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Ofsted Inspection of Boarding
5th-7th February, 2008

As you know, just before half-term we were inspected by Ofsted, the government agency responsible for monitoring boarding schools in England and Wales. Two inspectors spent three days with us, talking to staff and students, visiting the boarding accommodation, looking at all our facilities and examining our policies and procedures.

Please find enclosed a copy of the report the inspectors have produced as a result of their visit. You will see that it is divided into different sections; these represent the headings in the Every Child Matters agenda, as set out in 2003 to help achieve the outcomes identified as being essential for well-being in childhood and later life. Under each heading, the inspectors reached a judgement about the quality of our provision; these conclusions enabled them to reach an overall quality rating.

We are delighted with the outcome of the inspection! The overall quality rating was 'Outstanding', the best it is possible to achieve. In four of the six categories we were also judged to be 'Outstanding' and in the other two we were judged to be 'Good'. At the end of the report, the inspectors made two recommendations, both of which we will implement as soon as we can.

I would encourage you to take the time to read the report in full. It quickly becomes clear how impressed the inspectors were with everything they found at Ratcliffe. Their conclusions bear testament to the hard work of all the staff involved with boarding, both teaching and support. They recognise the opportunities we provide for the students in our care and they highlight the quality of the wider aspects of Ratcliffe's pastoral care. We have always been confident that we do things well; it is very reassuring to have this backed up by a rigorous, independent quality assurance.

Thank you to those parents who completed a questionnaire to help Ofsted with their inspection. We were told at the verbal feedback that the parental comments were universally positive. The feedback from the students was also very good. In a few days, the report will appear on the Ofsted website, (www.ofsted.gov.uk), and we will also post a copy on the school website.

Finally, in order to address one of the two recommendations made by the inspectors, we have enclosed a separate letter, together with a form that you need to sign and return to us as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support of boarding at Ratcliffe. I hope you are as encouraged and reassured by this excellent report as we have been!

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

 

Darryl Wideman
Deputy Head (Pastoral)