"First, congratulations on your inspection outcome and the very positive report. I read it the day after publication, prompted to do so by a coincidence.
Recently, I met one of your pupils (with an adult) in the lift at Torbay hospital. He immediately engaged me in conversation about the mirror in the lift, and we continued our chat in the waiting area of the fracture clinic, where he and I were together, both wearing our casts. You would have been very proud of him: his attitude, his behaviour and his politeness. (He offered me his seat, for instance, without prompting from anyone, but I was happy to stand in order to listen to him better.)
He loves Cambian, is very happy there, and contrasted it with other schools he had attended. I listened with interest to his accounts of what had happened and how he felt at the time. He told me he ‘loved’ reading, was immediately able to say he was reading ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’, mentioned other Roald Dahl novels and other series of books, such as Halo. He was less keen on writing; I asked particularly, literacy being my main professional interest.
He was absolutely delightful. We exchanged good wishes as I departed and I told him I’d look out for news of him if he was going to be a famous wrestler when he grew up!
I used to be one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors, so am very accustomed to talking to all sorts of children – and to being talked to! I thought you might enjoy an outsider’s perspective.
The adult mentioned the school name briefly and, not being familiar with it, I looked it up that evening. She allowed him to take the lead, however, in the conversation with me, which he did with aplomb.
He was an excellent ambassador for Cambian."