It is my enormous pleasure to share our latest ISI inspection report. Inspectors visited Longacre in June 2022 and their final report is available to read here. I am ever so proud to confirm that Longacre was adjudged to be compliant in all areas and ‘Excellent’ (the highest available rating) in the two areas measured regarding Educational Quality: Academic and other achievements and Personal Development.
This report contains some wonderful praise for our brilliant pupils and hard-working staff and I want to pay tribute to each and every one of my colleagues here. I also want to thank so many of our parents for filling in the questionnaire, and leaving comments for the Inspectors to read. That level of engagement always tells an important story about a school, and I really appreciate the time so many of you took.
The report is rather lengthy, so I hope it helps to give it context. This was a ‘full’ inspection, covering both Compliance and Educational Quality. The first part is Regulatory Compliance, in which inspectors are very much restricted in the phrasing that they are allowed to use. The eight parts, or standards, are either met or not met, with no room for nuance or colour. A school can only pass its inspection if it meets every one of these exacting
standards, and I am pleased to say that Longacre was fully compliant in all areas.
The second part of the report is a judgment of educational quality, assessed by numerous lesson observations, pupil, staff and governor interviews and examining pupils’ work. We welcome not only the ‘excellent’ judgements and warm words about children’s achievement, progress, attitudes and characters, but also the two recommendations to broaden the pupils’ study skills around research materials, and also developing their
appreciation of cultural diversity within the wider world. As a school, we are committed to environmental and social responsibility, as well as ensuring that Longacre is the most welcoming, friendly, tolerant and joyful place that it can be. You can be sure that this will remain a key point focus for all of us in the coming terms and years.
Overall, this inspection report provides concrete and objective evidence of what I think we all believe to be true: it really is possible to have a wonderfully happy school where children thrive and are stretched academically. It really is possible to have a holistic curriculum featuring philosophy, Forest school, Teamwork and Leadership and still see children excelling in core subjects. It really is possible to give opportunities and support to all without compromising any child’s chances of achieving brilliance.
All in all, the many pages here reflect what we see on a daily basis: Longacre is thriving and the children here are flourishing. Thank you for your support and faith in what we do, and here’s to another tremendously successful year of happy hearts.
Matthew Bryan, Headmaster
Categories: News
