Inspection Report on Blundell's School
Full report available below the letter from our Chairman of Governors
4th March 2008
As Governors of Blundell's we are naturally proud of the School but we are also determined to keep it at the forefront of educational provision in the widest sense. The occasion of an ISI Inspection is therefore important not only for the Head Master and his staff but also for us as Governors. It provides us with objective judgement from experts as to how the School is performing in the various different fields of education. This helps us to assess the priorities for the future. I feel that it is important to share the results of this inspection with you as parents so that you too can feel fully informed as to how the School is progressing.
I have much pleasure in providing a link to the ISI report, below. In my view it makes extremely encouraging reading. The report contains many positive statements and conclusions about the School and the wider community. It is impossible to succinctly summarise a process which examines every element of the School so thoroughly; however there are some extremely important findings. As you will know we believe that at the heart of the School is the desire to provide a "whole" education and, very pleasingly, the Inspectors believe that Blundell's does this with considerable success. The Inspectors praised the pupils, their attainment and their personal qualities of friendship, tolerance, kindness and courtesy. They were also fully aware of the strong commitment of Common Room. The School was rated as "outstanding" in many areas e.g. leadership, social, spiritual, moral and cultural aspects, communication with parents and in relations between staff and pupils.
Prior to the inspection team arriving the Lead Inspector visited the School twice to make some initial assessments, one of which was that given the broad academic profile of the pupils entering Blundell's, the School should aspire to achieve academic success close to that of grammar schools. We were delighted that in the analysis we were found to be their academic equal, the report states "the School adds considerable academic value"; thus providing strong evidence of the progress in this area since the last inspection report in 2001.
The inspecting team took the time to understand Blundell's; the report therefore reflects their strongly felt belief that it is a rather special school, which draws out the best from its pupils. The pastoral system was found to be very strong; the spiritual, moral, social and cultural emphasis was highlighted by the team. They felt it was evident in all the pupils and staff do. They believe it greatly enriches the pupils' experiences and enhances their development. It was especially gratifying that they spoke so highly of the excellent relationships between staff and pupils which undoubtedly strengthens and supports the learning both in and outside the classroom. The academic initiatives begun since the last report are developing momentum, and this will continue to be a focus over the coming years.
There are aspects, of course which might be considered "work in progress": for example programmes to stretch the academically gifted, developing greater use of ICT and setting benchmarks for pupil attainment. In all these areas as the report recognises considerable progress has been made. Since the last inspection six years ago, both Mr Rivett and his successor Miss Jardine Young have been pushing ahead with specific academic programmes across the School. We have invested heavily in many areas which benefit the pupils' academic progression here and we will continue to do so. Eve Jardine Young continues to develop and implement strategies to stretch and inspire those pupils who are intellectually curious.
The state of the boarding houses has been brought to our attention. Over the past four years three of them have had a good facelift, but clearly we need to invest more heavily in these areas. The rise in boarding numbers has necessitated a full review of the accommodation in the school. The Head Master is exploring the various possibilities with the Governors. The necessary investment will be made in the near future.
Finally I want to reiterate the very positive comments made about the leadership of the School. This successful report is a tribute to the senior leadership team but in particular it is a tribute to the Head Master himself whose excellent work in driving the school forward, which we as Governors have seen at first hand, has now been recognised by the team of Inspectors as well.
Yours sincerely,
E D Fursdon MA (Oxon) FRICS FAAV Chairman of the Governors
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE - Inspection Report on Blundell's School