The Gryphon School celebrates ‘Excellent’ inspection report
Staff, pupils, parents and governors are celebrating after our school was rated ‘Excellent’ following a recent inspection. We received the rating in their recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist School (SIAMS) inspection.
The report said The Gryphon has a “broad, inspiring and strongly creative curriculum which allows all learners to explore their personal spirituality” and that “a deeply embedded and transformative Christian vision holistically infuses the life of the school”.
We are a 10:10 community referring to the deeply held vision of living ‘life in all its fullness’. The inspector found that “the caring ethos has outstanding impact on the flourishing of pupils and adults…. the senior leadership team provide inspirational and caring leadership exemplifying the vision”.
The provision of SEND support was also highlighted as a successful area, and the school’s innovative nurture groups help ensure rapid progress in areas such as reading. The teaching of RE is “exceptionally well planned…and the quality and range of theological thinking is impressive”.
The SIAMS report praised the variety of ways students can get involved in community projects, including creative fundraising to help people in Ukraine, developing a spiritual garden, and working to reduce waste across the school site. The report says that “Pupils have a real passion and desire to do more as advocates of change”.
Headteacher Nicki Edwards said “Our SIAMS report is a wonderful recognition of the hard work put in by all of our staff to ensure that all of our students get the opportunity to experience life in all of its fullness. Our team really goes the extra mile to ensure that every student has not only excellent teaching but a myriad of opportunities to take part in sports, the arts, outdoor adventures, and other enrichment activities.”
The Gryphon School is a member of the Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust, and SAST CEO Colin Sinclair added “We are exceptionally proud of Nicki and her staff at The Gryphon for achieving this outstanding result. We are working closely with the Diocese of Salisbury on their ‘Church Schools Flourishing’ programme, and Nicki is part of the team that will ensure all the schools within our Trust benefit from their experience and expertise in this area, which supports the holistic development of our students”.
