ISI Inspection Report Summary and Actions
Challenge. Cherish. Inspire.
ISI Inspection Report Summary
It is with the greatest pride that I present this summary of our recent inspection. We are absolutely thrilled that the remarkable things we see day in, day out, in our school have been captured by the team who visited us for our Routine Inspection in November 2024.
A great school is not defined by the buildings, books or facilities (although these help) but by the strength of the relationships formed between all members of the community, and the ability of staff to inspire the children in their care with a genuine love of learning.
It is, without doubt, our wonderful Manor staff who make the most incredible difference to the journey pupils take with us, leading them to make wonderful memories and fantastic academic progress, but, most importantly, develop into kind, caring and interesting young people.
Rachel Hamlyn, Head
“The school’s aims and ethos are promoted well and can be seen in the attitudes and behaviours of the pupils around the school”
What the inspectors said…
“Data shows that the majority of pupils are working at or above age related expectations …”
“In the Early Years, a well-planned curriculum and programme of individual interventions promotes good progress for all children across the seven areas of learning …”
“Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum and extra-curricular provision …”
“The majority of pupils successfully secure a place at their first choice senior school …”
Challenge
We strive to help every child reach and exceed their potential; academic rigour going hand in hand with opportunities to experiment with wide and varied activities both in and out of the classroom.
The Manor is the perfect environment for children to flourish in, making excellent academic progress whilst also developing their wider abilities as learners and refining the personal qualities needed for the ever-changing world of tomorrow.
Surrounded by amazing facilities and guided by talented staff who know each individual really well, children feel able to take risks and challenge themselves, indulging their curiosity and building resilience as they go.
“… Pupils who have SEND make good progress across the curriculum”
“Teachers’ secure subject knowledge is evident in many lessons and the positive impact of this on pupils’ own depth of understanding is clear”
“Teachers use a range of effective teaching methods so that pupils acquire new knowledge and make good progress across all areas of the curriculum”
“… Pupils are given numerous opportunities to develop their economic understanding…”
“Positive relationships between teachers and pupils, built on respect and kindness, result in pupils being willing to share their thoughts and engage in dialogue so they develop a deeper understanding of their work”
What the inspectors said…
“… Pupils openly and actively think of others before themselves”
Cherish
Every Manor pupil is unique and special. We recognise the great privilege it is to be trusted by parents to nurture each individual, helping them to develop a clear sense of self and the ability to grow and become the very best they can be.
Whether in or out of the classroom, laughter echoes around our leafy site and kindness exudes from all in our Manor family. Staff are on hand to support the children in embracing their school days as well as equipping them to deal with bumps in the road and times when life might be trickier for them too.
Manor children love coming to school, and that is exactly as it should be!
“Pupils develop a tolerance and respect for people from a diverse range of backgrounds”
“Pupils are kind and friendly, and display maturity in their social interactions”
“Pupils and staff share warm, respectful relationships …”
“Pupils feel safe and confident that they can approach a trusted adult for guidance and support”
“… Children feel safe, well supported and valued”
“From an early age, pupils learn how to better understand and monitor their own mental health and emotional wellbeing”
“Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to collaborate with each other in lessons which helps them to behave respectfully towards each other and develop social skills”
“Pupils celebrate and respect the many different cultures of their school and local community”
“Pupils are … committed to local charitable service through a range of community activity …”
What the inspectors said…
"Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for developing their future roles in society”
“From an early age, leaders provide a wide range of opportunities to lead and support their school community, be it as school council representatives or as members of 'the green team'"
“Pupils are well prepared for their transitions within the school and their move to senior school”
“The early years environment is well resourced and, as a result, children engage in child-initiated play in which they demonstrate creativity and curiosity”
“The wide range of inclusive physical activities and sports enables pupils to be active, develop a healthy lifestyle and broaden their interests”
Inspire
At The Manor we offer a huge range of opportunities, encouraging all of our children to adopt a ‘have a go’ attitude and to embrace different lessons and activities with an open mind, knowing that they may find a new talent or passion. We see, every day, how our dynamic learning environment inspires the children, sparking their curiosity and helping them to develop confidence in who they are.
By the time the children leave us at 11, ready to move on to a broad number of senior schools, we are entirely confident that they are prepared for this next step and that we have given them the best possible start.
