The British School Kathmandu
Summary of review undertaken by Shirley Billington and Joan McKenna
SB Educational Ltd
October 2008
The purpose of the review was to report on progress made within the school since the previous review, conducted in April 2006.
In this report, the term ‘children’ is used for those in nursery and the foundation classes; ‘pupils’ is used when referring specifically to the primary section; and ‘students’ for the secondary section. When the commentary refers to the whole school, ‘students’ is used generically.
Standards and Achievement
Overall the standards in the primary section are above UK averages. Progress is at least satisfactory and accelerates as students go through Years 3 to 6.
In the nursery and foundation classes, a structured system has been implemented to assess children’s progress from the time they start school through to the start of the Foundation Stage. The most recent data from the Foundation Stage profile demonstrates that the majority of children reach expected levels in most areas of learning. They get a particularly good start in reading but writing is a weaker area. Their understanding of number develops well.
Pupils make good progress during Years 3 to 6 to attain standards well above the UK average at the end of Key Stage 2. In the last two years, all pupils have attained Level 4 in English, mathematics and science in National Curriculum tests. Significant numbers have attained Level 5. In English, writing remains weaker than reading but the school is beginning to successfully tackle this with a range of initiatives such as ‘writing week’.
High standards continue to be attained in the secondary section. The number of students in each year group being relatively small leads to some variation. Overall, however, and in the large majority of subjects, students achieve well throughout the secondary section in relation to their starting points.
At Key Stage 3 the results of National Curriculum tests in English, mathematics and science taken at the end of Year 9 are well above the equivalent UK figures. Students make good progress in all three subjects. IGCSE results at Key Stage 4 are also high overall. Results in all subjects compare very favourably with the UK figures at grade C and above. Results in most subjects also compare very well at the high grades of A and A*, although there is some variation at this level. In 2008, a high proportion of students attained these grades in English, history and geography.
The very small numbers taking most sixth form courses make comparisons with UK averages inappropriate. However, although there are differences in results between subjects, most are good in terms of their overall pass rate, and in 2008 there were some top grades attained. Almost all students gained the qualifications they needed to gain entrance to their first choice of university.
Students’ understanding and use of English develops well as evidenced by the increasingly good standards of writing across a range of subjects.
Pupils’ personal development
The school has a very inclusive ethos and all students are welcomed and valued as individuals, resulting in a very positive, harmonious atmosphere. Students are very friendly and have good relationships with their peers and with staff. Students feel safe because they know staff care about them and are confident to turn to them with any problems. Behaviour in lessons and around the site is excellent. Students enjoy school and appreciate the range of opportunities provided for them. Their enthusiasm was evident as one of the younger ones talked about how happy she feels arriving each day, explaining that, ‘it’s a really beautiful school’. Students enjoy working together and do so enthusiastically when given the chance. The potential for this could be exploited further in some lessons.
Students have opportunities to take on formal responsibilities such as representing their classes and year groups through the school councils. They make a good contribution to their own and the wider community through, for example, the eco project and their charity fundraising events.
Teaching and learning
There is much good teaching across the school which helps students learn well. In the best lessons across the school, teaching is purposeful and lively. Teachers are clear about what they want students to learn, and use a range of teaching styles to keep them engaged and motivated. Topics and issues are clearly explained and activities are well focused. The grouping of students is well considered. Learning is reinforced and consolidated at the ends of lessons. When this is the case, students’ interest, motivation and application increases, resulting in high quality learning.
Curriculum
The curriculum is broad and well balanced, and improvements since the last review are evident. Given the size of the school, the range of IGCSE and A level subjects is impressive. The inclusion of some vocational courses in the sixth form is a positive feature and is helping to meet a wider range of needs.
Provision for students with English as an additional language is much stronger than in the past. Support is well-organised, with students’ needs carefully identified and work in withdrawal groups specifically targeted to promote their confidence and competency in using English. Provision for students with special educational needs is also well managed. Students with specific difficulties are carefully assessed and given individual support where appropriate.
Provision for students’ personal development has a high profile across the school. The personal, health and social education curriculum ensures that students cover a wide range of important and relevant issues to help them develop as informed and responsible individuals. This is in the process of being developed further. Given the size and state of development of the sixth form, the attention given to promoting students’ broader experiences and skills such as independence, initiative and enterprise is reasonable. There is an excellent range of clubs, sports and visits in the primary section and pupils are very positive about these.
Leadership and management
As the school has grown, good account has been taken of the need to ensure its smooth running on a day to day basis and it operates efficiently. The staffing structure has been strengthened with appointments of coordinators of English as an additional language and special educational needs. There is a comprehensive programme for training teaching assistants and their skills are being utilised well in most lessons. Good use is made of the expertise of staff to provide a broad curriculum and to extend the range of subjects available to students in the secondary section. All staff are involved in cross-phase working parties to review and plan school developments. These have the potential for good impact, as is evident, for example, in the clarification of arrangements for reporting to parents. Action taken to bring about improvement, such as to enhance students’ speaking skills, has had a positive impact.
The leadership of the headteacher is instrumental in ensuring the continuing success of the school. Despite a high turnover of staff and students, she successfully maintains a strong family feel and caring pastoral ethos. As a result, students feel secure and develop confidence as learners. The headteacher demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring the best possible opportunities for all students so that they can achieve well. She is enterprising in extending the range of experiences offered through, for example, providing an extensive range of opportunities for students to participate in sports and performance and to enjoy inter-house competitions.
A strategic view is being taken of plans for expansion and the move to a new site. To help cope with the demands of the growing size of the school, there is a need to strengthen the leadership structure especially in the secondary section, where a middle leadership tier needs to be created. Middle leaders, along with subject leaders in the primary section, need to have a clear brief and play a part in gaining an overview of provision in the areas for which they are responsible and helping to improve these further.
Summary
The British School is a good school and is keen to ensure its pupils continue to make progress. The committed staff work hard to maintain high standards and recommendations made by previous reviews are embraced to enhance teaching and learning for all children