What the inspectors say
The Royal School is celebrating yet again, this time with a glowing report from Ofsted for its boarding provision in October 2023.
As a state boarding school, The Royal is inspected by Ofsted who use the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for boarding as part of the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) to make a judgement and their opening remarks set the tone for a very impressive overall report:
Boarding is an integral and thriving part of the school community. A diverse mix of children form a community that is enriching for those involved and provides a good range of opportunities to develop their strengths and interests. A strong sense of belonging helps children to care for each other and take pride in their school and their achievements.
Pastoral care continues to be a strength of the school. Following on from receiving national recognition through awards and being used a case study on how to support vulnerable children. The inspectors noticed that ‘The boarding community has a strong sense of pastoral care’ and that ‘Staff are always on hand to care for children who need additional adult support. All children say that they are confident that staff will help them.’
In education, safeguarding underpins everything that we do as a school and it was noted that The arrangements to protect and keep children safe are good. Safeguarding practice is professional….Well-trained staff, together with a designated lead, understand safeguarding issues and procedures, ensuring that children are well protected. Any child protection concerns are immediately shared within the school and escalated as necessary to the appropriate local authority safeguarding hub.’
We are very lucky to have a committed staff team whose care and compassion for the boarders in their care was also highlighted – ‘Staff create strong links with children’s families and communicate well about any concerns they may have.’ and ‘Staff strongly promote and celebrate the uniqueness of all children.’
The leadership was seen as an area of strength, which staff, students and parents respond positively to ‘Ambitious and inspirational leadership is reflected in a culture of high expectation, in which all boarding staff strive to support and motivate children to achieve to the best of their ability. Leaders and managers are highly competent. Children respond to an ethos of high aspiration.’
The school is also going through a vast building programme and while the visit occurred during this time, health and safety was seen to be very well managed - Health and safety processes are robust, underpinned by detailed risk assessments which are updated to reflect changes in legislation.
While the report makes fantastic reading, much to the delight of the staff and students, there are areas to address which were fed back and the school has a plan in place to update the accommodation throughout the boarding houses and will respond to the other helpful recommendations within the report.