SCHOOL NEWS // DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
JOHN DOLMAN SOCIETY UPDATE
JOHN DOLMAN SOCIETY
POCKLINGTON SCHOOL
In February , members of the John Dolman Society were welcomed into School for a tour , luncheon and reception with the Headmaster , staff , and pupils . The event gave members the opportunity to see some of the latest developments around school including sampling the allnew catering provision from the recently appointed Head of Catering and Hospitality , Paul Freeman-Hacker , who took over from Andrew D ’ Arcy after he retired last year .
Sheena McNamee , Director of External Relations commented “ It was wonderful to re-connect with our members and thank them for supporting the school through their donations to the John Dolman Trust . Guests particularly enjoyed talking to students and finding out how they are making the most of the opportunities and experiences available at school .”
Membership of the John Dolman Society is open to anyone who donates to the school . Members are invited to
Commemoration and other school events throughout the year as well as receiving the annual John Dolman Society update .
If you would like more information about the John Dolman Society , please email Jenny Preston at Prestonj @ pocklingtonschool . com or call 01759 322626 .
SCHOOL INSPECTORS CALL
The Independent School Inspectorate ( ISI ) inspectors visited the Pocklington School Foundation in October 2021 and were fulsome in their praise for both the day and boarding provision at the School deeming the Foundation fully compliant in all required standards .
Inspectors judged that our pupils ’ personal development was excellent . They found that “ pupils ’ social development is excellent and relationships between pupils were very positive ”. They noted that their “ moral understanding is highlydeveloped and they show an empathetic understanding and respect for other cultures ”.
Inspectors were also full of praise for pupils ’ achievements , which they judged as good . They learnt that our pupils are “ confident and highly articulate speakers who listen and respond maturely … and write fluently in a range of styles ”. They wrote that they are “ hardworking … resilient ; they have positive attitudes to learning and work effectively both collaboratively and independently ”.
All ISI reports include recommendations for improvement and inspectors have advised that the Foundation should :
• Develop pupils ’ thinking further in the Lower and Middle School by providing more opportunities for independent thought , analysis and synthesis of ideas
• Enable pupils to take increased leadership of their learning , through use of more intellectually stimulating tasks and increased opportunity for individual research .
Toby Seth commented : “ The major reason for our recent change of working week , timetable and curriculum was to encourage independent thinking , increase the time to reflect and consider problems in more depth as well as offer increased opportunity to discuss and debate more complex ideas . These goals very much reflect the inspectors ’ recommendations and as such offer additional external confirmation that our changes will help support further improvements to pupils ’ progress .”
He concluded : “ I would like to offer my thanks to pupils , parents and colleagues for their support in achieving this very positive outcome for the Foundation .”
The full report is on the Pocklington School website here : https :// www . pocklingtonschool . com / about-us / independentschools-inspectorate-report
12 THE POCKLINGTONIAN