Durlston Prep and Senior School are celebrating their recent, successful inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).
The independent day school located in Barton on Sea, which provides education for children aged 2 -16 years, was inspected in September using the ISI’s new framework which came into practice last year. During the rigorous inspection, a team of four inspectors visited for two and a half days observing lessons, extra-curricular activities, facilities, and held discussions with pupils, staff and leaders. They scrutinised pupils’ work, policies and documentation, and conducted surveys with pupils, staff, and parents. There are no qualitative judgements in the new Inspection regime (Excellent, Good etc.), it is now simply a case of whether a school meets the standards in the key areas or not and the inspectors made clear that Durlston had met all the required standards and therefore passed the Inspection.
Headmaster Richard May commented “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. This ethos is reflected in comments such as “Leaders know the pupils well and ensure that the provision typically meets their individual needs. Pupils are supported within a caring environment” and “The consistent modelling of school values by staff supports a unified and effective approach to behaviour management that promotes good behaviour.” 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.”
