Head: Mr William Brierly
T 01372 467841
F 01372 471109
E seniorschoolenqui…mont.surrey.sch.uk
An independent school for boys and girls aged from 2 to 18.
Boarding: No
Local authority: Surrey
Pupils: 777
Religion: Christian Science
Fees: Fees: £2,280 - £17,670 pa
EDUCATIONAL QUALITY INSPECTION
CLAREMONT FAN COURT FAN SCHOOL
JANUARY 2017
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School |
Claremont Fan Court School |
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DfE number |
936/6032 |
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Registered charity number |
274664 |
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Address |
Claremont Fan Court School Claremont Drive Esher Surrey KT10 9LY |
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Telephone number |
01372 473611 |
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Email address |
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Headmaster |
Mr Jonathan Insall-Reid |
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Chair of governors |
Mr Gordon Hunt |
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Age range |
2 Y to 18 |
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Number of pupils on roll |
778 |
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Boys 459 Girls |
319 |
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EYFS 69 Prep |
248 |
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Seniors 374 Sixth Form |
87 |
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Inspection dates |
25 to 26 January 2017 |
The registration authority for independent schools is the Department for Education (DfE), which directs inspection according to a specified frequency or at any time where the DfE has particular concerns about a school. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is the body approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of inspecting schools which are, or whose heads are, in membership of the associations which form the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and reporting on the extent to which they meet the Independent School Standards (‘the standards') in the Schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.
All association independent schools will have an inspection within three years from April 2016, in accordance with the Framework and DfE requirements. The inspection may be of COMPLIANCE ONLY or a combined inspection of EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AND COMPLIANCE depending on a number of factors, including findings from their most recent inspection. Schools judged not to meet the standards following their inspection may also be subject to a progress monitoring visit before their next routine inspection. The progress monitoring visit will judge whether the school has taken the necessary action to meet any un-met standards identified at their previous inspection.
Inspections do not include matters that are outside of the regulatory framework described above, such as: an exhaustive health and safety audit; compliance with data protection requirements; an indepth examination of the structural condition of the school, its services or other physical features; contractual arrangements with parents; an investigation of the financial viability of the school or its accounting procedures.
The inspection was also carried out under the arrangements of the ISC Associations for the maintenance and improvement of the quality of their membership.
This is an EDUCATIONAL QUALITY inspection, reporting on the quality of the school's work. It focuses on the two key outcomes:
- The achievement of the pupils, including their academic development, and
- The personal development of the pupils.
Since the school was last inspected, the framework for inspection has changed. The current inspection framework uses different criteria and arrangements for grading from those used in previous inspection frameworks. The judgements made on this inspection are, therefore, not directly comparable to judgements made on previous inspections.
Inspectors may be aware of individual safeguarding concerns, allegations and complaints as part of the inspection process. Such matters will not usually be referred to specifically in the published report but will have been considered by the team in reaching its judgements.
All inspections of independent schools in England are conducted according to the requirements of the Independent School Standards Regulations. However, different inspectorates apply different frameworks that are suited to the different types of schools they inspect. The ISI terminology reflects quality judgements that are at least equivalent to those used by the national inspectorate, Ofsted. ISI reports do not provide a single overarching judgement for the school but instead give a clear judgement about key outcomes for pupils and information on the quality of the school's work.
The headline judgements must include one of the ISI descriptors ‘excellent', ‘good', ‘sound' or ‘unsatisfactory'.
The inspectors observed lessons, conducted formal interviews with pupils and examined samples of pupils' work. They held discussions with members of staff and with the chair of governors, observed a sample of the extra-curricular activities that occurred during the inspection period, and attended form meetings and assemblies. Inspectors visited the facilities for the youngest pupils, together with the learning support department. The responses of parents and pupils to pre-inspection questionnaires were analysed, and the inspectors examined curriculum and other documentation made available by the school.
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Mr Alistair Telfer |
Reporting inspector |
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Miss Claire Corkran |
Team inspector (Head, IAPS school) |
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Mrs Annie McNeile |
Team inspector (Head of Pre-prep, IAPS school) |
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Mr John Cox |
Team inspector (Head of Department, HMC school) |
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Mr Richard Dain |
Team inspector (Deputy Head, HMC school) |
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Mr Gareth Price |
Team inspector (Former Head, Society of Heads school) |
1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About the school
What the school seeks to do
About the pupils
Recommendations from previous inspections
2 KEY FINDINGS
Recommendations
3 THE QUALITY OF THE PUPILS' ACADEMIC AND OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
4 THE QUALITY OF THE PUPILS' PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
1.1 Claremont Fan Court school is an independent day school for boys and girls between the ages of two and a half and eighteen. The school is a registered charity overseen by a board of governors.
1.2 The school is non-denominational but supports Christian values and welcomes pupils from all faiths and beliefs. Claremont was founded in 1920 as a girls' school for the daughters of Christian Scientists. Fan Court began as a boys' school, providing mainly for sons of Christian Scientists. The two schools amalgamated on the present site in 1978. Since the last inspection two new Pre-Prep classrooms have been converted from residential accommodation and a developed woodland area has been created for the EYFS and Years 1 and 2. Seven new science laboratories have been added. The school is sub-divided into pre-preparatory, which includes the EYFS and Years 1 and 2, the preparatory school for Years 3 to 6, and the senior school for Years 7 to 13.
1.3 The school aims to provide a breadth of educational, cultural, social and sporting opportunities and to develop fully the potential of each individual. It seeks to provide a safe, stimulating and caring environment where each pupil is empowered to gain a sense of self-worth and purpose by recognising their own talents and abilities, and to contribute to the community.
1.4 The school draws pupils from a wide catchment area in the south and west of London and the surrounding counties. Pupils come largely from professional and business families and from a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds that are representative of this catchment area. Nationally standardised test data provided by the school indicate that the ability of the pupils in the senior school, including the sixth form, is above average. Inspection evidence confirms this to be true also of pupils in the junior school, including the EYFS. The school has identified 99 pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); of these, 76 receive additional support. One pupil has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, for a physical impairment. There are 89 pupils who have English as an additional language, including a number who speak another language at home but consider English as their first language. Of the total, seven require and receive support for their English. The school has identified 177 of its pupils as highly academically able or as having a particular talent. Teachers make provision for them in their lesson planning and extra-curricular activities.
1.5 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
1.6 The previous inspection of the school by ISI was an Interim inspection in March 2011. The recommendations from that inspection were:
• Improve the monitoring of pupils' performance in Years 3 to 6.
• Improve the quality of marking and assessment from Years 2 to 11 in order to emulate the best practice.
• In the EYFS, enhance the provision for outdoor play to facilitate its use in all weather conditions.
• In the EYFS, improve the free-flow activities so that children can develop their selfinitiated learning.
1.7 The school has fully met the recommendations to improve the monitoring of pupils in years 3 to 6, and in the EYFS to enhance the provision for outdoor play and the provision of free-flow play. Whilst the school has effectively addressed the quality of assessment through a fully implemented monitoring and tracking system, the quality of marking, in the Senior School, has not yet been fully addressed.
2.1 The quality of the pupils' academic and other achievements is excellent.
• Pupils are articulate and display excellent communication skills.
• Pupils show confidence in their learning and are prepared to take measured risks to increase their achievement.
• Pupils are ambitious learners, eager to make progress in response to challenging opportunities.
• Pupils show pride in their achievements in curricular and extra-curricular activities and celebrate in each other's success.
• Pupils are occasionally hampered in their progress when marking lacks sufficient meaningful guidance.
2.2 The quality of the pupils' personal development is excellent.
• Pupils develop excellent levels of confidence at all ages, and an exceptionally high level of understanding of how to progress supported by the strong personal, social, health and educational (PSHE) and other programmes.
• Pupils make informed choices, empowered and supported by their teachers.
• Pupils demonstrate high levels of empathy and tolerance towards others, and show a clear respect for different faiths and diversity.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent collaboration, in and out of lessons, which reflects the strong family ethos of the school.
2.3 The school is advised to make the following improvement:
• In the senior school, ensure all marking emulates best practice, giving clear guidance to pupils to enable further progress.
3.1 The quality of pupils' academic and other achievements is excellent.
3.2 Pupils are educated to a high level in accordance with the aim of the school to enable them to realise their full potential. They acquire excellent levels of knowledge and understanding in their lessons and demonstrate very high levels of performance and creativity in extra-curricular activities. In the years 2012 to 2015, the most recent three years for which comparative data is available, performance in GCSE and A level were above the national average for maintained schools. Results in International GCSE were higher than worldwide norms. These results demonstrate appropriate progress. Results in GCSE in 2016 show an increased number of pupils attaining grades at A* to C, demonstrating improved progress. The achievement of pupils in the sixth form enables most pupils to gain admission to their first choice of university, having benefited from the excellent support of the careers and university entrance department. At each level of the school the pupils display good progress relative to their starting points. Pupils now benefit from the improved and fully implemented assessment programme which helps them to know how well they are progressing. They make particularly rapid progress when tasks are matched to ability in classes which are grouped according to attainment.
3.3 Pupils are eager and ambitious learners in lessons, prepared to take risks, and respond positively to different styles of teaching and challenging opportunities when these are offered. Children in the EYFS show curiosity as learners. Pre-prep pupils enthusiastically took part in an organised science and technology day which furthered their skills in these curriculum areas. Pupils demonstrate a clear sense of purpose, moving quickly to lessons. They settle and show an eagerness to learn and be involved through questioning and discussion. For example, younger senior age pupils enquired reflectively as to why the European powers did not act to reduce the Nazi military forces which contravened the Versailles Treaty. Sixth-form pupils discussed different ways of portraying characters in ‘Hamlet' to excellent effect. Children in the EYFS demonstrate that they enjoy initiating their own activities in the enhanced outdoor activity area and the woodland trail. Pupils respond well to guidance in lessons but marking is not always meaningful and engaging in the senior school, as recommended by the previous inspection. This supports the view of a small minority of pupils in the pupil questionnaire responses who disagreed that marking helps them to improve.
3.4 Pupils are articulate and are able to use sophisticated language, as observed in a science lesson in Year 7, when investigating the properties of light, discussing refraction and dispersion. They read well and are attentive, apply knowledge in class and reason thoughtfully and logically. Year 1 pupils used laptops successfully to produce picture stories and design and make character puppets. Pupils demonstrate excellent numeracy, literacy and computer skills and apply them successfully, often with skills well above those expected for their age; for example, younger senior age pupils successfully used algorithms to solve a cube puzzle dexterously in under five minutes. In music, GCSE pupils produced sophisticated musical compositions using computer software and keyboards and a younger pupil worked enthusiastically in a lesson to produce successful pop songs. Active and lively discussion skills are wide-ranging and informed; for example, a Year 12 class discussed the consequences of the ending of apartheid in South Africa and in a religious study lesson younger senior age pupils discussed the use of laws related to the Beatitudes. In interviews, pupils expressed enthusiasm for being able to discuss and debate ideas freely in and out of class.
3.5 Pupils who receive SEND or EAL support progress especially well and are empowered to achieve standards in external examinations in line with their peers. They actively seek support from the teaching assistants in the preparatory and senior school through one-to-one and small group support, study support and booster groups provided in the EAL and SEND departments. Senior school pupils eagerly and actively make use of the intervention and clinic support provided by their teachers in break times and after school, recognising that this enhances their understanding and enables progress.
3.6 More able pupils progress in response to the provision of suitably challenging work in class and enrichment in extra-curricular activities. In the preparatory school, all pupils are inspired by and benefit from a specific programme in Years 5 and 6; in Years 3 and 4 they are stimulated by the ‘Explorers Club' which enables them to develop additional learning skills in a range of activities, including lateral thinking and coding. These provide supplementary vigour to personal development programmes. The ensuing portfolio contains details of achievements and progress, in and out of class, providing supporting evidence for pupil entry into the senior school.
3.7 Senior pupils achieve bronze and silver awards through participation in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and in the sixth form some pupils, through further endeavour, successfully attain the gold award scheme. In projects such as Young Enterprise, pupils employ the skill of independent learning developed within the school's PSHE and other programmes. Senior pupils have achieved awards in the Maths Olympiad. Suitable age-related clubs and activities allow pupils to participate successfully in the extra-curricular programme. Active and skilful participation in team sports results in success in local and national competitions; pupils enjoy the challenge of competitive sport and are supportive of each other in team and individual events.
3.8 Pupils achieve national awards in music and drama. Pupils avidly engage in musical activities such as an annual gospel choir workshop. Year 6 choral pupils successfully participated in a massed choirs event at the Royal Albert Hall. Pupils become confident public performers through involvement in theatre productions and have performed effectively in recent productions from cabaret to A Midsummer's Night Dream. A sensitive musical rehearsal for Just So was followed by the performance of excerpts during assembly which were received most enthusiastically by preparatory pupils. Pupils gain experience in theatre sound, lighting, stage and costume design with success. Parents and pupils agreed in the questionnaires, by a very large majority, that these opportunities greatly enhance pupil achievement.
