ISI Inspection Report

 
Old Vicarage is inspected by the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI), which is the body approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of inspecting schools which are members of the Independent School Council (ISC).

I am delighted to present the full report following the recent inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in June 2019. 

This inspection is part of the regular, three-yearly cycle of inspections which alternately focus on Regulatory Compliance and then, three years later, on Compliance and Educational Quality.  This inspection was the latter.  

The report is in two parts: Focused Compliance and then on Educational Quality.  Schools are either deemed to have met or not met the different compliance standards.  I am pleased to confirm that, as we should all expect, the school has met all the compliance standards and there are no action points resulting. 

The Educational Quality inspection leads to judgements on two main areas: the achievements of pupils and their personal development.  I am delighted to announce that we have been judged to be excellent in both categories; this is the highest grading that can be awarded. 

We are particularly pleased to read the judgement:  

“The school fully meets its aim to enable every pupil to be the best she can, whether academically or in the arts, drama or sports.” 

The report gives details behind the judgements and I know that all those associated with the Old Vicarage School will take great pleasure in reading them.  

In any review, such as this, there is always a need to have a recommendation for action and we are pleased that the only recommendation made is for the school to be conscious of the amount of colouring in some lessons – which did not detract from the inspectors’ judgements about high levels of achievement and the pride that girls take in the quality of their work. 

We would like to thank all the parents and girls who participated in the questionnaires leading up to the inspection, to all the staff who always work so hard to enable the girls to be the very best they can be and of course the girls themselves, who have demonstrated so clearly the attitudes and determination that have enabled them to show such success. 

Mrs Gill Linthwaite

Headmistress

Our most recent inspection reports may be found by clicking the link below:

Compliance and Educational Quality Inspection Report – June 2019

Regulatory Compliance Inspection – June 2016

Year 5 Spring Concert – Alice in Wonderland

Our Year 5 girls certainly weren’t late…for a very important date this week! ⏰ They delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, Alice in Wonderland. They sang, spoke, and acted with great exuberance and comic timing in a world without reason and full...

World Book Day

Yesterday our corridors were filled with our favourite book characters as we celebrated World Book Day! 📚 We were fortunate enough to have a visit from bestselling author Maz Evans who also kindly held a mini book signing. Well done to our Year 6 girls who held an...

Year 4 Spring Concert – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Our Year 4 girls showcased their incredible talent in Roald Dahl’s adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Monday and Wednesday evening this week. A twist to the classic fairy-tale, Snow-White escapes captivity, aided by seven ex horse-race jockeys and the...

Year 3 Spring Concert – The Bee Musical

There was a buzz in the air this week when our Year 3 girls delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, The Bee Musical.  Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as they sang, danced and acted with such confidence and joy.  Well done girls, you...

Chinese New Year

Our girls celebrated Chinese New Year yesterday. A fun filled day making lanterns & origami rabbits, calligraphy writing & food tasting! They were even treated to a delicious Chinese feast at lunchtime! Gong Hei Fat Choi to our OVS community, wishing...

Christmas Carol Service

Last night our OVS community joined together for our annual Christmas Carol Service at St John the Devine. This really is one of the best evenings of the year, showcasing our talented girls in Years 3 to 6, with every girl in their final year having the opportunity to...

Lower School Nativities

The culmination of the Autumn Term was four great Christmas stories told by our pre-school and Lower School in their own unique ways.  Considering there were a few absences (including Mary!) in the lead up to these performances, the girls really pulled together...

Reindeer Visit

Despite their busy schedule, we were very lucky to have a special visit from Santa’s reindeer today.  All the girls were able to meet them and learn all about life on the North Pole!

Year 2 trip – Science Museum

As part of their topic on Space, our Year 2 girls recently visited the Science Museum! They visited the Space gallery and watched “Our Beautiful Planet 3D” in the IMAX, a fully immersive experience on board the International Space Station. They finished their day with...

Annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre

Today we were blessed to be able host our annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre for the first time in 3 years – a truly wonderful occasion to celebrate our OVS girls’ incredible achievements over the past 12 months and say farewell to our remarkable Year 6 girls. ...