Ipswich School is pleased to announce that both the Senior School and Prep School have been judged as ‘Excellent’ by the Independent School Inspectorate – the highest possible grading.  

Added to the recent ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report for The Lodge Day Nursery, this means that the school is providing the top level of education and care for children from 3 months to 18 years.

The Senior School and Prep School, including the children aged 3-4 in the Lodge Day Nursery, were inspected by a team of ISI inspectors at the end of September this year. The inspectors found that on the quality measures they judge – the quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements, and the quality of pupils’ personal development – both schools scored double ‘Excellent’ ratings.

Headmaster of Ipswich School, Nicholas Weaver, reflected on the latest news saying:

“We are absolutely delighted that the inspection reports for Ipswich School and Ipswich Prep provide independent verification of the excellent education and care that we are providing for children and young people.”

He added: “The inspectors looked at the outcomes for pupils, and what elements of the School help them to achieve so highly. They praised the engaging teaching across all subjects and noted that Ipswich School adds value to all. The co-curricular breadth was commended both for the opportunity offered and for its ability to build self-confidence and life skills. The inspectors also commented that effective pastoral support enables students to develop resilience and self-awareness.”

The report said: “These high standards are a reflection of the pupils’ exceptional attitudes to learning and of teaching characterised by strong subject knowledge and the use of excellent learning resources.” “Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning can be seen in classrooms and beyond. They collaborate to their mutual benefit and support one another in furthering their understanding.”

Claire Jackson, Head of Ipswich Prep, said: “The inspectors praised the pupil’s progress and attainment across the Prep and also noted the highly developed sense of moral responsibility and spiritual understanding that our children develop from the well-planned curriculum and strong pastoral care.  The positive attitudes of pupils towards their learning and the inclusive ethos of the school community were also commended.  We are all very proud that the efforts of our staff, the attitudes of our pupils and the support of our parents have been recognised.” 

The report said:  “The knowledge, skills and understanding of pupils develop strongly as they progress through the school, benefiting from excellent resources, a broad curriculum and highly supportive teaching.  Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning across all areas of the school. They are diligent and conscientious in their lessons and display an eager motivation to learn.” 

Each school had an area of development to work on. For the Senior School this was to build on the work already undertaken, to introduce more opportunities to enable all pupils to fully appreciate the importance of cultural, religious and gender diversity in the school and in wider society. This is already ongoing in the School, working in partnership with a number of outside agencies. The Prep School was advised to provide increased opportunities for pupils to work independently so that they can extend their academic understanding and study skills, even further.

As well as inspecting the quality of education, the inspectors also carried out a compliance inspection, to ensure that the school was meeting the required standards for things such as health and safety and the safeguarding of children. All the national standards were met.