupils’ home countries.  The extent to which teachers take account of information about pupils’ prior learning in planning their next steps is variable. In some subjects such as English and mathematics it is used

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Main findings

effectively and most pupils make good progress in lessons as a consequence. In history and geography it is much weaker.  Teachers implement the school’s marking policy. The effectiveness of the feedback in helping pupils to improve is variable across subjects. In English, it is exemplary, and pupils clearly take account of it in their future work. Pupils do not take much notice of the guidance they receive in geography, for example.  Overall, the school’s most recent assessment information shows that the majority of international pupils are now making good or better progress. Their achievement in history and geography is not as strong as it is in most other subjects.  Arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school are effective. The school’s single central register of recruitment checks on staff is now complete, ensuring that all staff who work with pupils are suitable to do so and that staff employed have the right to work

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Main findings

in the United Kingdom. Systems for managing allegations against staff and taking subsequent action quickly are robust. The school keeps careful records relating to safeguarding so that information can be retrieved easily. The headteacher ensures that staff are all trained to the right level and receive regular updates in response to the latest statutory guidance. This promotes a culture of shared responsibility for keeping pupils safe. The school contracts the local authority to undertake a full external audit of safeguarding and acts on action points raised. The school has published its safeguarding policy on its website.  The school has responded to all the areas requiring improvement identified in the previous inspection concerning health and safety. Leaders and governors have revised and implemented the health and safety policy that covers all of the required areas. Assessments of fire risks have

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Main findings

been considered and reviewed. Appropriate actions have been taken to reduce risk. The admissions register is kept in good order.  Consideration is given to potential hazards for pupils while participating in educational visits away from the school site. While the level of risk is evaluated, the forms completed for each trip are often too generic and lack sufficient detail about the particular needs of international pupils who may not be fluent speakers of English.  Leadership and management have been strengthened since the previous inspection. Leaders and governors have acted quickly and robustly to improve weaknesses raised in the previous inspection. They have ensured that all of the independent school standards are now met. Pupils are kept safe. The headteacher and the director of English as a foreign language are ensuring that pupils are making enough progress. They observe teaching and learning at first hand.

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Main findings

However, their notes and records of the observations are not sufficiently evaluative.  A full external review of the governing body’s effectiveness has been undertaken and governors have implemented an action plan to address weaknesses. Governors know the school well and monitor progress against actions in the school improvement plan through regular visits to the school.

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The school meets The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014

and associated requirements. Monitoring report: International Stanborough School, 21 June 2016 3 of 5

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Inspection team

Linda Killman, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Vanessa Love Ofsted Inspector

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Information about this school

 International Stanborough School is an independent faith day and boarding school in Watford.  The school operates within Stanborough School. Both schools are owned by the British Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and are open to pupils of all faiths or none.  The school aims to provide ‘a caring secure Christian environment which enables all pupils to reach their potential’ and do this by providing ‘a specialised but broad and balanced curriculum which promotes each pupil’s well-being’.  The International Stanborough School makes provision for pupils who come to the United Kingdom for a short time to learn to speak English as a foreign language. They stay for either a few weeks, mainly to develop their skills in speaking English, or for longer, sometimes as long as one year. Longer-term pupils are able to study alongside pupils in the Stanborough School with a full range of subjects and a full range of GCSE subjects to choose from.

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Information about this school

 The school offers provision for up to 70 boarding pupils.  The school and boarding provision was last inspected in October 2015.  The school does not use any alternative providers. It has no international pupils who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs or disability. Monitoring report: International Stanborough School, 21 June 2016 4 of 5

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School details

Unique reference number 134933 Inspection number 10018104 DfE registration number 919/6209

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School details

Type of school Secondary day and boarding school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 15 Number of part-time pupils 0 Number of boarders on roll 10 Proprietor British Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Chair Berton Samuel Headteacher Lorraine Dixon Date of previous school inspection 22 October 2015 Annual fees (day pupils) £10,350 Annual fees (boarders) £13,995 Telephone number 01923 673268 Email address ldixon@stanboroughpark.herts.sch.uk guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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School details

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School details

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School details

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

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