Senior School Inspection Report and Good Schools Guide
Inspection 2019
We are delighted to announce that the Senior and Junior Schools have achieved the highest possible ratings of “Excellent” in the Inspection Reports issued by the Independent Schools Inspectorate following their visit in the 2019 Autumn Term.
In assessing the Educational Quality of a school, the Inspectorate focus on two key outcomes:
The achievement of the pupils, including their academic development
and
The personal development of the pupils
The Senior and Junior Schools were inspected separately and both were rated “Excellent” for the two outcomes.
Senior School
In the Senior School, the Inspectors commented:
Throughout the school pupils’ progress is rapid, and they achieve highly in both academic and other areas.
The excellent level of pastoral care ensures that pupils grow in both self-confidence and self-esteem and so develop into resilient young adults, ready for the next stage in their lives.
Achievement in public examinations has been consistently high for the last three years.
Pupils are aided in their learning by excellent teaching; lessons are well planned, encompass a variety of techniques and are tailored to the needs of the pupils.
Pupils demonstrate excellent communication skills; they are confident and articulate speakers, listen well and write fluently in a range of styles.
Teaching encourages independence and promotes self-confidence which allows pupils to take their own initiative. Pupils are curious and willing to learn new skills…
Pupils excel in a wide range of creative and physical pursuits and are supported in their achievements by the wide-ranging extra-curricular programme, very good sports facilities, and excellent teaching and specialist sports coaching…
Musical groups perform at a high level both within school and beyond.” And “Drama is an important part of school life with many pupils enjoying considerable success in speech and drama exams and in school plays.
Pupils make an excellent contribution to the school community, through undertaking roles of responsibility or acting as mentors, and to the wider community through volunteering and involvement in charity work.
Pupils’ social awareness is excellent, and this helps to create an extremely harmonious and engaging community.
Download the full Senior School Report (pdf)
The Junior School Inspection Report is also available to read.
About the ISI
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is the body approved by the Government for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to the Independent Schools Council (ISC). Stockport Grammar School was visited during the Autumn Term as part of its regular programme of inspections. The ISI is generally recognised as being even more rigorous in its standards than Ofsted, as it sets as its benchmark standards of achievement which might be attained by the most highly selective schools in the maintained and independent sectors. Its judgements are based on a set scale in which ‘excellent’ is the highest grade and the wording used throughout the reports reflects this.
The Good Schools Guide
We are thrilled that The Good Schools Guide, the UK’s number one school guide, noted that Stockport Grammar School provides an “excellent 360-degree education” in its latest review.
Their analysis, which was completed in 2021, added that “pupils not only succeed academically but also leave well prepared with skills for life ahead.”