Southbank Inspection recognises its distinctive and good quality education and committed teachers
Southbank International School in London is delighted to publish the following report following the visit to the school by inspectors from the School Inspection Service between 30th April and 2nd May this year. The quality of education and teaching at each of the three school sites in Westminster, Hampstead and Kensington was reported to be good, with many outstanding and excellent features. The full reports on the individually inspected campuses are available to read on this website.
To give you a flavour of the reports, we print below some extracts from each. School management would like to thank all staff, students and parents who have, directly or indirectly, been responsible for the quality of the reports, all three of which confirm the very good education that Southbank provides.
Westminster
“The school provides students with a distinctive and good quality education with a strong international dimension. The school meets its key aims. The curriculum is good and successfully uses the IB as the basis for a broad and balanced education. Teachers are committed educators who support their students well. Good quality teaching allows students to make good progress”.
“Students’ personal development is excellent, and the emphasis the school places on independence and resourcefulness prepares them well for their next steps in education”.
“It is a thriving educational community with a strong focus on learning and a distinctive international dimension”.
“The quality of the curriculum is good. It makes a good contribution to students’ education and has some strong features…..The curriculum overalls meets the needs of the full range of students and enables them to make good, and sometimes outstanding, progress”.
“The quality of teaching and assessment is good overall. Teachers are committed educators who know their students well. Teaching enables students to make good and sometimes excellent progress”.
“Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. The school’s broad curriculum and emphasis on developing skills for learning successfully promotes students’ self-knowledge, self-esteem and confidence. Students develop independence and resourcefulness and are very well prepared for further and higher education”.
“The behaviour of students around the school is exemplary……They take responsibility for their behaviour and show independence and self-reliance”.
“Students state that the school is a harmonious community where diversity is celebrated”.
“The provision for both the welfare, and the health and safety of students is excellent………..All required policies are in place”.
“The school’s premises and accommodation are of high quality……….All regulations are fully met”.
“Parental questionnaires showed high levels of support for almost all aspects of the school”.
Kensington
“The quality of education is good with a significant number of outstanding features”.
“The students say that they like their school and this view is reflected in comments received from parents”.
“Teaching is overall of high quality and teachers throughout the school work hard to plan their lessons effectively in order to make learning interesting. Teachers are effective communicators and are exceptionally well aware of the language needs of a large proportion of the children who do not have English as their first language”.
“Behaviour is excellent. Students are very well cared for and their personal development and the good progress they make relative to their ages and abilities is supported significantly by the positive relationships that exist between teachers and their students”.
“All policies and procedures relating to their welfare, health and safety and safeguarding are thoroughly implemented”.
“The nature of the curriculum enables it to meet the needs of children who stay at the school for varying amounts of time or may join the school at different times during the academic year. It reflects successfully the school’s goals for inquiry based learning and for ‘transdisciplinary’ learning and provides a range of activities which are appropriate to all students, including the considerable numbers who begin requiring support for EAL.”
“The range of opportunities provided by the curriculum supports students’ preparation for the next stage of their education and provides a sound basis for their future adult lives. Its quality is enhanced and enriched through field trips”.
“The quality of teaching and assessment is good and in many aspects, particularly of the teaching, excellent. All the teaching observed was at least good and much was excellent. The school has sustained and built upon the strengths noted in its previous inspection report”.
“Students’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development is excellent. Provision for their personal development is a central aspect of the life of the school. It closely reflects the school’s ethos to respect both oneself and others and the appreciation of the cultures, traditions and beliefs of all members of the school community”.
“The social development of its students is an important aspect of the school’s aims and is a significant strength”.
“Students’ moral education is excellent and they develop a clear understanding of right from wrong and articulate clearly how their actions make an impact on the lives of others.”
“The accommodation is of a high quality and the premises are suitable for effective learning. The school has benefitted from extensive refurbishment since the previous inspection, which has created a pleasant learning environment, enhanced by the good quality of displays throughout the school”.
Hampstead
“Southbank Hampstead achieves its aim well, creating an international learning community where pupils develop the attitudes, values and habits of mind and spirit which the IB seeks to inspire. Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The curriculum is good with significant outstanding features”.
“All students, including those for whom English is an additional language, make very good progress in developing strong oral and reading skills.”
“Students’ behaviour is outstanding; they are courteous, open, lively and considerate of one another. The school’s policies and practice to support the safeguarding of students are exemplary. All aspects of provision for welfare, health and safety are outstanding.
“Students feel safe in school and valued as individuals and their pastoral care is excellent.
“Parents are clearly appreciative of the school and of the education it provides for their children.”
“The learning programme at Hampstead is broad, balanced, rich, varied and interesting.”
“The concept of ‘a school without walls’… gives them memorable learning experiences and provides a strong stimulus for further inquiry.”
“A strong emphasis on the spoken word and on presenting projects to the class ensures that the students develop into open, confident and articulate speakers with clear ideas that they are able to substantiate and explain.”
“Thoughtful consideration is given to supporting students in learning and assimilating specialist technical and scientific vocabulary. Strong and well organised support is also given to students with special learning needs.”
“The curriculum is extended by an impressive and varied range of extra-curricular studies and clubs, designed to support the students’ learning.”
“Teaching is good overall with some notably excellent features, and about one-third is outstanding.”
“Relationships between teachers and students are excellent, and students clearly enjoy the work they do.”
“Classroom management is excellent and has improved since the last inspection. Teachers bring to their teaching an infectious enthusiasm and subject knowledge, which is always secure and in some cases excellent.
“The many trips and visits, which are a key part of teaching provision, enhance students’ educational experience significantly, providing a wonderful resource for teaching and learning.”
“The marking of students’ work is regular, encouraging and enthusiastic. The best is of a high quality, including careful and rigorous diagnostic comments and the setting of perceptive targets for students to pursue in improving their learning.”
“Assessment results are compared with other international schools and the school is placed clearly above the average for this group of schools.”
“The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students is outstanding and meets the aims of the school very well”.
“Students delight in the cultural and religious diversity of the school, learn about various cultural and religious traditions and support charities locally, nationally and internationally.”
SIS is an independent body approved by the Secretary of State for Education to carry out school inspections under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002. Its activities are monitored by Ofsted, which reports back to the DfE on an annual basis about the quality of its work. Its inspectors, most of whom are former HMIs (Her Majesty’s Inspectors), are all approved by the DfE.