Not the first thing you think about when Tenerife is mentioned, but did you know that this island of eternal spring also has one of the best schools in the world? Wingate School is an “Outstanding School”. It is official.
After an intensive 3-day inspection, a team of BSO inspectors from PENTA, representing the UK Department for Education, have declared Wingate School to be “An outstanding school in every aspect” firmly cementing its place amongst the top schools in the world. A very proud moment for a school with pretty humble beginnings.
Wingate has always been considered to be a Good School, easily passing every 4-year obligatory inspection by NABSS (The National Association of British Schools in Spain). However, 4 years ago, they switched to a more internationally recognised and rigorous inspection under BSO (British Schools Overseas), and astounded inspectors by being one of the few schools to achieve a “Good” status in their very first inspection.
“Despite exceeding expectations, we were not prepared to sit back and bask in the glory of Good School status, we knew we could do better,” says Jonathan Green, the current CEO. “We owe it to our pupils to be the best we can be.”
At the very next inspection, they achieved the unsurpassable acclamation of an “Outstanding school”, placing them firmly among the top schools in the world. This certificate, proclaiming the school to be “Outstanding in Every Category”, places the school among the top 60 International British Schools in the world, and in the top 5 in the whole of Spain.
Martyn Howells, the school’s current Headmaster, acknowledged that “The Inspection was a very intense process, but it gave Wingate an opportunity to demonstrate the vision of the school from the leaders as well as the excellent practice that happens in the classroom between students and teachers and a truly magnificent result overall.”
What is interesting to note, is that whilst many equivalent “Outstanding Schools” around the world charge fees in excess of 20,000€ annually (even in Spain, Outstanding Schools have fees of up to 18.000€ a year) the cost of sending your child to Wingate is about a quarter of that amount.
The inspection is rigorous; three highly qualified inspectors, spent three days analysing every single aspect of the school. After such a thorough analysis, the inspectors found that “Students speak highly of their teachers, especially because, “They will always give up their time to support you.”
They went on to add that “Students insist that their teachers genuinely care about their learning and well-being. Indeed, teachers were observed to be genuinely passionate about their student’s learning and educational success. Relationships are excellent and clearly the rock on which excellent learning occurs at Wingate School.
One sixth-form student, who had been at the school since reception class, testified to “the strong, cooperative community spirit in the school, where support is always at hand and the well-being of students is paramount.”
The inspectors were highly impressed with the school. One of them said “Every opportunity is taken to develop the students as individuals and promote self-esteem. The size of the school, strong relationships and the focus on the whole student ensure all succeed regardless of their ability.”
“We owe it all to the dedicated and hardworking staff at the school,” says Mr. Green. “Teachers really are at the top of their profession, both with the quality of teaching they impart and in caring for their students. But it is not just the teaching staff that makes this school special. The catering staff, ensuring that the children receive a well-balanced diet and enjoy their food. The office staff
who keep the whole school running smoothly; all of them care about the children and are on first-name terms with them. Even the cleaning and maintenance staff feel like family; coming in sometimes on their days off to ensure that the school is in top shape after a storm, or painting the catering area with colourful memes to make it feel more welcoming for the students.
The whole staff at the school really are something special. This is what makes Wingate an Outstanding school - the genuine care and interest all the staff have for the student’s education and wellbeing.”
The day before the inspection, one of the teachers was asked if she was nervous. Her reply epitomised the staff’s positive attitude; “Not really; we just have to continue to do what we do every day. We don’t need to put on a show, we just need to act as usual because we work hard on improving and doing the best we can every day, so in effect, it is just a normal day”
Most of Wingate’s pupils are not native English speakers, and, with a fully native teaching staff, they bring the student’s levels up to proficiency very quickly, and in doing so outperform most English schools in the UK.
The inspectors noticed this and commented that “The majority of students do not have English as their first language. From a below average starting point, particularly in English, students in foundation make excellent progress in social skills and language, which enables them to access future learning. This leads to high academic attainment.”
It is clear that children who start at an early age at Wingate reap the most rewards; becoming fluent native speakers with high academic levels and confident personalities, early on, which stands them in good stead for everything that comes later in life.
The school achieved the top marks possible in all the categories outlined below:
• The quality of education provided by the school: OUTSTANDING
• Curriculum: OUTSTANDING
• Teaching and assessment: OUTSTANDING
• Standards achieved by pupils: OUTSTANDING
• The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils: OUTSTANDING
• The welfare, health and safety of pupils: OUTSTANDING
• The provision of information for parents, carers and others: OUTSTANDING
• Leadership and management of the school: OUTSTANDING
The school was also assessed on a pass/fail scale in the following categories. Needless to say, it passed with flying colours on all of them:
• The suitability of the proprietor and staff
• The premises and accommodation
• The school’s procedures for handling complaints
“We have always done our best to provide the best quality education for our pupils, sacrificing fancy features for the things that really matter,” says Mr. Green proudly. “Small class sizes and quality teachers are not immediately visible to parents and are the major expense of a school wanting to excel, but these are the things that take the educational experience for the children to the highest level, and makes the school stand out from the rest.”
The full report is available to view here: https://www.wingateschool.com/about-us/
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