“Teachers guide the children's play and encourage dialogue through effective questioning”
“Regular swimming and sports fixtures are enhanced by a range of clubs”
“Pupils also have opportunities to develop their physical abilities in a range of outdoor settings, including a woodland learning environment and residential trips”
“The pupils are widely committed to maintaining their eco-school status”
ISI Recommendation 1
Leaders should ensure that teaching consistently provides suitable levels of challenge that is matched to the abilities of all pupils.
We are incredibly proud to report that children at The Manor make high levels of academic progress, routinely attaining beyond national expectations and achieving their fullest potential. Robust assessment and tracking ensures this is carefully monitored and optimised. Our focus with this recommendation is about ensuring consistency in providing the children with varied opportunities to develop their higher order thinking skills such as hypothesising, evaluating and analysing.
By re-framing and tweaking planned activities, pupils are faced with a slightly different approach to a learning objective which encourages deep thinking, will involve them grappling with concepts or questions, and draw on their ability to use and apply their knowledge in a more complex way.
Actions
What we have already done
Optimised our benefits as a member of NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education) by attending training and cluster group meetings
Compiled a five year development plan for Challenge and Highly Able
Trained all staff in the Adaptive Teaching methodology which involves setting the highest, most aspirational goals for our children and looking at how individuals need support in accessing these
Developed a new framework for identifying and tracking the progress, attainment and challenge opportunities of our most able learners
Identified subject specific opportunities for challenge and application learning
Planned a comprehensive CPD programme for all staff covering challenge in the broadest sense over the course of the next two years
Delivered an introduction to Challenge for All at our January whole school INSET
Reviewed our provision for EAL pupils and introduced new ways of assessing and tracking their progress
Introduced a new role ‘Head of Challenge for All and Highly Able’
What are we doing next?
Completing the NACE Challenge Award audit which helps us reflect on the quality of our provision for the most able learners as well as best practice relating to challenge for all. This will help us identify any potentially hidden areas for further development
Work towards accreditation for the NACE Challenge Award
Whole school training including:
Mark Burns (Apr ‘25 and Sept ‘25) - a specialist educational facilitator who will be working with the school. He will be helping staff identify how they can re-frame activities and learning opportunities so they optimise challenge opportunities for all pupils
NACE specialist training (Jan ‘26) - this will build on the previous training sessions for staff and provide a more sophisticated approach to understanding and providing challenge in the way tasks are structured to extend thinking for all
Raising awareness amongst pupils about what challenge is and how they can build resilience to tackle things that are ‘hard’ or when they make mistakes
Developing an understanding that ‘failure’ is an inevitable part of challenge
Specialist training for staff leading EAL provision
“Governors have comprehensive oversight of the school
ISI Recommendation 2
Leaders should ensure that marking and feedback consistently allow pupils to understand how they can improve their work and enable them to make consistently good progress.
The aim of high quality feedback is to help close the gap in pupil learning. Key to this is ensuring pupils are actively engaged in the feedback cycle, understand fully what they need to do next, and are given opportunities to put into practice the guidance given. The excellent relationships between staff and pupils mean a huge amount of this is already taking place verbally and that the children are open to understanding how to progress; they feel safe in the classroom and this is vital.
Establishing consistency in more pupil-friendly approaches to written feedback will help ensure it is engaging for the pupils and really does have an impact on their progress. The children are already in the habit of using purple to edit their work and initial feedback. Now we progress to the next phase of them really enacting the guidance given as well as having to think harder themselves about what might be needed to improve their work before moving on to what is next in their learning.
Actions
What we have already done
Revised our Feedback Policy to reflect a more effective approach across the curriculum
Introduced the ‘purple polishing pen’ to all pupils to start building routines where by children regularly engage with both the editing of their own work and the feedback they are given
Whole staff Feedback and Marking training workshop was delivered in January INSET to evaluate and agree what best practice looks like and methods staff could use to make their feedback more effective for pupils
Introduced ‘Green for Great’ and ‘Pink for Think’ as more visually engaging ways of feeding back to pupils across the curriculum
Within departments, identified ideas to try to further develop the effectiveness of feedback and marking
What are we doing next?
Further INSET and staff meeting time dedicated to sharing best practice
Engaging with the pupils to inform how our feedback routines further develop to understand what helps them most
Educating the children on what an effective feedback cycle is and the part they play in it
Auditing the progress within departments with a developed work scrutiny programme and the regular cycle of subject specific pupil interviews which will help inform future training
Working with parents to further develop their understanding of our new approach to feedback, how it positively impacts the progress of pupils, and what they can do to support at home
“Leaders accurately identify the school’s strengths and areas for development”
