Inspection Report
RICHMOND PARK SCHOOL
Calle de la Costa Brava, 55,
28034, Madrid, España
School’s regional authorisation number: BOE 28079886
Date of Inspection:
7th October 2022
Inspection Team:
Claire Madeley (Lead Inspector)
Clare Mooney (Team Inspector)
Reason for the Inspection:
To renew the school’s authorisation for Key Stage 3 and to assess
the school for authorisation of Key Stage 4 as offering a British
education.
Overall Recommendation:
The school is recommended for authorisation from Year 7 (11
years) to Year 11 (16 years) for a period of 2 years for 280 pupils.
This period allows the synchronization of the cycle of inspections, so
that the next inspection will cover the whole school (Pre-nursery to
Year 11) and is due in October 2024.
Schools are authorised by regional authorities after inspection by NABSS (or another recognised
inspection service) and certification by the British Council.
Schools should not refer to themselves as being authorised by the British Council, NABSS nor any other
inspection service. Schools must not use the logos of any of these organisations in their publicity.
NABSS member schools may use the NABSS logo.
N.B. A NABSS inspection does not infer membership of the Association. Authorised schools may apply for
NABSS membership.
History and Context of the School:
Richmond Park School is situated to the north of Madrid in a residential area. It opened
in September 2019, offering a British education to children from pre-nursery age to
Year 6. Key Stage Three was authorised in 2020 (Years 7, 8 and 9) and the school is
rapidly expanding in numbers and classes with the first cohort of Year 10 being
admitted in September, 2022.
There are currently 109 students on the register in Years 7-10, most of whom are
Spanish. With two classes in Years 7 and 9 and one in Year 8 at the time of inspection,
intake is anticipated to reach three classes per year eventually. Richmond Park School
draws students from other international schools in Madrid as well as Spanish schools.
Accommodation and Resources:
The secondary school accommodation is new, as are all installations and furniture.
Classrooms are spacious, well-lit, and appropriately furnished. The reception area and
corridors are decorated with displays which promote the school’s values, house
identities and classwork.
Students in the secondary school enjoy the use of excellent facilities and resources.
The music room is well-equipped with a variety of instruments including percussion and
keyboards; the art room is spacious with ample storage and a kiln for pottery work;
and drama is delivered in the theatre which has a stage, audio-visual equipment and
audience seating.
The two science laboratories are well-resourced and linked by a central preparation
room. Adequate safety facilities include an eye-washing station and secure area for
chemical storage.
Other specialist classrooms include a computer suite and food technology room.
There is an excellent range of facilities for physical education, including a sports hall,
indoor heated swimming pool, comfortable changing areas, outdoor mutli-purpose
sports pitch and superb resources to deliver a variety of different sports like cricket,
gymnastics and basketball.
All classrooms have interactive whiteboards which are used effectively to enhance
learning. All students have tablet computers which they use across the curriculum
during lessons to access online resources and at home for research and completing
work through the school’s chosen online learning platform. In music, students use
music production software to create their own compositions.
While some teachers make good use of display space to reinforce subject-specific
content and celebrate the work of the students, many classrooms are less stimulating
for the students.
At the time of inspection, the secondary library was being established, resources had
been ordered and a limited range of books were available. Students have access to an
online fiction resource to develop their literacy.
There are sufficient toilet facilities for staff and students, including disabled access.
They are situated conveniently around the school. There are very good facilities for
staff. Maintenance and domestic staff have their own secure space for changing and
storage while teachers have the use of two staffrooms designated for working and
relaxation. The dining room and kitchen areas are well-equipped and large enough to
cater for the projected increase in the number of students
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Health, Safety and Welfare:
The school environment is safe and secure with controlled access to the grounds.
Entrances and exits are monitored by cameras and staff supervise the arrival and
departure of students. Children enter the school in an orderly way and move safely
around it.
Corridors and stairways are wide and well-lit with lifts for those with reduced mobility.
Access to the swimming pool and changing rooms is controlled.
Detailed emergency evacuation procedures are in place with maps, routes and exits
clearly marked. There is an appropriate number of fire extinguishers which are
appropriately positioned in the buildings. Evacuation drills are regularly carried out to
ensure that all members of the school community are as confident as possible in an
emergency.
Supervision at breaktimes and lunchtimes ensures that students are safe. Policies are
in place for health and safety, safeguarding, child protection, anti-bullying and online
safety. The students say they feel safe as they learn.
All teachers have safeguarding training and a designated safeguarding leader co-
ordinates this area of care. An acting discipline coordinator is in place until the new
head of secondary school is appointed.
