St. Mary’s College in Crosby has received the seal of approval from inspectors from the UK’s national independent schools watchdog.

 

Following a three-day visit last month, assessors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) have said that the school meets all five key standards they have set.

 

This is the best possible outcome the school could achieve under the ISI’s revamped assessment system, which no longer uses one-word, Ofsted-style gradings, except for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

 

The assessors’ verdict on the school covered key areas such as the quality of education, the physical and mental health of students, safeguarding, leadership and management, and the social and economic education of pupils as well as their contribution to society.

 

The report praises school leaders for ‘creating an environment in which pupils demonstrate a love of learning and flourish academically’, acknowledging how this helps them to develop as ‘mature individuals with strong moral values’ and become ‘successful and caring citizens’.

 

 Another key element in the success is St. Mary’s ‘engaging curriculum that ensures the acquisition of core knowledge and skills, while offering scope for pupils to pursue their individual interests’.

 

Teachers are also recognised by inspectors for their ‘good subject knowledge’ and for ‘planning well and using a wide variety of techniques to enable pupils to make good progress’.

 

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging report, the ISI assessors say that they were impressed by pupils’ behaviour and by St. Mary’s extensive extracurricular programme ‘that enables pupils to develop their interests and aptitudes in sport, music, drama and a wide range of other activities’.

 

Also singled out for praise were St. Mary’s safeguarding systems, the way pupils of all ages mix well together and students’ involvement with local and international charities, which reflects the way they are ‘keen to serve others’.

 

Meanwhile, following their visit, inspectors also awarded a ‘good’ rating to the St. Mary’s Bright Sparks & Early Years nursery, a separately registered early years setting for children aged 0-4.

 

Knowledgeable and well-trained nursery managers and staff were recognised for their positive relationships with children, the ‘ambitious curriculum’ they have set and for their ‘clear vision of what they want babies and children to learn’ and how this leads to the young children benefiting from a ‘wide range of opportunities to develop their core skills in communication, literacy and numeracy’.

 

Equally important is the nursery’s focus on the personal development of children which is designed to ‘build their confidence and develop their resilience and problem-solving skills’.

 

St. Mary’s principal, Mike Kennedy, commented: “We’re delighted with the assessment we have received from the ISI inspectors. It recognises many of what we regard as the key strengths of the school, which is very encouraging.

 

“Overall, the assessors were clearly impressed with what they saw, and by the many pupils and staff members they met and spoke to. I would like to thank everyone associated with St Mary’s whose ongoing commitment and effort have contributed to making this first-class ISI report possible.”