KING Edward’s School at Witley is celebrating receiving an “excellent” ranking – the equivalent of Ofsted “outstanding” – across the board for all nine categories assessed in its latest Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report.

The official ISI report, which outlines the findings from the inspection that took place between October 20 and 23 last year, provides a glowing evaluation of the school across the nine core criteria for assessment.

The inspectors’ comments include: “King Edward’s Witley is highly successful in educating pupils in line with its overall aim to provide an educational experience which supersedes the purely academic and becomes a foundation for life. Supported by excellent teaching, pupils take pleasure in their learning and present their work with pride. Pupils of all ages and abilities demonstrate excellent subject knowledge and understanding.

“The quality of pupils’ personal development is excellent, supported by the high quality pastoral care they receive. Boarders appreciate the warm, welcoming environment created for them by the boarding staff and feel safe in their houses.

“The school implements excellent measures to ensure their welfare, health and safety … Governance of the school is excellent.”

The comprehensive inspection demanded an extensive review of the school’s operations covering: quality of the pupils’ achievements and learning; contribution of curricular and co-curricular provision; the contribution of teaching; spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils; contribution of arrangements for pastoral care; contribution of arrangements for welfare, health and safety; quality of boarding; quality of governance and the quality of leadership and management, including links with parents, carers and guardians.

The school was judged excellent in each category, with the inspector also referring to the pre-inspection questionnaire with high levels of satisfaction expressed by parents, an overwhelming majority of whom would recommend the school to another parent.

Commenting on the report, headmaster John Attwater said: “I am delighted the inspectors have described the outstanding young people and school community I know and see every day.

“This report is a great endorsement of our determined vision to provide education as it really should be, not the narrowly-focussed and stripped-down version it has sometimes become today.

“At King Edward’s, all our staff are absolutely committed to enabling every individual to fulfil their potential and achieve excellence both in and outside the classroom, in their values and outlook as well as their academic results.

“It is brilliant that the pride of every member of our community in what is being achieved here, has been officially recognised so definitively.”

The last full ISI report was carried out in October 2010, with an interim boarding inspection in November 2013.