Ofsted award Sherborne 'Outstanding School' Status

In early February a team of inspectors from Ofsted visited the school, in order to measure our boarding and pastoral care provision against the Key Standards of the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools.

We are delighted to announce that the lead inspector, whose report has just been published on the Ofsted website, pronounced Sherborne School an Outstanding School. This is the highest category of commendation that Ofsted can award.

The School was judged in six categories:

• Helping children to be healthy
• Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe
• Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do
• Helping children make a positive contribution
• Achieving economic wellbeing
• Organisation (including Equality and Diversity)

The lead inspector’s summary notes that Sherborne School “is a very efficiently managed school which provides a high quality boarding provision. Boys are offered a traditional boarding experience within an environment that provides great emphasis on the spiritual, moral and cultural development of each child. Individual needs are recognised and boys are very well supported. The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding throughout the standards inspected. Completed questionnaires from both boys and parents were generally very positive”.

In congratulating the boys, who are described by the lead inspector as “courteous, pleasant and polite” and the staff, who had worked so hard to prepare for this rigorous inspection, the Headmaster singled out Michael Weston, Deputy Head (Pastoral), because he was described by the inspection team as “the best and most efficient pastoral leader” they had come across.

To read the full report, see the downloadable pdf in the downloads section in the MediaPlayer above.

Posted: Monday, March 9, 2009