Ofsted and Performance

Ofsted visited our school on 21^st and 22^nd September this year.  I am pleased to report that Ofsted have graded our school as ‘good’ in all areas. The report is extremely positive and throughout OfSTED are complimentary about our school, our staff and our pupils, who were a credit to themselves and to their families during the inspection.

Ofsted say that Pupils work hard and achieve well, and that Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.  They are courteous to teachers and to visitors.   Informally our inspection team said that they had never been to a school where so many doors were held open for them and so many students greeted them politely in the corridors.  Our report adds that They (pupils) enjoy being part of a school where they can celebrate cultural difference. What a wonderful compliment!

The report confirms that teachers’ subject knowledge is strong, that across the curriculum, teachers identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and address any misconceptions and that teachers plan opportunities in lessons to revisit previous learning.  The inspection team add that students appreciate the advice and feedback given by teachers.  We were particularly pleased to see that Ofsted recognise that provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is strong.

As a school we have been working hard to ensure students have the higher order thinking skills needed to access top grades and to prepare them for life beyond the school gates.  Ofsted recognised this saying The curriculum is planned and taught to promote deep thinking and discussion among pupils. They also commented that Teachers encourage pupils to be independent in their learning, that In science, pupils enjoy frequent practical work and Pupils in the main school are well versed in reflecting on their work and discussing it with peers.  This helps them to identify their strengths and weaknesses and bring about self-improvement.

At GCSE 79% of results were Grade 7+ this academic year, and 99% of our students achieved the English Baccalaureate.  Similarly, attainment at A Level is very high with 53% of results at A*A grades and 76% of results achieving A*-B grades. We are extremely proud of the progress made by our students with a Progress 8 score of 0.88 achieved in 2019 which puts us significantly above the national average and in the highest 20% of all schools nationally.  This means an average that a student who attends ICHS will achieve nearly a grade higher in every subject than expected.