JCP wins plaudits after education inspectors' visit

Sunday 07 January 2024

A “warm and welcoming” school has been praised by inspectors, with staff, teachers, governors and even the caretaker earning plaudits.

The glowing report for Jersey College Preparatory School came after a report compiled as part of the Jersey Schools Review Framework, which involved a three-day inspection in November.

During the review, the team observed lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work, held discussions with senior leaders, and examined a range of school policies, including safeguarding, child protection and pupil welfare.

The report stated that the school achieved consistently high outcomes, adding: "Pupils are very happy and thrive in the safe and secure environment on offer – they say that they love coming to school and feel a great sense of belonging."

Headteacher Catherine Precious, who took up her position in September 2022, was also praised, with the report saying that she had "successfully galvanised the vast majority of staff at JCP, raising their expectations of what all pupils can achieve".

Other areas highlighted in the report included:

• The school's governing body being recognised for its "strong and lively" role.
• The focus on the rights of children as part of an effective safeguarding regime.
• Monitoring by senior leaders was described as "rigorous and sharply-focused", with staff found to be "overwhelmingly supportive of leadership and management".
• High safety standards set by the "highly knowledgeable and informed Site Manager and School Caretaker".

Recommendations from the report included a need to develop greater consistency in the effectiveness of teaching, challenging pupils with the potential to achieve more, and refining the curriculum to achieve a clearer "sequence of learning".

Mrs Precious said: "I am pleased that this review has emphasised the consistently high outcomes of our pupils, and their exemplary conduct and behaviour.

"The review was rigorously and professionally carried out – I am grateful to the team for their considered recommendations and look forward to building on our current progress."

JCP is a fee-paying Government school for boys and girls aged five to seven, and for girls aged seven to 11.

Like all Government schools, it will be inspected every three years as part of the review framework.

All reviews are published online.