Students at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School have told inspectors that they have welcomed stricter rules that have been imposed to tackle concerns over welfare issues.

Ofsted inspectors made an “emergency unannounced” two-day visit to the school in February following concerns received about the care of boarders at the school relating to “serious welfare incidents”, poor recruitment practices, poor nursing provision, inadequate supervision levels and unsatisfactory boarding accommodation.

The inspection team, lead social care inspector Sophie Wood and her colleague Tola Akinde-Hummel, interviewed senior staff including executive principal Chris Russell and met groups of boarders of all ages.

“Boarders are particularly positive about the relationships they enjoy with the adults around them and with each other,” said Ms Wood in the report

“Older boarders talk of ‘an extreme change in consultation processes with us’. They describe the senior leadership team as inclusive, approachable and committed to ensuring a safe and happy environment.

“Younger boarders say the boarding teams are stricter and enforce more rules this term. They view this positively and say that bullying isn’t tolerated and this makes them feel safe.”

The inspectors said there was a serious bullying incident in May 2011 resulting in an internal inquiry by the governing body which uncovered “wider concerns” regarding the safeguarding practices at the school.

“As a result, the school has undergone significant personnel changes with the departure of 16 staff, including members of the senior management team.”

Last year Mr Russell, chief executive of the Dover Federation of the Arts which includes four other schools in the town, took over as executive headteacher with a new senior leadership team who undertook a “robust review” of welfare policies and procedures, according to the inspectors.

Mr Russell said this week that an assistant principal was being appointed with special responsibility for welfare and an extra nurse was also being recruited.

Full story in this week's Dover Mercury.