1.INTRODUCTION

1.1The Royal School, Armagh, is a voluntary grammar school, situated at CollegeHill, on the outskirts of the City. The school was founded in 1608 as a boys’ school; in August1986, the school amalgamated with Armagh Girls’ High School. Currently there are 680 pupils at the school of whom 75 board on a full-time or weekly basis. (See Appendix1).

1.2The inspection team comprised inspectors from the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) and the Health and Social Services Registration and Inspection Unit (H&SSRIU). The inspection focused on assessing the fitness for purpose of the school’s arrangements for the pastoral care, including child protection, of all the pupils, as evidenced through the work observed in classes, and on the arrangements in place to secure the health, safety and welfare of the boarders. The joined-up inspection of the pastoral arrangements in the school and boarding departments by ETI and the H&SSRIU of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board (EHSSB), acting on behalf of the four H&SS boards, is in line with Article176 of the Children (NI) Order, 1995, which requires the regular inspection of schools with boarding provision in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the pupils.

1.3In reaching its judgments, the ETI took account of the guidance set out in the Department of Education’s (DE) document ‘Evaluating Pastoral Care’ and the H&SSRIU assessed the school’s boarding arrangements against standards two, four and five (See Appendix2) in the document ‘Quality Living Standards for Services: Children Accommodated in Schools with Boarding Departments’.

1.4While the Board of Governors has statutory responsibility for the school, including the boarding department, the headmaster manages the arrangements for the pastoral care of all the pupils. In his work, the headmaster is assisted by the members of staff with specific responsibilities for the pastoral care and welfare of the pupils in the school, and for those resident in the boarding department.

1.5Prior to the inspection, a sample of the parents of day pupils and boarders received a confidential questionnaire seeking their views on the school. Just over one-third of the sample returned the completed questionnaires to the DE. Most of the parental views expressed in the responses were very positive about the life and work of the school, and of the arrangements for the care and welfare of their children; in particular, the parents valued the pastoral support provided by the staff for their children, the family environment that has been created in the boarding department, and the facilities and broad range of extra-curricular activities provided for all the pupils. The boarders also completed a questionnaire related to their residential experiences; these pupils valued their status as boarders, and wrote very positively about their experiences of boarding; in particular, most of the pupils referred to their enjoyment of boarding life. Two members of the inspection team met with groups of parents of the day pupils and boarders, and with representatives of the Board of Governors. Each group expressed its strong support for the staff and the work of the school; the parents appreciated the pastoral care provided for their children, the opportunities they had to
approach members of staff if they had any queries or concerns about their children, and the arrangements in place to help new pupils settle into the life and routines of the school and boarding department. The groups of pupils from year8 and year12 who met with the inspectors spoke positively about their experiences as pupils at the school; they felt safe and secure in the school, and knew they could speak to a member of staff about any worries or concerns they might have. The very few concerns raised by the parents, have been shared with the headmaster and the representatives of the Board of Governors. The inspection findings confirm the positive views expressed by the Board of Governors, the parents and the pupils.

2.SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS

2.1The principal and staff of the school know the pupils well, and are committed to securing their pastoral and academic welfare.

2.2There are appropriate structures in place to facilitate the personal and social education, care and welfare of the pupils in the school and the boarding department.

2.3In the boarding department, a sensible balance has been achieved between providing a safe, supervised environment for the boarders, and a relaxed approach to daily living routines.

2.4There are very good relationships among the staff and the pupils; among the boarders, there are supportive relationships across the age ranges and gender boundary.

2.5The pupils are very well behaved in class and around the school.

2.6There is a broad range of extra-curricular activities provided for the pupils, including the extensive recreational facilities provided for, and availed of by, the boarders.

2.7The quality of the teaching observed was always satisfactory, frequently it was good, and in a small number of instances it was excellent.

2.8There is informative and helpful written and oral communication with the parents of the day and boarding pupils.

2.9The school makes excellent use of its computerised system to record, and keep up-to-date, essential pastoral and academic information on each pupil, including the records required for pupils who board at the school.

2.10The Board of Governors and the parents provide strong support for the school and its work.

2.11There is a planned programme of refurbishment of the boarding department to improve the levels of comfort provided for the boarders.

