MAIN FINDINGS

Overall Summary
 

The Royal School is a very friendly, inclusive multi-cultural community, based on its members’ mutual regard and their genuine desire to be of help to others.  It provides a secure, caring environment, in which girls from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds are helped to develop to their full potential.  Pupils achieve above average standards academically for their age and abilities in an atmosphere free from intense pressure.  Much of the teaching has pace and variety, challenging all pupils to work to their full potential, but not all teaching is so responsive to pupils’ needs.  The main school library is inadequate to support pupils’ learning effectively.

The school has many strengths; outstanding amongst these are the following:

·           The school lives up to its aim of promoting strong personal, moral and social development amongst its pupils.

·           The level of care and support provided for pupils is very good and enables them to achieve to their potential.

·           The arrangements for the welfare and safety of the pupils are highly efficient and effective.

·           The quality of education provided and the educational standards achieved in the Foundation Stage are excellent.

·           The quality of teaching is at times inspirational, as was observed in the Senior School in art, history and drama and in the Junior School in music, science and throughout the Foundation Stage.

·           Resolute and dedicated leadership has created an ethos and sense of purpose in the school, which has enabled it to adapt successfully to its evolving role.

The school’s strengths significantly outweigh its weaknesses, but the following areas need to be improved:

·           Lack of coordination amongst middle management, particularly with regard to educational planning and the monitoring of teaching and learning, leads to some inconsistency of educational provision for the pupils and a lack of pace and challenge in a small proportion of lessons.

·           The main school library is inadequate to support effectively pupils’ attainment, progress and quality of learning.

·           The provision and accessibility of resources for information and communication technology (ICT) are insufficient to reinforce pupils’ learning and progress across the curriculum.

Standards of attainment and progress achieved by pupils in the Senior School are satisfactory in relation to their ages and abilities in Years 7-9 and good in Years 10-13.  Over the last three years pupils’ average performance in public examinations at 16 and 18 has generally been above or well above the national average for girls in all maintained schools, a good level of achievement in relation to their age and abilities.  Pupils make sound, and often good, progress in lessons and in work scrutinized.  However in a small proportion of lessons the lack of challenge limits the progress made by pupils, especially those of higher ability.  Pupils with SEN and those with EAL generally make good progress.

Next Page.....