I S I Report 2013

[sejintenej]

This appears to give the school an excellent grade (except for where the inspectors mark above that); well done to all those concerned.

I do find at least two items somewhat insulting;
teaching standards are considered excellent and yet the Inspection Team demands that the school take steps to improve the teaching (item 2.6 on page 11). From their own words there is no better than "excellent"

assessment (marking) is in the best cases said to be "outstanding" and anything less than this is heavily criticised; the report fails to state whether such non-outstanding assessment is abyssmal or merely excellent. (3.17 on page 14)

It seems to me that the inspection team should do some contemplation of navels.

[jhopgood]

It seems to me that the inspection team should do some contemplation of navels.

Maybe the problem is that they were contemplating navels rather than getting on with some work.

[Martin]

This very recent report is something of which the whole CH establishment can rightly be very proud. It is available at http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/home/inspection/

For OBs of some decades ago what the Inspectors described indicates very many differences from ‘our’ CH and before reading the report I was unaware of many of these differences. For example in section 4.20 the following is said about monitors, “Year 12 pupils, who play a significant part in the running of their house, are greatly appreciated and respected by younger members.” Things have changed in 50 years. In my day some boys were promoted to be monitors solely by virtue of age and so some, for a variety of reasons, proved totally unsuitable for this status. But that admittedly was not common and the consequences (if any) depended on the housemaster and other monitors, who in turn all varied greatly. So this quoted sentence reports a change for the better. Other older Blues may also find observations of the Inspectors worthy of comment. And perhaps the youngest Blues can give an opinion on the report’s veracity in terms of their own experiences. Is it possible the Inspectors had wool pulled over their eyes? I hope not.

[postwarblue]

With regard to the teaching the report says some subjects are better ruin than others and effectively that in some subjects the subject head needs to pull his socks up.

In my day the grade for Boarding would have been 'Grim' and there would have been nothing to report on in respect of pastoral care and suppression of bullying.

[YadaYada]

Congratulations to all involved in the excellent grading.

Did any current parents receive a parent questionnaire?

In the state inspection system, parents are surveyed on their opinion of the school. I certainly wasn't even aware an inspection was going on.

[Goatherd]

There were several mentions of parents' views in the report. Here's one:
"Parents responding to the confidential pre-inspection questionnaire showed enthusiastic support and appreciation."

In my experience, the parents are chosen by the inspectors, not the school!

[pinkhebe]

Congratulations to all involved in the excellent grading.

Did any current parents receive a parent questionnaire?

In the state inspection system, parents are surveyed on their opinion of the school. I certainly wasn't even aware an inspection was going on.

I filled in a questionnaire! I think I was emailed.

[Foureyes]

I hate to pour cold water on this, but it is worth having a look at the ISI website and some of their other school inspection reports. In fact, 'excellent' looks like par for the course and I suspect that a school would have to be very bad indeed to get less.

[HowardH]

Foureyes
Such a comment is most unworthy. There are many staff, both teaching and non-teaching, who have put their heart and souls into the task of putting things right from the last report and worked tirelessly to see a marked improvement in our standing. Under the new guidelines "excellent" is the highest standard you can reach. Please give us some credit at least.

[ailurophile]

Well said Howard, and congratulations to all who have worked (and continue to work!) so hard to make CH an 'excellent' school.

That said, I was a little surprised at the fulsome tone of one or two of the report's findings. For example:

The school operates a comprehensive web-site with a specific area for current parents and a parents' portal which is well used.

Not being funny, but the inspection took place in November; I'm sure that it was not actually until December/January that the majority of parents were given a personal password enabling us to access the parents' portal. And as for the 'official' parents' Forum on the school's website... a quick look at that would have shown that as of the inspection date only four or five comments were visible, all of them voicing complaint at the fact that the school had 'archived off' all the earlier discussions for no apparent reason! It does make one wonder exactly what evidence the inspection team were given to support their finding that the parents' portal "is well used"?!!

But this is a minor quibble! I'm sure that overall the 'excellent' gradings were awarded as a result of a rigorous and impartial inspection process, and are very well deserved.

[Foureyes]

I note what Howard says. Were he to read my post carefully he would see - or I hope that he would see - that I am neither criticising anyone at Christ's Hospital, nor am I denying that people at the school worked hard. But I am saying that I have reservations about the way the report itself is written - the praise is so fulsome so often that one begins to wonder about the objectivity of the writers. As I said previously, I have read a number of reports on other schools and many of them seem to exhibit the same characteristics. It seems to me to be analagous to the public misgivings over school examination gradings - that if too many candidates score too highly too often it is the system itself that eventually comes into disrepute.
Incidentally, on a point of detail, as I read the ISI's current rules, the highest grading is "exceptional" in certain areas.
David

[HowardH]

"Were he to read my post carefully he would see" - I did! Let me point out that contrary to popular belief it is not easy to achieve high grades across the board. Hence the slight whiff of disgruntlement on my part!

[CHDad]

Well done to all the staff at CH and indeed the pupils themselves (I know my son was questioned by the inspectors). The school has been inspected and achieved an excellent rating across the board, one cannot ask for anymore!