The Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh

25 October 2005

Contents

1. Background
2. Key strengths
3. What are the views of parents and carers, pupils and staff?
4. How good is the environment for care?
5. How well are pupils supported?
6. Improving the residential provision?
Appendix 1 Summary information
Appendix 2 Indicators of quality
Appendix 3 Summary of questionnaire responses
How can you contact us?

1. Background

The inspection of the boarding provision of The Edinburgh Academy took place in June 2005 as part of a programme of integrated inspections of mainstream school care accommodation services by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE). It follows from the commencement of integrated inspection under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act, 2001 on 1 April 2005. This report has been prepared and published jointly by the Care Commission and HMIE.

The inspection covered key aspects of the school’s residential provision, including the environment for care, support for pupils, processes for self-evaluation and capacity for improvement. Members of the inspection team interviewed teachers, care staff, and groups of pupils. They analysed responses to questionnaires issued to pupils, their parents or carers, and care and teaching staff. They also met the Chair of the Court of Directors.

The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which accepts pupils aged 5 to 18 and provides co-educational boarding for pupils aged 11 to 18 years. At the time of the inspection there were 740 pupils on the roll, of whom 17 were boarders. Almost all of the pupils in the two boarding houses were from overseas, mainly China and Africa. Also included was a small number of pupils from mainland Europe who were attending the school for the summer term. The agreed optimum roll was 30.

2. Key strengths

3. What are the views of parents and carers, pupils and staff?

Pupils were very positive about the friendliness of the boarding houses. They felt safe and well cared for and appreciated the arrangements which allowed their parents to contact house staff easily. The majority of boys thought that there were not enough showers and baths in their house. Almost all pupils and around half of staff expressed concern about the choice of food provided by the school’s caterers in the early evening. All staff agreed that there was a strong commitment to pupils’ care and welfare and that routines were well organised to meet pupils’ needs. They thought that pupils’ confidentiality and right to privacy were respected and appreciated the way pupils took on extra responsibilities. Most care staff thought they would benefit from further training and development. Questionnaires were sent to parents and carers however, few responded. To maintain confidentiality, an analysis is not provided. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 3.

4. How good is the environment for care?

Climate and Relationships

Staff and pupils had created a very positive and welcoming ethos in the boarding houses. There was a notable sense of community. This was particularly commendable as some of the boarders had only been in residence for a short time. Pupils were very supportive of each other and very good relationships existed between pupils and staff. Pupils were proud of their achievements and contribution to wider school life, for example through their participation in the football team and as part of front-of-house teams at school events. Overall, staff and pupil morale was high. Pupils behaved responsibly and respected each other. They felt comfortable about inviting friends to visit. While a few pupils felt that some new rules were too strict, pupils felt that, overall, rules were sensible and fair and sanctions appropriate. Pupils had opportunities to express their opinions and take part in decision-making at regular house meetings. The housemaster had discussed pupils’ concerns about food with the catering company.

The school kept parents and guardians well informed of pupils’ personal development and academic progress. The housemaster made effective use of emails and telephone calls to maintain contact with parents, at times overcoming challenging difficulties with international communication. In addition, to support the Chinese boarders, the school had appointed a tutor whose duties included the preparation and translation of letters between the housemaster and parents. The school also kept parents updated through an informative newsletter.

Comfort, safety and security

Accommodation throughout the boarding houses was spacious. Almost all pupils had their own bedroom. Pupils were encouraged to personalise their rooms according to individual choice. Some communal areas and corridors in the boys’ house were in need of refurbishment to make them more homely and welcoming. Although the shower areas were in a good state of repair, there was an inadequate number of showers for the pupils in the boys’ house. Pupils had good access to nearby recreational facilities, including the school playing field for football and cricket, a sports hall and gymnasium. Pupils were also encouraged to make use of local amenities for example, swimming and cinema and to visit friends. Pupils had access to televisions, appropriate games areas and a comfortable library. They also made good use of kitchens to prepare snacks, supper and breakfast at the weekends. They had home comforts such as books, daily newspapers and readily available fruit and drinks. They used their own laptops in their study bedrooms where internet links were suitably screened to prevent access to inappropriate websites.

The houses had secure, coded entry systems. Staff had set up suitable methods for pupils to sign in and out to show their whereabouts in the evenings and at weekends. There were appropriate procedures in place to monitor visitors. Staff carried out and kept clear records of fire drills and fire alarm tests. Safety checks had been completed on electrical equipment, including the pupils’ personal items. The school had carried out an appropriate risk assessment of the accommodation.

5. How well are pupils supported?

Pastoral Care

House staff provided pupils with a very good level of support and care. An effective rota system ensured staff were available at all times. Staff were approachable and responsive to the welfare needs of the pupils. However, the limited number of senior staff meant that there were not always sufficient staff to facilitate activities for the pupils at weekends or in the evenings. Gap students and a tutor for Chinese boarders provided additional support to care staff and pupils. House staff helped pupils with access to places of worship for their chosen religion. They actively promoted and celebrated with boarders religious and cultural festivals. New pupils had been made to feel welcome by other boarders and staff. Further support was provided through an effective buddy system.

The house staff ensured that the medical needs of the pupils were met at all times. All pupils were registered with the local medical practice and the GP held a surgery at the boarding houses once a week. In addition, the school nurse supported the house staff. The matron had ensured that a good system of communication was in place between the boarding houses and the school medical centre to ensure the pupils’ care and welfare needs were met. Staff also ensured that all medical information was passed on to parents. The main evening meals provided by the school caterer offered a varied and balanced diet, with healthy options and a degree of choice. They were assessed nutritionally in line with national guidance. Suppers prepared by house staff successfully took account of individual preferences.

