Kitebrook House was previously inspected in June 2007 and has since changed ownership. The new proprietor is Cothill Educational Trust. The present headteacher was appointed in January 2009. The school opened in 1955 and is a co-educational preparatory school for boys and girls aged from three to 13 years. It occupies two substantial properties near Moreton-in-Marsh and currently provides for 89 pupils. The pre-preparatory department is based at Hillside, and includes two Early Years Foundation Stage classes with 10 part-time children on roll in the Nursery and nine children in the Reception class. 13 Early Years Foundation Stage children receive nursery grant funding. Kitebrook House houses the preparatory department for pupils aged from seven to 13. No pupil has a statement of special educational needs. Weekly and flexible boarding is available for pupils in the preparatory department. The school aims to: ‘Look at each child’s needs and each child’s potential, and to provide a secure and loving – yet challenging – background in which all the children can fully thrive and develop.’ Evaluation of the school Kitebrook House meets its aims and provides a satisfactory standard of education. The quality of the curriculum is good, as are the teaching and assessment throughout the school. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils is outstanding, as is their behaviour. Although several regulations are not met, the school has improved many of its policies and procedures since the last inspection: it has introduced a clear framework to assess pupils’ work, improved its complaints procedures, developed communication with parents and produced policies to promote good behaviour and to deter bullying. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a good learning environment for children. However, the school’s safeguarding arrangements lack rigour and are inadequate; there are omissions in the checks made on staff prior to their appointment and as a result the welfare, 1 www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/ukpga_20020032_en_14#pt10-ch1-pb4-l1g162 www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2005/ukpga_20050018_en_15#sch8 3 Schools which provide childcare for children from birth until the term in which they reach their third birthday must register this provision separately with Ofsted. 4 www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/ukpga_20060021_en_4#pt3-ch2-pb4-l1g49 2 Independent school inspection report 3 safety and health arrangements and the overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage are also inadequate.