ICS London

School progress monitoring inspection report

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International Community School 9 November 2016 4 York Terrace, Regents Park, London NW1 4PT

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7, 7(a), 14, 16, 16(a) and 16(b).  An emergency inspection of the school took place in May 2016. In its subsequent action plan, the school indicated that it intended to update its risk assessment policy and procedures for the organising, vetting and leading of school trips and visits. It also stated that it intended to provide further information about staff roles and responsibilities in leading such field trips, including detailed guidance about the supervision of pupils. The May 2016 emergency inspection found that there were no formal systems in place to record and assess any additional risks associated with an overseas residential trip to India. The visit had taken place earlier in the year. Some specific risks that arose during the trip had not been clearly identified during the pre-visit risk assessment process. As a result, staff were not deployed effectively

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Main inspection findings

enough during the visit. The safety of staff and pupils was not therefore ensured. As a result, the school published its revised procedures for the risk assessment of all trips and visits on its website. A senior leader has been identified to provide leadership on this aspect of the school’s work. Over the summer, a group of five senior leaders attended specific risk-assessment training in organising school trips safely. An independent external health and safety consultant has been appointed. He has given advice on the design of a new risk-assessment form. This includes a new code of conduct for pupils. All pupils are now vetted, to ensure that their behaviour and maturity make them suitable to take part in school trips.  Similarly, the school has introduced much more robust vetting procedures for staff intending to lead trips. The school’s Global Classroom policy clearly spells out what is expected of staff and their responsibilities when they are leading or taking part in a

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Main inspection findings

school trip. All risk assessments are kept electronically and in one place. As a minimum, each trip now has risk assessments from the provider at the venue and the school’s trip leader, as well as one for each pupil intending to go on the trip. On the day of the inspection, the whole-school health and safety committee met and reviewed the policies and procedures relating to the risk assessment and safety of school trips.  A suitable safeguarding policy is published on the school’s website. It reflects the Secretary of State’s latest guidance, published by the Department for Education (DfE): ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (September 2016) and ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (March 2015).  All appointed staff have completed the required safeguarding training, including ‘Prevent’. This is a government training programme designed to help staff identify children who might be at risk of radicalisation.

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Main inspection findings

 The school meets the DfE’s requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school meets all the requirements for this part.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c).  Senior staff have a good knowledge and understanding of their role and responsibilities. They, together with the proprietor and governors, have been successful in addressing the remaining unmet parts of the standards that were highlighted at the emergency inspection in May 2016.  Senior staff provided the inspector with a range of evidence to show that the school has rigorous procedures in place to assess risk in any activities away from school, including overseas residential visits.  The leaders and governors have created a strong safeguarding ethos in the school. They take safeguarding very seriously, which is demonstrated by the very careful attention given to pupils’ safety and welfare.  The proprietor, board of directors and senior staff have ensured that the standards concerning the welfare, health and safety of pupils have been covered. As a result,

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Main inspection findings

they have ensured that all the relevant independent school standards are consistently met and that pupils’ welfare is safeguarded.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. These include the standards and requirements that the school was judged not to be complying with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

 Ensure that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school (paragraph 7, 7(a)).  Ensure that pupils are properly supervised through the appropriate deployment of school staff (paragraph 14).  Ensure that the welfare of pupils on school trips is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified (paragraph 16, 16(a), 16(b)).  Ensure that those with leadership and management responsibilities demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; that they fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and that they actively promote the well-being of pupils (paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b), 34(1)(c)).

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School details

Unique reference number 101171 DfE registration number 213/6304 Inspection number 10022712 This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, 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. Type of school International independent school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 3−18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 189 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 23 Proprietor Pierre Lansonneur Chair Ben Toettcher Headteacher Rose Threlfall Annual fees (day pupils) £17,750−£24,460 Telephone number 020 7935 1206 Website www.icschool.co.uk Email address primary@ics.uk.net Date of previous standard inspection 29 April −1 May 2014

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Information about this school

 The International Community School is an independent international school for pupils aged three to 18. The school opened in 1979 and is registered to admit up to 380 pupils. There are currently 189 pupils on roll. At the time of the last standard inspection in April 2014, its overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate.  The school is situated on three sites in central London, which are approximately a mile apart from one another.  Many pupils speak English as an additional language and a high proportion are foreign nationals. A small proportion have special educational needs and/or disabilities or an education, health and care plan.  The school’s curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate. There is a strong emphasis on the use of educational visits and additional experiences outside school to enrich the curriculum.  The school is run and managed by ICS Limited.  There were no responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View).

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of off-site training.  The school aims to develop ‘a community of compassionate, inspiring leaders and learners’.  The school’s first progress monitoring inspection took place in November 2014, when all the independent school standards were judged to be met. An emergency inspection took place in May 2016 following an anonymous complaint that a few independent school standards were not met. The school subsequently submitted an action plan, which was accepted by the DfE in September 2016. The purpose of this second progress monitoring inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards that were identified at the emergency inspection in May 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the school’s second progress monitoring inspection since its last full inspection in April 2014.  This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools and was carried out without notice.  The inspector was asked to report against the requirements contained within Parts 3 and 8 of the independent school standards.  The inspector held discussions with the senior staff and scrutinised a wide range of documentation related to safeguarding, child protection and health and safety.

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Inspection team

David Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 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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Inspection team

Parent View 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 and as part of the inspection. 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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Inspection team

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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-

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Inspection team

government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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