4.2 Pupils of all ages show high levels of self-knowledge and an exceptionally high level of understanding of how to progress. They participate willingly in the effective personal tutor system, the setting of individual targets in academic and extra-curricular activities, half termly reviews and the high-quality reports. This is exemplified by the EYFS children enthusiastically using online software to begin their learning journey. Children show personal pride in the quality of their work, and their ability to complete tasks, inside and outside the classroom. Pupils throughout the school are not fearful of being wrong and do not judge this as failure but as a learning opportunity, in line with the school's ethos to encourage risk taking. They react positively to challenges and occasional setbacks and develop strong resilience. Pupils greatly appreciate and successfully respond to the choices open to them at the different key stages of their educational development. Children in the EYFS strengthen their resolve through challenging play and well-organised activities in their outdoor learning area.
4.3 Senior pupils are very well prepared to face the challenges of living and working in modern Britain through a strong provision of PSHE, careers guidance and health education. Junior and senior pupils make informed decisions regarding their extra-curricular choices, competitive sport involvement, and the sensible and productive use of their free time, with the support of their tutors and pastoral system. Senior pupils make competent choices regarding subject options to follow a chosen career pathway and sixth form pupils respond successfully to further guidance regarding suitable university courses, aided by a weekly careers lesson.
4.4 From the earliest years, pupils have a strong appreciation of the non-material aspects of life and participate actively in art, music and theatre in the lower and upper sections of the school. In the sixth form, they enhance their scholarship with the effective study of philosophy. Leadership and management regularly review this provision to ensure the widest range of opportunities, which are firmly appreciated and enjoyed by the pupils as reflected in their discussions at interview.
4.5 Pupils demonstrate an understanding that individual success is not the only factor in their development and that co-operation may well result in better outcomes. Pupils foster strong skills in working together as members of the school community, according to the school's aims. They begin in the EYFS, responding successfully to an emphasis on sharing and co-operative play. Throughout the school, pupils eagerly and successfully participate in careful planned group tasks in their lessons. In the preparatory school, pupils engaged actively in a project on the aspects of space; Year 9 pupils enthusiastically produced short drama performances and in Year 10, groups of pupils analysed poetry collaboratively. Out of class, pupils meet group challenges successfully, appreciating and sharing joint success through their participation in overseas language trips, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and, in the preparatory school, a residential programme. A genuine appreciation of how kindness makes for a better community is clear in the minds of the pupils. Pupils relish the opportunities of age-related responsibility such as membership of the preparatory school committee or the senior school council and, when older, the role of prefect. Year 11 monitors responsibly fulfil their additional role in the support and mentoring of younger peers during their transition or arrival into Year 7. They and the Prefect body provide outstanding role models to the school community. Pupils enthusiastically participate in the close links that provide direct support to many local groups through community service and charity sponsorship.
4.6 The pupils demonstrate high levels of empathy and tolerance towards others, respecting and valuing diversity. Pupils have an excellent appreciation of the wide range of cultures within the school. They also demonstrate a rich understanding of the key values that characterise modern Britain. In the EYFS and throughout the school pupils appreciate that cohesion rather than difference, is the key to tolerance. Pupils successfully acquire greater understanding of these characteristics through academic lessons, PSHE courses, and participation in assemblies and educational visits. Pupils exhibit respect for the school rules, and understand that an individual is responsible for his or her own actions. The school council provides a greatly appreciated forum for a pupil voice as well as contributing to fund-raising activities. In the preparatory school, a council of elected school communicators from Years 3 to 6 discusses issues and makes representation to the preparatory school head, most recently to change the flavour of the crisps provided in packed lunches. In PSHE, pupils effectively learn and understand the democratic process and experience the use of their vote; for example, pupils vote for house captains and school council representatives in the preparatory school. In a Claremont European vote, all pupils participated in a mock referendum, with hustings and voting. All pupils display excellent levels of behaviour and mutual respect as they purposefully move between lessons, at break times and when waiting for lessons. Peer respect is further reflected in the low levels of recorded bullying. Pupils actively support each other; in Year 13, all the pupils help monitor behaviour.
4.7 Pupils exhibit a strong understanding regarding their physical and mental wellbeing. They appreciate the need for a balanced approach to life, and participate in physical activities as well as their academic studies. They continue to develop the concept of risk taking with the support of the pastoral team, which includes support from a trained counsellor and a mindfulness programme. Pupils fully comprehend the benefits to the individual and to wider society of good diet and appropriate levels of exercise and pursue these. Pupils make informed choices from the high-quality school menu, about which they voiced great appreciation in discussion. They participate actively and enthusiastically in an extensive range of individual and team sports.
© Independent Schools Inspectorate 2017
January 2017