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Hill House rated unsatisfactory

183 replies

jeanne16 · 12/03/2015 06:37

I was shocked to read this. Any parents from Hill House available to comment?

OP posts:
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AuntieStella · 12/03/2015 06:43

Which Hill House? There are a few.

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TrojanWhore · 12/03/2015 06:43

Journo?

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merrymouse · 12/03/2015 06:45

I know nothing about hill house except for the uniforms. However

“Nonetheless, pupils are successful in gaining places at or scholarships to the secondary school of their choice.”

Is probably good enough for most parents.

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 08:25

Hill House International School in London. Not great

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 08:46

just read the ofsted report. It's AWFUL. And they've marked them as inadequate in all 5 areas.

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nochocolateforlentteacake · 12/03/2015 09:03

What was the previous report like? Its unlikely that the school went to rack and ruin in a few years.

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MalibuStacy · 12/03/2015 09:07

It is an international school. I think it is harder for international schools to maintain very high academic standards when you have children coming and going all the time. Many of whom do not have English as their first language. However, the benefits to be gained from attending an international school more than outweigh the disadvantages, IMO.

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alliandcroc · 12/03/2015 09:14

Wow Malibu - you'd pay to keep your DC at an Ofsted rated inadequate in all 5 areas school just because it's "international" - all schools in London, especially that part of London are international to some extent - ie. pupils from all over the world. HH does offer skiing in Switzerland at its own chateau I suppose, but what else does it offer that other schools don't?

FWIW, friends with DC who have left recently to go to secondary employed tutors to assist with the process. They also commented that the DC are taught to the test, with not a lot beyond that.

Anyway it remains to be seen if this report causes parents to vote with their wallets. There is a multitude of choice in that part of London - Thomas's, Newton, Eaton House, Knightsbridge, Eaton Square, Fulham Prep.

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 09:15

Last one was 2012. It's not the academic they are falling down on.

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 09:17

I believe they get into good secondary schools because if they don't keep up then they are not given help to keep up, so the ones who would fall down leave early before the secondary school entry process. Parents also employ tutors.

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HarveySchlumpfenburger · 12/03/2015 09:19

Not even a few years, no chocolate. The previous report was a no notice inspection last May which seems to have judged the teaching as effective. By December it appears to have become inadequate. Unless they've replaced all their staff one of those judgements has to be wrong.

As merry says, if children are getting the scholarships they want, most parents are going to ignore what it says about the teaching and monitoring of rare behaviour issues. The H&S issues are likely to be more of a concern.

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MalibuStacy · 12/03/2015 09:22

alliandcroc, my DC go to an international school. Sorry, don't know what Ofsted is. What did they fail on?

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alliandcroc · 12/03/2015 09:30

Malibu - here's the summary of some of the Ofsted report - Ofsted is the inspector of schools. Lorra - the academic does get a bashing in the report.

This is an inadequate school.
?? Pupils are not safe because some key aspects of
the safeguarding procedures are inadequate.
?? Too few pupils make adequate progress across the
school, particularly in writing and mathematics.
?? Teachers do not plan activities which challenge all
ability groups. The work that pupils are set does not build on what they already know and are able to do.
?? Leaders and proprietors do not have the capacity to secure essential improvements. They are not taking any action to secure effective teaching. They do not know if pupils are making the progress of which they are capable.
Compliance with regulatory requirements
are given little support and training to improve their practice. As a result, too many pupils are achieving less than they should.
?? Leaders do not know what they do well and what they need to do to improve further. They do not plan for improvement.
?? Leaders have not clarified key roles and responsibilities. As a result they have not ensured that all the independent school standards or the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met.
?? Health and safety are compromised. There are serious breaches in significant areas.
?? The early years provision is inadequate. Children do not achieve as well as they should in all areas of learning.

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 09:37

Found to be inadequate on the five areas Oftsed, the body that inspects schools, looks at:
Leadership and management, behaviour and safety of pupils, quality of teaching, achievement of pupils, early years provision.

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MalibuStacy · 12/03/2015 09:45

A lot of it seems to be about compliance. I met Col Townend about 30 years ago. I know he's dead now, but wonder how much of his eccentricities and rebellious ways are still evident in the way the school is run. This would explain a lot. I think.

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EdithWeston · 12/03/2015 09:56

It's a complicated site, as they use a lot of small buildings. And if this was the first time they have been pulled up for lack of a fire policy, what has happened since earlier inspections? Did they rip one up?

Becuase although there have been changes in a lot of areas OFSTED inspects, I thought fire safety had been in there all along.

I had always thought that it was a school that got its pupils into a good range of secondaries, including big names. I'm now wondering how much of that is because if the school, or in spite of it. Tutoring?

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 10:03

Edith see my earlier post. Its tutoring and weeding out early on anyone who can't keep up. No help offered.
Alli I know they bash the academic. I was responding to the poster who assumed it was only the academic it fell down on. And she said ti was because academic standards are hard to maintain with movement at an international school. Englishs not a first lang etc. I should have said "It ain't just the academic it's falling down on...."

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MarshaBrady · 12/03/2015 10:08

Gosh what a thing to happen, have friends there who rate it highly. It is more about leavers' destinations but wonder if it will have an effect.

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jeanne16 · 12/03/2015 10:21

It has always had a reputation for being a quirky school. I suspect they ignore all the paper work that Ofsted loves so much. Just because they don't fill in the endless spreadsheets showing assessment of every pupil that is so loved by Ofsted, does not mean they are not teaching well.

Still, it must be a huge blow for the school and it will be interesting to see what effect it has.

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 10:36

"Teachers have no training or support to help them improve their practice. There are no opportunities for them to observe outstanding practice so that they can model their practice and hone their skills. The staff questionnaire responses confirm this lack of support. More than half of the teachers either disagreed or disagreed strongly that leaders promote their professional development."

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MalibuStacy · 12/03/2015 12:18

I know years ago they used to suggest that the brighter children were moved "down the road" (Thomas's).

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cartoonsaveme · 12/03/2015 13:02

Well it's over the papers. Doubt it will make any difference. Parents will just decide ofsted isn't for them.

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lorrylarouge · 12/03/2015 17:21

Yes lots of the parents are up in arms.

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nochocolateforlentteacake · 12/03/2015 17:30

But its always been quirky. Boys hiking through the swiss mountains in knickerbockers and sandals, communal swimming trunks... ( neither recently I have to say, but not all that like long ago).

I think that this was part of its charm to (some) parents.

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Abriata · 12/03/2015 22:15

Do any of you have chikdren at Hill House? Or are you just curious by-standers, deriving a bit of excitement from the katest scandal???

I have several friends with children at HH. The children are happy, they enjoy going to school, they are developing well academically, musically, artistically, athletically and socially.

I think it's highky unlikely a school could deteriorate radically in just a few years. Either the prior inspectors missed a huge number of serious faults or the current inspectors judged by a standard checklist without any subjective judgement.

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