Inspection Report - 29th January - 1st February 2007

I am delighted to share with you a copy of our ISI inspection report, hot off the press, which I am sure you will read with great interest. The report is overwhelmingly positive and captures very well the engaging spirit and sense of shared purpose at Ipswich High School. I commend it to you!

To read the full ISI Inspection Report click here, this will take you to the ISI website where you will need to click on the Reports menu.

You may find it illuminating to read our report and then dip into some other reports from other schools, to give you a better feel for the ISI style and tone. You will see that the inspectors are cautious in their choice of language and therefore we are especially delighted that they have been so glowing.

The report is divided into sections, each beginning with a whole school summary.  There then follows individual detail on the Junior School findings and Senior School. Whilst I am sure you will want to read the report in its entirety, I have provided a summary comment on the whole school from each section for you.

 1) The Quality of Education: 

The educational experience provided
“Both the junior and senior school give pupils a well-rounded education, meeting the school’s aims of combining academic excellence and curricular breadth. In the junior school, pupils are prepared well for their progress into the senior school and the senior school, in turn, prepares them to play a full part in the modern world.”

Pupil’s learning and achievements“
Pupils show a zest for learning that contributes to the high standards they achieve in both junior and senior schools. In addition to achieving academic excellence, the school succeeds well in its aims to promote an enthusiasm for learning that will last throughout life and to develop independent thought.”

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils
"The junior school makes an outstanding start on nurturing pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As they move to the senior school this ethos of support and care, coupled with the wide-ranging opportunities pupils enjoy, continues their development into confident, assured and caring young women with a well-developed appreciation of world issues.”

The quality of teaching
“Teaching is good in both parts of the school. This enables pupils to reach high standards in their learning, furthering the school’s aim of developing pupils’ potential to the full.”

2) The Quality of Care and Relationships

The quality of pastoral care and the welfare, health and safety of pupils
“The pastoral care of pupils is outstanding in both junior and senior schools, and based on exemplary relationships between pupils and staff.”

The quality of links with parents and the community
“Parents are highly satisfied with the standard of education both at the junior and senior school.”

3) The Effectiveness of Governance and Management

The quality of governance
“The school is well supported both by local governors and the Girls’ Day School Trust, enabling it to provide a high quality of education.”

The quality of leadership and management
“Strong and effective leadership provides the school with a clear sense of purpose. Leadership within both the senior and junior school has a clear educational vision for the future.”

The final section in the report focuses on ‘Next Steps’ for the school, essentially some pointers for the school to further enhance the educational and broader experience for our pupils. I’m pleased to say that the few recommendations they made are areas we had already identified as part of our ongoing self assessment and I can outline below our plans to implement them. 

At junior school level, we are well underway with our plans to introduce a more cohesive management structure to include coordinators for Key Stages 1 and 2. This new structure will support curriculum development and new initiatives, as well as looking at systems such as reports. We are taking active steps to develop involvement and engagement of parents and the community. This will continue to develop over the coming terms.

At senior school level, we have also looked at our management structure and have created a new Director of Development role with a brief to focus on educational and inspirational initiatives such as ‘thinking skills’.  We are confident that this role, combined with our wide-ranging curriculum review, will provide impetus for active learning at all levels.  Our restructuring at senior management level has also given us scope to allow more time and opportunity to focus on our arrangements and provision for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities.  We are building in opportunities to develop further curriculum links with the junior school, for example through dedicated staff study day time, as well as through the cross phase curriculum review.   

Overall I could not have wished for a better inspection report to start my headship at Ipswich High School. This report is a reflection of Valerie MacCuish’s strong leadership and the continued hard work of many talented staff. I am truly honoured to lead such an exceptional school and look forward to building on the incredible legacy I have been given.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely

Elaine Purves
Head