By Devan G, Year 6
It was clear that the inspectors were coming: the teachers’ faces grew pale and the Year 5s had to remind Mr Maranzana not to roast Arsenal as a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur. The teachers always spoke about how they were frightened when the inspectors came.
Then the day finally arrived. Inspectors permeated through the school, waiting in the most unexpected places. They loitered around buildings keeping the students very alert and constantly nervous. Then, suddenly it happened. As I walked back from Thursday Assembly, an inspector appeared out of nowhere from around a corner. My heart pummelled as if it wanted to escape from my chest. I inhaled with a deep breath in and went forward to represent Edge Grove School.
Later that day in my science lesson, the inspector viewed our class, analysing every detail in the session; during the class, I had wondered what he was thinking as he clicked his pen to scrutinise the lesson. When the inspector stood up, a student had told me after the lesson that, “Goosebumps covered me head to toe!”
Overall, nearly all the students and definitely all the teachers were anxious about the inspection. In my opinion, the inspection was slightly intimidating as an inspector had asked me many academic and pastoral questions such as, “How do you know if you have improved in your learning?,” and, “What are your thoughts about the school’s wellbeing support?” when I talked to them.
By Sophie G, Year 6
Inspection day had arrived and there were inspectors lurking in every corridor. I didn’t have an inspector in my classes but I did have the opportunity to speak to one of them in a group interview. I felt proud to be representing my school, telling the inspectors about all the amazing activities and classes we do. They were keen to hear about how we build independence and also to know more about our digital leaders and digital provision. There was also a discussion about assemblies and how these help grow and develop healthy happy lives. I think our school is amazing and I hope they saw that too!
By Roma S, Year 6
Over the course of two days, we had the ISI inspection; this inspection only happens every three years so it was a great opportunity to experience things like this. They viewed every class and how everyone worked whilst in class and outside at break as well.
When in my English class, I was lucky enough to have one of the inspectors walk in and experience a year six English lesson. When he sat down he started typing on his computer which was quite nerve-racking knowing our every move would be recorded. In my opinion he looked very impressed with the amount of passion we were all putting, how we were all trying to get involved one way or another and how we were all supporting each other if the other person was struggling. We also noticed that it was not only the students but the teachers who were on their best behaviour as well!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed having another person coming into our lesson and would like to thank them for the time spent with us.
By Deeksha C, Year 5
There have been inspectors roaming through the school as they were judging our school by the students’ behaviour and education levels, and the teachers on their teaching of the students. So they first wandered into my English lesson sitting down at the desk slowly looking at each student properly, staring at the quantity and effort in their work.
The inspector came over to my work; I bit my lip, hoping he would not mark me down on it. He quickly scribbled something down on his notepad. As soon as he left the classroom we all took a big breath and then the session ended. We all raced to break but then all of a sudden an inspector marched over to the astro where breaktime is held. He examined our communication with our friends. It looked like a fine inspection in the end.
By Alexis C-O, Year 5
The first day of the inspection wasn’t very out of the ordinary, as most of the inspectors were in a meeting discussing things with the heads and deputy heads of the school regarding compliance issues. They were also judging the quality of the education at the school by academic achievement and personal development. Multiple students also privately talked with the inspectors about their personal view and opinions on how the school operates and how the students learn.
Following their timetable, the inspectors quietly came into lessons to analyse how students were learning and improving throughout. All students wanted to represent the school as best as possible so we were all on edge to perform as well as we could.
By Miriam R, Year 5
Over the week, there were inspectors roaming around the school. The last inspection was around three years ago so this was important. I tried my best to say positive things about the school whenever I saw them.
I was just sitting there at Prep Club, then my form teacher told me that I had an interview with the inspectors and a few others. My cheeks went red and my eyes widened with fear. I was shaking. All night I was thinking about what they were going to ask me. Finally, the day came.
