Rikkyo School-in-England

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

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils achieve well in a range of subjects. Effective teaching ensures that pupils make strong progress.  Pupils are ambitious and hard working. They have very positive attitudes to learning and their behaviour throughout the school is excellent.  The school’s extremely attractive, peaceful and safe environment makes a strong contribution to pupils’ learning and well-being. Pupils feel extremely safe in school.  Trustees are more knowledgeable about the school’s work than at the time of the previous inspection.  The school’s curriculum provides pupils with a rich and engaging learning experience. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education by the time they leave the school.  Senior leaders ensure that the independent standards are met in full.  Senior leaders have successfully reviewed, updated and improved the school’s work since the previous inspection. However, numerous staff changes have hampered the pace of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

development.  A recent shortage of teachers in some subjects has delayed curriculum development.  The quality of teaching has improved during the past year. Leaders rightly recognise the need to build on this good start by ensuring that teachers have more opportunities to share and learn from expertise, both in the school and in other schools.  Pupils are exceptionally polite when speaking to adults and to each other. However, they do not always have the skills necessary to express their ideas or to support their points of view confidently during discussions and debates.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Stabilise staffing and secure sufficiently high-quality teachers to fulfil the school’s curriculum.  Introduce more opportunities for teachers to share expertise and to learn from good practice with colleagues both in this school and in other schools.  Increase opportunities for pupils to develop debating skills.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher and his senior leadership team have improved the quality of teaching, strengthened safeguarding arrangements and extended the curriculum since the previous inspection. They are clear about the priorities for developments in the school and share the same aims and high aspirations for its future.  The headteacher and his senior leaders are committed and effective leaders. They work very well together and lead by example, setting the same high expectations for themselves as they do for staff and pupils.  Senior leaders make sure that the school complies with the independent school standards and with all statutory requirements.  Leaders and teachers keep a close check on pupils’ progress and outcomes. They provide parents with detailed and regular reports about their children’s achievement.  The school’s religious ethos underpins its daily work. Pupils listen carefully and thoughtfully during assemblies in the school’s chapel. For example, during the inspection

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

pupils quietly reflected on values such as fairness and equality in relation to their own experiences of school life.  The school’s high-quality sports and arts facilities make a strong contribution to pupils’ experience of school, to the standard of their work and to their achievement. For example, during a recent project on African art, pupils completed ceramics work of an exceptionally high standard while learning about African culture.  Leaders have improved the quality of careers advice since the previous inspection. For example, events such as a visit by the Japanese ambassador in London and talks about studying in different parts of the world have helped to broaden pupils’ ambitions. As a result, an increasing number of pupils choose to apply to universities in the United Kingdom and in other parts of the world, as well as Japan.  Leaders successfully combine learning in the school’s carefully structured curriculum with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

trips, events and extra-curricular activities. As a result, pupils enjoy school and achieve well, both academically and personally.  Senior leaders have extended the breadth of the school’s curriculum during the past year, introducing new subjects, such as home economics and world history, to enrich pupils’ learning further. Leaders have already appointed a number of teachers with the necessary subject knowledge and expertise to teach these newly introduced subjects. However, administrative difficulties beyond the school’s control have delayed teachers’ relocation from Japan to the United Kingdom. As a result, some subjects in the school’s curriculum remain untaught.  Good-quality guidance and training for teachers in the past year have contributed well to developments in teaching. Leaders now rightly plan to introduce more opportunities for teachers to work alongside colleagues in school, as well as with colleagues in other

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

schools, so that they can share ideas and improve their practice further.

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Governance

 The board of trustees has a sharper view of the school’s performance than at the time of the previous inspection. The introduction of activities such as visits to the school gives the trustees useful information about the school’s day-to-day work and helps them to check the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements.  The trustees meet with the headteacher regularly to review the school’s performance and to consider further development priorities. They make good use of the headteacher’s detailed and comprehensive reports to check and discuss the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders have made a number of improvements to the school premises since the previous inspection to strengthen safeguarding arrangements. For example, they have installed and updated signs to heighten pupils’ awareness of potential risks, such as the school ponds.  Leaders ensure that all areas of the school are clean, tidy and maintained to a good standard. Fire exits, evacuation procedures and assembly points are clearly indicated throughout the school.  The school’s safeguarding policy meets statutory requirements and is accessible to parents on the school’s website. The policy provides helpful information about staff roles and responsibilities in relation to pupils’ safety, and gives clear guidance about who to contact should a concern arise.  School leaders complete all necessary recruitment and suitability checks promptly. This ensures that members of staff have the appropriate experience and qualifications to carry

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Safeguarding

out their roles and responsibilities properly.  School leaders make sure that pupils can choose from a number of options if they would like to talk to an adult about any problems. For example, pupils who have a concern can opt to speak with the school’s chaplain, with one of the dormitory house parents, or with the qualified counsellor who regularly visits the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers plan interesting lessons so that pupils are attentive and engaged. Teachers successfully combine high expectations with sensitivity for pupils’ individual needs. Strong relationships between teachers and pupils ensure that lessons are calm, purposeful and good humoured.  Consistently effective mathematics teaching ensures that pupils make strong progress. Teachers set increasingly complex mathematical activities for pupils of all abilities, including the most able, so that pupils are encouraged to think hard and achieve well.  Teachers use questioning well during lessons to check pupils’ understanding and to encourage pupils to explain their answers. They keep a close eye on pupils’ learning and provide timely support for those pupils who need a bit of extra help.  The teaching of English equips pupils with competent speaking and writing skills. Teachers make sure that pupils regularly practise and improve their English language