2.12The school’s arrangements for Child Protection are in line with the guidance in the DE Circular 1999/10.

2.13The school’s arrangements for the care and welfare of the boarders take account of the requirements of the three standards (See Appendix2) inspected from the document, ‘Quality Living Standards for Services: Children Accommodated in Schools with Boarding Departments’.

2.14The school has a number of important strengths. These include: the commitment of the headmaster and the staff to securing the academic and pastoral welfare of the pupils; the very good relationships that exist among the staff and the pupils; the frequently good quality of the teaching observed; the excellent use made of the school’s computerised system to maintain relevant pastoral and academic information about the pupils; the broad range of extra-curricular activities provided, and the informative and helpful written and oral communication with the parents of the pupils. A small number of areas for improvement have been identified during the inspection. These relate to: the further development of the roles of the year and class tutors; the provision of opportunities for the pastoral teams to work together; the monitoring of the content and effectiveness of the pastoral programme; the marking and correction of the pupils’ written work in a way that helps the pupils learn from their efforts and raise their standards of achievement, and the provision of in-service training (INSET) to help the teachers address the individual learning needs of their pupils. The school is well placed to address the areas identified for improvement.

2.15The standards examined were fully met, and the many strengths of the boarding department are identified within the report. The on-going programme of refurbishment will ensure continuing attention is paid to the comfort and safety of the boarders, within the constraints of an historic and listed building. The boarding staff team have created an ethos which is conducive to quality care within a safe and friendly environment, and the following suggested areas for improvement are set within that context:

  • minor adjustments to the maintenance of records as discussed with the head of boarding;
  • within the refurbishment programme, consideration should be given to the provision of a visitors’ room;
  • consideration should be given to accommodating the requests of the sixth form boarders in respect of lunchtime arrangements.

3.QUALITY OF PASTORAL CARE IN THE SCHOOL

EDUCATION AND TRAINING INSPECTORATE (ETI)

3.1The ethos of the school is embedded in well-established traditions and routines. The headmaster and staff know the pupils well, and are committed to securing their academic and pastoral welfare. In addition to the taught programme of personal and social education (PSE), the school has a range of complementary policies on matters such as: the induction of new pupils; the school’s code of discipline; sex and relationship education, and guidance for pupils and parents on the school’s arrangements for child protection. The school also uses a closed circuit television system to secure further the safety of the pupils. The pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school is very good. The head boy and head girl, who met with the inspectors, appreciate the honour of being chosen for these roles, and are able to discuss their responsibilities in a mature manner. There are 24 school prefects, chosen from the sixth form pupils; they carry out a range of supervisory duties in support of the teachers. These pupils would benefit from having opportunities to broaden the role they have currently, and to take responsibility for non-supervisory activities, such as the development of a School Council, along the lines already in place in the boarding department. The school celebrates regularly the academic, cultural and sporting achievements of its pupils. In a minority of classrooms there are good displays of the pupils’ work, and these displays are further examples of the celebration of the pupils’ achievements. Through the broad range of extra-curricular activities provided in and out of the school, the pupils have many opportunities to broaden their cultural, sporting and social skills. Each year, the pupils raise funds for specific charities, and link with other local schools to visit and work with their less fortunate peers in European countries. The school’s arrangements for Child Protection are in line with the guidance in the DE Circular 1999/10.

3.2The teachers plan carefully for their lessons. In the lessons observed, the quality of teaching was always satisfactory, frequently it was good, and in a small number of instances it was excellent. The pupils worked well in class, applied themselves readily to the tasks given, and responded confidently to the teachers’ questions. In the best practice, the work was challenging, made interesting for the pupils through the use of a range of suitably chosen teaching strategies, involved the pupils throughout the lesson, addressed the range of academic ability in the class, and resulted in clear learning outcomes for the pupils. In a small number of lessons, the work was not as well matched to the learning needs of the pupils, and there was a predominant and inappropriate use of whole-class teaching methods. In the pupils’ books and files examined, the quality of marking varied greatly. There were a few examples of good marking that gave praise for achievement, and offered specific guidance on how a pupil might improve the piece of work; more often, the marking gave no indication on how the work might be improved, and there was no evidence of the pupils re-drafting their work in light of any guidance offered. The school should revisit its policy on the marking of the pupils’ work, and agree a consistency of practice among the staff on marking the work of the pupils in a way that helps them learn from their efforts and raise their standards of achievement.

