The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) has awarded Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School (RGS) the highest possible rating – excellent – on all aspects of its recent inspection.
Following a focused compliance and educational quality inspection in October 2021, inspectors graded the quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements as excellent, awarding the same grade to the quality of the pupils’ personal development.
Key findings from the four-day inspection were that:
the quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent:
- Pupils attain highly and make excellent progress across the school
- Pupils’ extracurricular achievements are a particular strength
- Pupils are highly self-motivated with strong leadership qualities
- Pupils are excellent insightful and thoughtful communicators
the quality of pupils’ personal development is excellent:
- Pupils are mature, resilient, self-confident and perceptive young people
- Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and learning in a highly supportive environment
- Pupils have a strong sense of community and responsibility towards others
- Pupils have a highly developed and sophisticated understanding of diversity
Speaking about the inspection outcome, Head, Geoffrey Stanford, said: “I am delighted that on both the two measures of educational quality, our pupils’ achievement and their personal development, the school has been rated as excellent. This inspection report is a tremendous recognition of the efforts of all our staff on behalf of our young people. It is also reassuring that inspectors acknowledge that we are already working on even further developments in the school.”
Mr Stanford continued: “This report is a tribute to the whole RGS community: the hard work of our teaching and support staff, the continuing support of parents and, most importantly, the energy and enthusiasm of our pupils.
“There are many wonderful paragraphs in the report that I could quote but this is the one that I am most proud of and that I think particularly captures the ethos of the school:
“… pupils have an inherent natural respect for diversity, demonstrating sophisticated understanding, with many commenting on how inclusive the school is. Pupils speak thoughtfully about respecting others, valuing diversity and differences in sexual identity. Pupils feel valued for themselves and know that they can express themselves without meeting a lack of acceptance. New entrants to the school are buoyed by realising that, if you make a mistake, you will still be supported.”
The compliance part of inspection demonstrated that the school is fully compliant, meeting all the required standards.
The key findings were that the school meets the standards in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements and no further action is required as a result of the inspection.
Those areas graded as part of the compliance inspection were the quality of education provided, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, the welfare, health and safety of pupils, the suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors, the premises of and accommodation at schools, the provision of information, manner in which complaints are held and quality of leadership in and management of schools.
To learn more about RGS, visit: www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk