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ST GEORGES’ VA SCHOOL : MEDIA RELEASE

MAY 16th 2011

‘OTT’ AWARD FOR AREA’S UNIQUE SCHOOL

SCHOOL GETS TOP MARKS FROM INSPECTION

SECOND OUTSTANDING GRADE IN FOUR YEARS

‘Over the top’ (OTT) boarding students react to their latest achievement at Harpenden’s St George’s school.

Receiving the final report from an intensive three day Inspection by Ofsted before Easter the students and staff, got a second outstanding award in four years.

Trained inspectors visit all boarding schools with very little notice every three years to check on 53 standards of care.

St George’s offer over 130 boarding places in year 7-13 fulfilled all the criteria and is delighted with the outcome.

Headmaster Norman Hoare reported that

“the criteria had changed significantly in certain areas since the 2007 visitation with much more emphasis on safeguarding issues. This has created headaches for all those who run schools especially with boarding, and has added to our costs. We knew we offer a very high standard of care in our two boarding houses and have excellent staff to look after our pupils under the great leadership of Richard Gibbs, Director of Boarding: it’s great to have this so emphatically confirmed by Ofsted.

The inspection is not easy and we have to be always on our toes meeting high expectations now enshrined in tough legislation. You can tell the detail Inspectors go into as one of only two recommendations to come out is the need to count the pills in the medicine chest in the surgery and keep running totals of our stock!

Many of the questionnaires for parents were sent all over the world with replies received from the Bahamas, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Spain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and China reflecting the international make up of our special community. Pupils also met with the Inspectors and shared their views on what it is like living at the Sun Lane site and the school’s facilities

The final report delighted us with quotations from parents and pupils who did not hold back on recommending their experience to others. In fact this is how we get the majority of our boarders, through personal recommendation. Only last week a family in the Bahamas was desperate to have a place because their neighbour’s son has enjoyed his first three years with us so much. Filling our places this way saves me a great deal on my advertising budget and is far effective in bringing in those who really understand and want this unique experience.”

There are 35 maintained boarding schools in the country and St George’s is one of the oldest established – it was opened as the UK’s first co-educational boarding and day school in 1907. The Head explained that boarding was vital to the special nature of St George’s and central to the school’s make up. “It brings so much to the experience of day students and enriches our community every year. It is a real privilege for my staff to know and work with such a diverse group of students and their families.”

In state boarding school students must have British or EU passports only pay for the residential fees, not for the education provided. Twenty places are reserved in each year for boarders, a third of whom come from the local area defined as within an hour’s drive of the school.

The School’s private Foundation has recently invested heavily in the two main Houses and with government help opened a Sixth Form annex with ensuite rooms for 16 students last September.

The proud residents of ‘Skiddaw’ show their approval of the School’s award in the photograph.