Garden House School ISI Report - Flipbook - Page 8
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Section 2: Quality of education, training and recreation
23. Leaders have designed and implemented a curriculum which is broad and balanced. From the early
years, pupils are taught by specialists in subjects such as music, computing, French, drama and
ballet. They develop an understanding of an increasingly broad range of subjects as they progress
through the school. This helps to engage their intellectual curiosity and self-motivation and impacts
positively on the progress they make. Consequently, pupils are successful in gaining places at
selective schools in London and further afield.
24. Subject leaders and teachers plan effective programmes of study across all sections of the school.
Pupils are motivated by lessons that are stimulating and engaging. They enjoy lessons and work well
individually and collaboratively.
25. The early years curriculum is tailored to meet children’s developmental needs and reflect their
interests, fostering engagement and enthusiasm for learning. The school has successfully
implemented a programme about letters and the sounds they represent that positively impacts on
literacy development and has led to children making particularly good progress in reading, writing
and speaking skills.
26. Leaders of the early years employ a robust assessment framework with baseline assessment and
regular half termly tracking. The particular requirements of children who have SEND are identified
early and effective support put in place. Children achieve well against the early learning goals and
many exceed them.
27. Linguistic attainment across the school is high. Lessons in English are well planned and delivered
with clear explanations. Effective use is made of resources including well-chosen texts. As a result,
pupils’ writing is particularly well developed, showing a wide range of vocabulary and efficient
sentence structure.
28. Teachers utilise their good subject knowledge to enable pupils to learn and progress well. They make
typically effective use of resources and teaching assistants, some of whom are specialists in their
own right, to support and extend pupils’ learning. Teachers adapt their teaching methods to meet
individual pupils’ learning needs and reflect their prior attainment, such as by the level of challenge
offered. Pupils make good progress across a wide range of subjects such as science, mathematics,
art, music and drama. For example, Year 3 pupils are able to explain how shadows change as the
earth circles the sun, Year 5 pupils can find common factors in mathematics and Year 6 pupils act
with confidence and expression in drama. A well-planned computing curriculum enables pupils to
develop a range of computing skills, including coding, 3-D printing and graphic design. However,
teaching does not enable pupils to develop their research and analytical skills as much as possible.
29. Learning support staff provide effective specialist support for pupils and staff, including through the
setting of targets and the tracking of progress for pupils who have SEND. Learning plans for pupils
are reviewed and updated every half-term. Consequently, those who have SEND, including those
who have an educational, health and care (EHC) plan, make good progress from their starting points.
30. Staff identify any areas where pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL) may need
support for their English through an effective identification and tracking programme and
communication with parents. The support provided enables these pupils to develop their skills and
confidence in the use of English well.
© Independent Schools Inspectorate 2024
Garden House School – October 2024
