Arnold House School

Each year in the summer term, the Headmaster reports to parents on the progress the school has made. Click on 'Annual Report' in the right-hand box to download the 2007 report.

Arnold House was last inspected in January 2003, since when the school has addressed the report’s recommendations.  The complete report can be found on the Independent Schools Inspectorate website (http://www.isinspect.org.uk/).  The following is the report’s overall summary:

“Arnold House School is led and managed well by the headteacher. The school effectively strives to achieve high academic standards so that its pupils can compete successfully for places and scholarships to some of the most highly regarded senior schools. Pupils are taught well and achieve high standards in a number of subjects, although there is still opportunity to improve the consistency of teaching quality. The good behaviour and positive relationships in the school reflects the pupils’ very good attitudes to the school and to learning. The school has few pupils with significant special educational needs, but even so the provision for them is unsatisfactory. Pupils who have mild learning needs, usually needing some extra temporary help are usually well supported and make good progress. The musical life of the school, in its choirs, orchestras and chamber groups, is a strong and distinguishing feature of the school.”

The School’s response was as follows:
• In September 2003, a rigorous system of monitoring and appraisal was successfully introduced to raise further the already high standard of teaching and learning.
• A thorough and far-reaching Strategic Five-Year Plan was in place by September 2003.
• Special Needs provision was greatly improved in September 2003 by the appointment of a highly qualified specialist to act as Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).
• In September 2003, ‘The Compass Course’ was introduced to provide pupils with more opportunities to develop independent learning skills and to take initiatives in their learning. The Compass Course requires pupils to do their own research on carefully selected topics across curriculum boundaries and to collate and present their findings using PowerPoint