All staff are trained in first aid and there are plans for a school nurse and psychologist
to be appointed next year. First aid resources are good, and defibrillators are located in
the sports hall and the medical room.
All adults who work at the school are required to provide police check certificates which
are updated every two years. New staff from other countries are required to present an
international child protection certificate.
The Curriculum:
In the secondary school, the English National Curriculum is clearly followed and is
broad and balanced. Students with additional learning needs are well catered for, but
sometimes, the more able students are not sufficiently challenged or stretched. For
example, in a Year 10 lesson two students gave extended answers in a class
discussion but were told to keep it simple.
The duration of lessons is appropriate, as is the allocation in the timetable for each
subject in Key Stages Three and Four.
The range of subjects offered at IGCSE level is good, given the number of students in
Year 10 and as the school population increases, additional option subjects are ready to
be added to the programme.
The school is currently preparing to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma to
future sixth form students.
There is a busy programme of extra-curricular activities, before and after school and at
lunchtime, including breakfast club, football and swimming. Inter-house and inter-
school sports fixtures encourage teamwork and participation in physical education.
External speakers are regularly invited to lead assemblies and Personal Social Health
Education (PSHE) activities, giving the students the opportunity to gain new
perspectives. Residential trips such as the recent Year 8 geography and science trip to
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Gredos enhanced understanding in the classroom and enabled the students to develop
social skills, such as resilience and team problem-solving.
Staffing:
Most of the secondary school staff are UK-qualified and have over five years’ teaching
experience. Staff retention has been very good in the secondary school since it opened
in September 2020 and more teachers are being recruited in line with the plan to cater
for a growing student population and Key Stage 4 programme. Staff work well as a
team.
The secondary school teachers are well-deployed, although there is a need for
improvement in the delivery of the computing curriculum. At the time of inspection, the
subject was being taught by the teacher of business studies and economics. Some
areas such as programming are neglected and standards of knowledge and
understanding by the students are below expectations for their age. The management
is providing access to training to address this
Teaching, Learning & Assessment:
The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good. Overall, the standard of
teaching is good. Where teaching is best, there is profound subject knowledge,
excellent use of resources, and well-paced lessons with clear objectives which build on
previous learning. All students participate well at their own level.
Although other lessons are satisfactory, sometimes the pace and management of
resources and technology is misjudged. The impact on learning is unequal, with some
students benefitting greatly and others not being required to work sufficiently hard.
The relationships between students and teachers are generally very good and students
enjoy school.
Despite there being a policy for marking, feedback is inconsistent in method, quality
and impact. Some teachers effectively highlight success and point out areas for
improvement. But others give only grades, and some do not give any guidance at all
for the students to refer to. Consequently, some students explained that they did not
know how well they were doing or how they could improve. This was a particular
concern of a year 10 student on an IGCSE course in a discussion about revising for
assessments.
The use of English in the classroom is expected and the standard of written and
spoken English is very high.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development:
The atmosphere is calm and students behave well in lessons and when moving
around the school. Interactions between students and with teachers are positive,
resulting in a respectful and productive learning environment. Students speak
enthusiastically and fondly of their school. They know who to ask if there is a problem.
The values of the school are promoted well. Weekly assemblies cover a wide range of
topics and celebrate successful achievements. In the curriculum, opportunities are
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taken to study different current issues. For example Year 7 English students were
encouraged to explore the themes of empathy and tolerance in the book they were
studying.
There is a Student Council in the secondary school for which students may stand for
election. There are typically two representatives per year group who act as a student
voices, feeding back to senior leaders on learning and other school matters and
organise charity fundraising events. Students are encouraged to show leadership and
develop communication skills.
Leadership and Management:
The school is managed by one of the owners and two directors of education. The
development plan for the school details each phase of growth, and the school already
has a clear identity and ethos which is reinforced by staff and valued by the students.
Self-evaluation is a key part of the process as each step is taken and leaders are
aware of areas for improvement.
Staff training and professional development are offered through in-house training,
online courses and workshops delivered by external agents during the course of the
year. All staff have completed first aid training.
Appraisal of the teachers is carried out formally by the senior leaders in the form of
observations of lessons, scrutiny of books and planning, and feedback from parents
and students. Staff are given the opportunity to share good practice.
Response to the previous inspection report:
During the last two years, the consistency in teaching and learning has improved as a
result of thorough self-review and focused staff meetings. Inconsistencies in marking
remain.
Recommendations:
The school should:
• Continue to improve the quality of computing in KS3 and KS4 by providing
training or appointing a specialist teacher.
• Improve the quality of marking and feedback across the curriculum so that all
children know how well they are doing in each subject and how to improve their
work.
• Offer the more able students more challenge in their work.
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