Hereford Cathedral School celebrates an excellent Inspection Report
03 Apr 2014
From Nursery to Sixth Form, pupils and staff at one of the area’s top independent schools are celebrating today after another very positive inspection report.
Following on from the outstanding review by the Good Schools Guide released in December 2013, inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate have concluded that both HerefordCathedralSchool and HerefordCathedralJuniorSchool are ‘excellent’ in every respect. The report also highlights the aims, success and achievements of the school, and confirms the high quality of education and the outstanding opportunities which the pupils receive.
Both reports judge the school as ‘excellent’ – the top mark on the ISI’s four point scale – in all of the headline categories, including the quality of academic and other achievements, the quality of the pupils’ personal development and the effectiveness of governance, leadership and management.
The inspectors found that the Junior School, including its Nursery, “is exceptionally successful in meeting its aims” and that “pupils’ success is the result of teaching of high quality within a broad and interesting curriculum, which includes many trips and talks from visitors, as well as the provision of a wide range of extra-curricular activities.” The Senior School and Sixth Form findings echo the results seen at the Junior School, stating that pupils “respond very effectively to excellent opportunities in the curriculum and activities, and to excellent teaching”, adding that “this results in good levels of progress, and excellent progress in the sixth form”, where “results at A level have been above the national average for maintained schools and above the national average for maintained selective schools”.
A particular strength of the School noted by the inspectors is the excellence of pupils’ personal development in terms of confidence, morality, cultural awareness and social responsibility. Inspectors also note excellence in the provision for both special educational needs and the more able at the School; the Junior School report states that “due to well-considered provision, pupils with SEND and those who are particularly able make good and often rapid progress in their learning” whilst the Senior School’s effective strategies help “those with SEND achieve consistently at similar levels to their peers through excellent support in and out of the class”.
Paul Smith, Headmaster of Hereford Cathedral School said,
“We are delighted that the hard work of pupils, staff and Governors has been acknowledged in these two ‘excellent’ ISI reports.”
“I have always had complete confidence and belief in the quality of education and the outstanding experience our pupils receive and it is fantastic that the inspection teams recognise, as I do, just how special HerefordCathedralSchool is.”
“We have come a long way since our last ISI inspection, improving year on year, meeting recommendations and exceeding our goals and aspirations. This report is a testament to all our hard work across the Junior and SeniorSchool. This report is also the start of another exciting chapter in the School’s rich history as we follow our School Development Plan and continue to offer the very best in the future.”