AN independent school in Barton has been praised by education inspectors, but told to improve areas for its older pupils.
Durlston School’s governors and leaders were described by the Independent Schools Inspectorate as being able to “evaluate the impact of the school’s provision, methodically and take effective action designed to improve pupil’s outcomes.”
Teachers were congratulated on adapting to “meet the needs of different groups of pupils including those who have special educational needs, or disabilities”.
Durlston School has been told to make improvements
Staff at the Barton school were also said to “evaluate the impact of the school’s provision methodically and take effective actions designed to improve pupils’ outcomes.”
But they were also criticised for “not always” reviewing “policies as effectively as possible”. Inspectors also said that: “At the start of the inspection, the safeguarding policy did not reflect current statutory guidance. This was rectified during the inspection.”
Teachers were found to “develop pupils’ skills and knowledge effectively” with inspectors adding that lessons were “adapted to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) so that they make good progress.”
Pastoral support was praised for making sure that it contributed to pupils’ “development of self-confidence and self-esteem”.
The independent day school, inspectors added, “promotes pupils’ sense of responsibility towards others by encouraging involvement in initiatives like the school council and community service, while fostering social responsibility, environmental care, and cultural awareness through a supportive and well-rounded curriculum”.
But they found that although sex education met statutory requirements and contained “appropriate content overall”, lessons about puberty, and sexual relationships did not meet the needs of some older pupils “as substantially as possible”.
Inspectors also told the school to strengthen careers guidance about post-16 course choices to “better inform and prepare” pupils for the next stage in their education.
The inspectors found that the school met all the required standards. Headmaster Richard May said: “We are delighted that we received recognition for the high standards we have at school and that the inspectors recognised those areas that we feel make Durlston such a special place to be.
“We are a ‘family’ orientated school, where everybody is truly known.
“It was an incredibly useful process, and we will continue to review and adapt as we strive for sustained excellence in this exciting stage of development for Durlston. We are pleased that the result of the inspection successfully reflected the hard work and dedication of our whole school community – staff, parents and pupils alike.”