King William’s College and Buchan School have passed recent inspections - but they’ve been told to up their game in two areas.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate, the body that inspects all UK private schools, began in January with a preliminary visit by the reporting inspector, followed by a team of six inspectors, mostly heads or former heads of UK schools, who spent a week in the school at the end of February.

The inspectors had complete access to school files and records and reviewed all policies and procedures, inspected school facilities, spoke to staff and pupils, spent time in lessons and extra-curricular activities as well as analysing the results of parent and pupil questionnaires which took place earlier in the term.

The first part of the inspection process, the ’Inspection of Standards’, can either be passed or failed and requires the school to comply with a detailed set of standards, which vary from child protection procedures to staff recruitment processes. There are also a large number of additional standards, specifically for the boarding houses.

King William’s College and The Buchan passed every standard and were judged to be completely compliant.

The second part of the inspection process, the ’inspection of educational quality’, is based on two judgements on a scale that goes from ’unsatisfactory’ to ’excellent’.

For ’the quality of the pupils’ learning and achievement’ the school was judged to be ’good’. The report commented that pupils’ attitudes to learning were excellent and that throughout the school the pupils were positive, focused and eager to learn.

But the inspectors made two recommendations: on improving the quality and consistency of marking and on setting appropriately demanding challenges for the most able.

For ’the quality of the pupils’ personal development’ the school was judged to be ’excellent’.

The report commented: ’The success of this aspect of the school’s provision is evident in the excellent outcomes for pupils, who become engaged, compassionate, kind and mutually respectful members of the school community at all ages, with a genuine concern to contribute towards improving the wider world.’

It continued: ’They feel trusted and safe, showing enjoyment of their life at school whether as day pupils or boarders. They are friendly, enquiring, concerned and engaged, the older pupils caring in a natural way for the younger ones as appropriate in both the junior and senior schools.’