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

skills during trips and visits, as well as in school.  Teachers regularly assess pupils’ progress over time. They keep detailed records of pupils’ achievement and use assessment effectively to review and to plan pupils’ learning.  In the past few months, leaders have responded to pupils’ requests for more opportunities to read for pleasure. Leaders have extended library opening times to enable pupils to borrow and read books more regularly. Events such as the recent ‘reading marathon’ are helping to give reading a higher profile in the school and are motivating pupils to read a wide range of books.  Confident art teaching ensures that pupils learn how to use a wide variety of materials and skills effectively.  A shortage of teachers in a small number of subjects, including world history, physical education and home economics, has hindered pupils’ progress and achievement in these curriculum areas.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils demonstrate very strong attitudes to learning. They value education and are keen to succeed.  Pupils arrive in the classroom punctually and well equipped with all they need to learn effectively. They lose no time in getting started when they arrive in the classroom.  Pupils treat adults and their classmates with great respect. They greet visitors with interest and are impeccably polite.  Pupils identify with the school’s strong sense of community and belonging. Positive relationships throughout the school ensure that pupils feel comfortable about talking to adults.  Pupils feel exceptionally safe in school. They understand that the school’s rules and procedures, such as the regular fire drills, help to keep them safe.  Pupils are aware of the risks associated with using the internet. They know that the

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Personal development and welfare

school’s internet rules help to keep them safe.  Pupils regularly participate in a wide range of sports, including football and table tennis, which contribute well to their physical and mental health.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils behave exceptionally well throughout the school day. They listen to their teachers attentively during lessons and behave responsibly when moving between classrooms and the school buildings. Pupils make sensible and mature choices about how to use their free time.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Effective teaching ensures that pupils achieve well. Pupils reap the benefits of their hard work and academic success when they leave the school, when almost all go on to study at a high-ranking university of their choice.  Pupils develop competent calculation skills and become self-assured mathematicians. For example, during the inspection, pupils used their knowledge of mathematics efficiently to tackle number problems of increasing complexity during a mathematics lesson.  Pupils study the biology International GCSE course in English. They learn the scientific skills needed to complete experiments and investigations successfully. Almost all pupils achieve a pass, and approximately a third achieve grade A to D. A small number of pupils achieve very high grades.  Pupils regularly practise reading, writing and speaking English during lessons and develop secure English language skills. Many speak English confidently. Trips and visits in the local

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Outcomes for pupils Good

area, as well as further afield, provide pupils with further opportunities to speak English and to hone their English skills generally.  Pupils learn how to use a variety of art materials skilfully, expressing their ideas through a wide range of artistic projects. For example, a recent project on African pottery gave pupils opportunities to develop drawing and ceramics skills while learning more about African culture. They often produce work of very high standard using a variety of techniques and materials sensitively and creatively.  The most able pupils enjoy the demands of the work set for them by their teachers. They tackle challenging tasks with interest and enthusiasm, thinking carefully about their work and the answers.  Effective teaching contributes well to the development of pupils’ Japanese language skills. Pupils learn how to analyse a range of books, including classic Japanese texts, confidently

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Outcomes for pupils Good

and efficiently. However, pupils have too few opportunities to develop speaking and debating skills as fully as they should, and some are reticent to express an opinion.

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School details

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.

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School details

School category Independent boarding school

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School details

Annual fees (boarders) £19,200 to £23,400

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–9 May 2014

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Information about this school

 Rikkyo School-in-England is a co-educational Anglican Christian secondary school. It was founded in 1972, primarily to serve the needs of children of Japanese families living and working away from home.  The school occupies a large rural site near Horsham in West Sussex.  The school teaches the Japanese national curriculum. It aims to provide a high-quality education which will enable pupils to achieve their ambitions of securing a place in high- ranking universities in Japan and in other parts of the world.  The school is registered with the Department for Education in England to admit a maximum of 190 pupils between the ages of 10 and 18 years. One hundred and fifty-nine pupils currently attend, all of whom are boarders. The families of approximately three quarters of the pupils live in Japan, with the remainder based in the United Kingdom and Europe.  The boarding provision was inspected most recently in May 2017. It was not inspected on

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Information about this school

this occasion.  No pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2017.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning during five lessons.  The inspection team analysed a range of pupils’ work and records of pupils’ achievement.  Inspectors toured the school and its classrooms at different points during the inspection with the headteacher and the bursar.  Inspectors spoke with leaders, staff and pupils during the inspection. They analysed 30 responses to the staff questionnaire and considered two responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.  The lead inspector had a telephone discussion with one of the school’s trustees.  Inspectors talked to pupils at different times during the inspection, including a more formal discussion with a small group of pupils, to gather their views of the school.  The inspection team reviewed a wide range of school documentation regarding the quality of education, safeguarding arrangements and the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.

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Information about this inspection

 Two Japanese-speaking linguists supported the inspection team during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Clementina Aina 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.

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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