Garden House School ISI Report - Flipbook - Page 9
Educational Quality Inspection
9
Pupils develop a sense of wonder and reflection from a very young age; their spiritual
understanding is excellent and they show a clear awareness and appreciation of the world around
them.
Recommendation
3.3
The school is advised to make the following improvements:
Ensure that pupils of all ages and abilities achieve high levels of independence in their learning
through the provision of opportunities to develop their skills and take leadership in their learning
across all subjects.
The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements
3.4
The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent.
3.5
Pupils’ communication is excellent and the leadership and staff ensure this is a strength of the school,
by giving a range of opportunities and by setting high expectations for pupils to develop their skills in
this area. Pupils speak confidently in public and benefit from the opportunity to practise and hone
their skills in the new drama and debating room supported by the proprietors. Pupils discuss a range
of topics with depth and eloquence, developing their skills extremely well when working in
collaboration with others. Pupils speak confidently, informatively and passionately about their
learning, as observed in a Year 3 lesson where pupils spoke articulately when exploring segregation
following a study of Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech. They display a wide-ranging
vocabulary and can use subject associated and advanced terminology in context during lessons and in
interview. This was observed in a debating session where pupils argued and counter-argued
effectively, showing reasoning and logic in a classroom environment based on a culture of listening
and respect. Pupils respond to complex instructions from an early age as seen in Nursery where
children follow the example of their teachers in listening attentively to others. Older children in the
EYFS spoke confidently when leading an assembly, using language effectively to reflect their
understanding of the world around them and to express their appreciation of the non-material aspects
of life. Pupils write effectively for a number of purposes, such as in a Year 5 English lesson where pupils
wrote highly persuasive newspaper articles reporting a Viking attack.
3.6
Pupils of all ages and abilities achieve excellent levels of knowledge, skills and understanding,
developing skills over time in a wide range of subjects. Pupils apply skills, knowledge and
understanding effectively across the curriculum, as seen clearly in a Year 4 humanities lesson where
pupils used high level English skills to write informatively about the ancient Greeks and in Year 6 where
they used advanced note-taking skills when looking at the impact of climate change on polar regions.
This excellent ability to transfer skills between subjects is due to high-quality teaching, characterised
by clear instructions. Pupils show advanced levels of understanding as seen in Year 2, where they
expertly used artistic appreciation skills when creating observational drawings of pumpkins and in an
English lesson where pupils used their knowledge of the plague to write interesting and lively
newspaper articles. They move rapidly through demanding tasks in lessons when the challenges are
matched appropriately to the capabilities of the pupils.
3.7
Pupils of all ages and abilities make excellent progress over time, particularly in English and science,
supported by comprehensive systems for analysing standardised data, tracking attainment, adapting
plans and implementing individualised support and additional activities, which are clearly
communicated to all staff. Pupils benefit greatly from being given personal targets and their outcomes
during lessons and over time are high, due to the clear monitoring by the school leadership team of
teaching’s use of data results. Those with SEND or EAL make excellent progress as they are extremely
well-supported by experienced specialist help and teaching assistants. Children in the EYFS achieve
extremely well and achievement is higher than the national average. The school does not take part in
© Independent Schools Inspectorate 2021
Garden House School – October 2021