3.3The school provides varying degrees of support for seven pupils who experience special educational needs. The vice-principal with responsibility for special education is very familiar with the pupils’ problems; he maintains a watching brief on their progress, and, where appropriate, has made individual arrangements to help the pupils adapt to the demands of the curriculum. In key stage3 (KS3), the pupils are grouped in mixed ability classes. This arrangement presents specific challenges for the teachers and their teaching methodology. The staff are aware of the wide range of ability in the classes, and indicated their need for INSET, focused on helping them address their concerns about teaching pupils with specific learning difficulties.

3.4The induction programme for the year8 pupils is valued by the pupils and their parents. Each new pupil is provided with a comprehensive booklet of useful information, which includes: essential information about their subjects and classes; the routines that operate in the school; details on how their academic progress will be reported, and clear guidance on seeking support if a pupil has any personal concerns. The information provided in the pupils’ induction booklet is also very useful to their parents.

3.5Through its programme of PSE, the school seeks to: foster a greater awareness of the adult world among its pupils; assist the pupils in recognising and exercising their responsibilities, and to inter-relate successfully with their peers and adults. There are suitable structures in place to facilitate the personal and social education of the pupils. In addition to a daily registration class, the pupils have a single period each week in which the programme of PSE is taught. In KS3, the pupils follow the taught PSE programme for the full year. All the PSE modules are supported by a selection of stimulus material, including videos, relevant information and pupil activity suggestions. The pupils have opportunities to discuss and reach decisions about specific, age-related dilemmas they might encounter. In KS4, the pupils’ time for the taught programme of PSE is reduced to half of the school year. The content of the KS4 programme, which is affected by the limited time available for it, covers appropriate pastoral and social issues, one of which is related to careers choices. Further information on careers opportunities and requirements are dealt with specifically by the staff of the careers department, who interview each pupil on a number of occasions. In addition, each pupil is given guidance on and time to complete their personal Record of Achievement (ROA), which is accredited by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (NICCEA), and presented to the pupils when they have completed year12 at the school; a second, completed ROA is presented to the upper sixth pupils. The school has links with relevant outside agencies, and, when appropriate, representatives of these groups visit the school to talk to the pupils on specific PSE topics.

3.6The school has good links with the parents of the day and boarding pupils. Twice a year, the parents receive written reports on their children’s academic progress and achievements. The school provides formal and informal opportunities for the parents to meet with the teachers, and there are special occasions throughout the academic year when the parents are invited to attend school functions. As and when necessary, the class and year tutors contact parents, who can arrange to visit the school at any time during the year, to speak about their children to the headmaster or a member of staff.

3.7Over the last six years, the school has availed of a broad range of INSET on different aspects of PSE. All members of staff have had INSET in relation to pastoral care and child protection matters. The teachers are aware of the varying learning needs of their pupils, and would benefit from specific INSET to help them address this area of their work.

4.MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

4.1The headmaster, the vice-principals and the members of staff with key responsibilities for the school’s pastoral arrangements work hard, and are committed to securing the health, safety, pastoral and academic welfare of all the pupils; they are well supported by the other members of staff in implementing the school’s pastoral policies and procedures. There are sound structures in place to facilitate the PSE programme. While each year tutor and class tutor is provided with a file of suitable materials for the taught pastoral programme, by the head of the PSE programme, the inter-action within and across each year group relies too much on informal communication. The role of the year tutors, and their links with one another and with the class tutors, are tenuous; there is no forum for these groups to meet formally, work together, share their collective expertise, exchange information about and
evaluate the pastoral care programme. The role of the year tutor in KS4 allows the year tutor to work with and get to know the pupils in the year group; in KS3, the year tutors do not always teach, meet with or get to know the pupils in their year group. There is a need to strengthen the pastoral bonds within and across each year group. The pastoral roles and responsibilities of the year and class tutors need to be up-dated, agreed and set down clearly. The present arrangement of having a monthly meeting of the year tutors provides one forum for discussion, review and evaluation of the school’s PSE programme, and a model that could be extended to each pastoral year group. The school has responded effectively to the DE Circular1999/10 on Child Protection.