By Zuriela O, Year 6
I got the sensation that my heart had sprung into my mouth on Monday, February 20, when the school announced that inspectors would be visiting our school. They were sitting at the back of my classrooms, with sour faces while clicking their pens, which made me even more anxious since I wanted to represent my school well. Everyone was acting appropriately as the inspectors clustered around the school like a parliament of owls. The teachers became visibly pale and even expressed their anxiety.
When they invited me in for an interview, my professors and classmates had already made an impression on them, so it was my turn to do the same. They probed deeply into our school's academic and pastoral practices, asking questions such as, "How would you rate the well-being?" and "How do teachers push you?" Although all of the pupils were anxious and tense, I believe they were impressed with our responses. We responded one by one while trembling in our chairs. One student mentioned Mrs. Sharp, the head of well-being, while another mentioned Mrs. Broadis' excellent teaching style, vast book collections, and successful book sales.
On Thursday the 2nd of March, it was World Book Day, the time where you get to turn into a bookworm for a day. It is also the time to cuddle up with your family and read lots and lots of books, but the main question is, why do we even celebrate World Book Day? Let me tell you why: it's because worldwide, World Book Day encourages people to read and read many books, introduces children and young adults to new authors and books, and encourages them to consider becoming an author or a future book superhero!
At Edge Grove on World Book Day, we celebrated with a bang! As Mr Balfour was dressed up as Dumbledore and some students were dressed up as witches, Harry Potter or Hermione, it felt like they were the students and the rest of us were just visitors or even strangers! In the morning, older students were asked to read to the younger ones and as I took a step into Pre Prep, all my childhood memories sprang back into my head, especially as I was chosen to read to my old class. As I am a huge Harry Potter fan, I got to read to a girl named Isabella in year 2 as she was dressed as Hermione. I read to her lots of books that I remember reading when I was little: World Book Day was great fun!
On 26th of February 2023, four Edge Grove students, Monte, Xander, Dylan and myself included, participated in a regional chess tournament at Aboyne Lodge School in St Albans. The tournament featured some of the best players from twenty three primary schools in London.
On the day of the tournament, I arrived early. I was excited and nervous at the same time but, as I had been practising my game strategy and opening moves for a while, I was hoping to make a strong impression.
The tournament was organised into four rounds, with each round featuring different opponents from different schools. The first round advanced smoothly and all Edge Grove students won their matches. We didn’t let that go to our heads and remained calm and focused on our next matches against even stronger opponents.
I felt confident in my opening moves as I sat down for my second match. My opponent was formidable and I knew I had to be on top of my game to beat him. The game started off slowly, with both of us carefully planning our moves; however, as the game progressed, I managed to gain the upperhand and that eventually led to my opponent surrendering. Although they lost, they were still very nice and congratulated me on my second win.
As the tournament continued, I played against a variety of opponents, each with their own unique playing style. Some favoured opening with the Queen’s Gambit, while others preferred the Sicilian Defense. It was an exciting and challenging experience to play against such a diverse group of players.
Despite facing some tough opponents, I managed to win all my matches in the early rounds of the tournament. I was feeling confident heading into the final round. However, I knew that the competition would only get tougher from there.
My final opponent was one of the strongest players in the tournament and I knew I was in for a tough match. The game was tense, with both of us making strategic moves to gain an advantage and I knew that the slightest mistake could cost me the game. In the end, unfortunately, I made a fatal error and lost the game. I was disappointed but shook hands with him because even in my loss, I had learned how to play even better.
My other team-mates played their games well and altogether the Edge Grove team had an average of three out of four wins in our matches which was really good; however, we were all still nervous about the results that were yet to be announced.
We listened carefully as they announced the places and points earned by each team until they finally announced the winners to be Edge Grove! The feeling of accomplishment was indescribable; I felt a sense of pride knowing that I had represented Edge Grove School, and my team-mates and I would be bringing the winning trophy back to Edge Grove.
Overall, the chess tournament was an incredible experience, one that I will never forget. It was a great opportunity for the Edge Grove team to showcase our abilities and learn from other players. I came away from the tournament with a newfound appreciation for the game.
