A Vale school is celebrating after being rated as ‘excellent’ by inspectors.

Hanford School, an independent day and boarding prep school for girls, has received the rating across the board following an ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) Inspection.
Inspectors visited the school over four days in November 2022 and looked at all areas of the educational offer, including pastoral care, the girls’ development and the school’s overall compliance against the ISI’s required standards.

Headmaster Rory Johnston said: “To pass with such flying colours is a wonderful endorsement of the education and care that the girls receive at Hanford.
“The inspectors clearly saw the benefit of our approach to education, where creativity, freedom and discovery is nurtured alongside encouraging girls’ confidence and instilling a life-long love of learning.”
The report praised a range of aspects of education at the school.
“Pupils have excellent study skills. They are highly organised in the presentation of their work, using a range of creative approaches to make their responses to tasks interesting and clear,” it said.

It added: “Pupils achieve highly and make strong progress over time, in successful fulfilment of the school’s aim to enable pupils to fulfil their potential.”
Mr Johnston met teaching and support staff this week at the start of the spring term to feed back the results of the inspection.
He said: “Such a successful inspection is not a result in itself – rather it is a validation of all the wonderful work that staff and pupils do all the time at Hanford.”

For more information and to read the full report, visit wwww.hanfordschool.co.uk/welcome/inspection-reports