The school had an appropriate child protection policy in place and house staff demonstrated a good awareness and understanding of the procedure. However a few staff had not received updated formal training in child protection. Parents and pupils had received relevant information relating to child protection. All pupils had received information about the school’s anti-bullying policy. Incidents of bullying were dealt with quickly and sensitively. Pupils were provided with clear guidance with regards to boarding rules, routines and expected behaviour. Any incidents were suitably recorded and monitored by the rector and housemaster.

The school had a complaints policy which was available to all parents and pupils. Pupils felt that their views were listened to and taken seriously. Staff were accessible to pupils and encouraged them to discuss concerns or complaints with them at any time. Complaints were recorded appropriately in pupils’ individual records.

Supporting pupils’ education

The housemaster, the director of 6^th Form, the teacher of English as an additional language (EAL) and house tutors worked effectively to support and monitor pupils’ progress. The EAL teacher interviewed overseas pupils on arrival and developed individual programmes to meet pupils’ needs. The housemaster ensured good communication between the school and the houses, for example through close links with the rector and attendance at senior management team meetings. Pupils used their personal laptops to study independently in their bedrooms. They also had access to study materials and an additional computer in the library. They demonstrated good study habits and self-discipline in their approach to prep. Teaching staff sometimes offered specific support during prep time, for example in art and design. The EAL teacher provided individual and group support to reinforce language development and careers education. She had organised a rich programme of activities at weekends to broaden pupils’ experiences of Scottish life and culture. A number of pupils attended Chinese school on Saturdays. Mandarin versions of some university prospectuses were available.

Personal and social development

The arrangements for pupils’ personal and social development were very good. The formal programme included aspects of healthy lifestyles, drugs education and preparing for life after school. There was a strong emphasis on careers advice, appropriate for the age range of the pupils. There was scope to develop further aspects of the programme relating to health education. Pupils contributed to a wide range of school events, including singing in the choir, speaking at a Burns Supper and at a formal Speaker’s Dinner. Chinese boarders led a special Chinese New Year assembly. A few pupils took on additional responsibilities in the house and the school. The school provided a wide range of extra-curricular activities to support pupils’ personal and social development. Staff were very sensitive to the needs and preferences of pupils who were particularly committed to their studies. They worked hard to help such pupils establish a balance between study and social activities.

6. Improving the residential provision

The rector and housemaster in charge of boarding provided very good leadership. They were both highly committed to pupils’ care and welfare. They worked well together to ensure continuous improvement. They were open and responsive to pupils’ views. The rector showed an active interest in all aspects of the boarding provision. He participated in the rota for staff supervision in the evenings. The depute rector provided strong support in his role as child protection coordinator. The bursar was closely involved in implementing school plans for improving the decoration and comfort of the houses. The school had developed effective links between the Court of Directors and the boarding houses. A designated member of the Court communicated directly and regularly with the housemaster on progress and issues in the houses. The housemaster ran the boarding houses very effectively, with strong support from the matron. Staff in the boarding houses shared the school’s strong commitment to meeting the needs of individual pupils. This sensitive approach was particularly appropriate given the small scale of the boarding provision. The housemaster was highly regarded by house staff. Teaching staff found him very approachable.

The housemaster, matron and house staff had a good range of experience and skills. The school had a safe recruitment procedure. There was no formal system in place to ensure that all staff received adequate training relevant to their roles and individual needs. Overall, the school had a suitable range of policies and procedures in place to ensure the effective care and welfare of pupils.

The school had effective arrangements for evaluating the quality of its boarding provision. Senior staff had identified appropriate priorities to improve provision. The rector and housemaster monitored progress informally on a regular basis. The extended school senior management team carried out formal checks. Measures to judge the success of actions taken to bring improvement included information provided by heads of year and house tutors. The housemaster gathered pupils’ views at regular house meetings. However, there was scope to develop further the active role of pupils, parents and house staff in decision-making. The school kept the Court of Directors and parents informed of the results of its self-evaluation.

What happens next?

As a result of the strengths in the performance and management of the school, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in connection with this inspection. The school and the Court of Directors have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan with parents and carers. Within two years of the publication of this report, the Court of Directors, working with the school, will provide a progress report to parents and carers.

Following this inspection, Care Commission Officers will commence statutory twice yearly inspections of the boarding provision of the school.

25 October 2005

Appendix 1 Summary information

In conducting this inspection the team took account of the following HMIE quality indicators in How good is our school? and National Care Standards.

Evaluations made using HMIE quality indicators use the following scale to describe the team's judgements:

Reports contain recommendations which are intended to support improvements in the quality of service.

Any requirements refer to actions which must be taken by service providers to ensure that regulations are met and there is compliance with relevant legislation. In these cases, the regulation(s) to which requirements refer will be notified clearly and timescales given.

Appendix 2 Quality indicator summary table

Appendix 3 Summary of questionnaire responses

Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.

How can you contact us?

Copies of this report have been sent to the rector, Chair of the Council of Directors and appropriate members of the Scottish Parliament

Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from HM Inspectorate of Education, T1 Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD or by telephoning 0131 244 8437. Copies are also available on the HMIE web site: www.hmie.gov.uk

Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint about any aspect of the inspection or about this report you should write either to the Care Commission or to HM Inspectorate of Education at the address below. If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4-6 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone 0870 011 5378 or e-mail enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.scottishombudsman.org.uk

Crown Copyright 2005
HM Inspectorate of Education

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