New Rush Hall School

New Rush Hall School Fencepiece Road, Hainault, Ilford, IG6 2LB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils learn exceptionally well and make rapid gains during their time at this school. They are extremely well prepared for the next phase of their education and lives by the time they are ready to leave.  School leaders, teachers and other staff know their pupils extremely well and have very high expectations about what they can achieve and how they will behave. Teachers plan outstandingly well so that pupils are always engaged in learning in lessons and time is never wasted.  Pupils almost always respond positively. They learn very well in class and on visits to the local community and further afield.  Individuals and groups of pupils make huge improvements in behaviour because of the well-ordered and positive atmosphere throughout the whole-school community.  Pupils are extremely proud of their school. They can point to examples of their good ideas being taken up by school leaders about

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

how the school might be improved even more. They feel very safe at school and extremely well supported as they learn.  School leaders, including governors, are highly ambitious for the school. Their uncompromising pursuit of excellence has sustained outstanding teaching and achievement within an ethos of continuous improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by 13 teachers, amounting to six hours of observation in classrooms.  At lunchtime, inspectors joined pupils in the dining room and also observed them in the playground and in their lunchtime clubs.  Inspectors met a group of pupils to gain their views about the school and to talk to them about their progress, their likes and dislikes. One inspector listened to pupils read during lessons.  A range of school documentation was scrutinised including information about its own evaluation work. Meetings were held with school leaders and with the chair of governors, as well as the police liaison officer and a representative of the local authority.  A very small number of parents and carers provided responses to the Parent View questionnaire. In addition to their views, inspectors took into account the views of parents and carers who completed school-produced questionnaires. The views of staff were gathered from

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Information about this inspection

the staff questionnaire.  On learning walks around the school, inspectors viewed pupils’ artwork as well as their photographic displays which illustrate a range of school and community activities.

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Inspection team

Bob Pugh, Lead inspector Additional inspector Joe Skivington Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 New Rush Hall School provides for pupils who have behavioural, social and emotional difficulties (BESD). The majority come from the London Borough of Redbridge though a large number travel to school from neighbouring authorities.  The school is part of a loose federation with others in the New Rush Hall Group.  In recent years, a higher proportion of pupils who are admitted to the school have learning difficulties in addition to their other needs. At the time of the inspection there were just three girls on roll at the school, all of whom are in the primary department. Approximately half of all pupils come from backgrounds which are other than White British.  All pupils have statements of special educational needs. Almost half of all pupils are believed to be entitled to the pupil premium, which is much higher than the national average.  The school has gained a number of awards including a Research Charter Mark and the

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Information about this school

Inclusion Quality Mark. The school is a National Support School and the headteacher a National Leader in Education.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build upon existing good practice so that pupils receive even more individually tailored and detailed feedback on what more they must do to improve, using new technologies where appropriate.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils enter this school with attainment levels which are well below the national average. Almost all make such rapid progress from their starting points that by the time they leave, very many have gained GCSE passes (including some who get high grades) while others have achieved very good Entry Level passes or accreditation from ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network).  All pupils make at least expected progress compared with pupils in similar schools and a large proportion exceed expectations. Nearly all move from school to further education colleges at the appropriate time and older pupils have clear ideas about the courses they wish to pursue and how these will help them to get good jobs in the future. Because they are so well prepared, almost all students remain at those colleges and gain further qualifications.  Pupils are fully engaged in their learning and strongly motivated to push themselves to

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

increase their rates of progress; they speak confidently about their personal targets for improvement. Every pupil has an aspirational target and a large number achieve these.  There are no differences in rates of progress among various groups including those who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. The very few girls do equally as well as boys. One girl made such rapid progress at the school that she won a national achievement award for pupils who attend BESD schools.  Pupils make exceptionally good progress in reading and writing. In an effective science lesson, pupils used the information they had read in text books to support their ideas in a lively discussion about addiction. In a highly successful English lesson a younger group identified key words in a story about travel and used them to talk about their own experiences of travel and transport. The informative displays in classrooms and corridors

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

provide many fine examples of how well pupils use their writing skills to record and report what they have learned.  Pupils fully understand what they need to do to be independent and to help themselves, and they develop a wide range of relevant skills. They are justifiably proud of the work they have put in to creating a successful school allotment. Some help to prepare nutritious school dinners, often using vegetables and fruit which they have grown themselves in horticulture lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

The quality of teaching is outstanding  Teaching is typically outstanding and never less than consistently good. This leads to outstanding levels of achievement by pupils. Teachers’ planning has improved since the last inspection and demonstrates the highest expectations of all their pupils.  Teachers offer excellent support to pupils who are struggling, in well-organised small-group and individual work sessions. Pupils are highly motivated to learn more, so much so that many refer themselves for extra lessons. Very effective support from learning support assistants helps to ensure that pupils learn well and that lessons are successful.  Because classrooms are so well organised and everyone is clear about what they have to do, pupils settle quickly and quietly to work. An excellent example of this was seen in an outstanding food technology lesson; within five minutes of the start of the lesson everyone

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

was working well at their allotted task, sharply focused on achieving the best results they could with the available ingredients.  Teachers provide quick and constructive feedback to keep pupils motivated and help them to reach the next level. This is done through verbal praise and guidance. Pupils are fully involved in evaluating and marking their own work by talking about how much they have achieved at the end of each lesson and by scoring their own achievements on a form.  Excellent resources are well deployed to stimulate pupils’ interest and to encourage them to do their best. Laptops are available to all and are well used to encourage individual research and presentation. However, not all staff exploit to the full the opportunities for marking work and for self-assessment which are presented by the excellent software and hardware in classrooms.  Marking of work is regularly carried out and advice is usually offered about next steps. In

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

some lessons, written advice is not as informative as verbal advice, and not all available technologies, such as the laptops, are exploited to give pupils accurate and instant feedback.  Teachers use all available materials to promote exceptional learning. In a particularly strong and lively mathematics lesson, younger pupils made excellent gains in developing their measuring skills because they were encouraged to use string and any available classroom object to measure and estimate distance and length.  Homework is keenly focused on helping pupils to do even better. Teachers and their assistants work hard to ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed, for example by turning the Tuesday morning breakfast club into an English homework club.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding  Because of the consistent and skilled behaviour management of all staff, a conspicuously positive climate for learning exists in all classes.  A particularly strong feature of lessons is the efficient self-review of behaviour and participation, which is carried out between the teacher and each pupil. Pupils are encouraged to score their own involvement in the lesson, and they demonstrate tremendous levels of awareness of their own performance.  The high quality of pupils’ behaviour is demonstrated in the enormous respect they show for each other and for their school environment. Many who have formerly regarded themselves as failures when they have been removed from other schools are proud of their achievements at this school. Strong evidence for this can be seen in the decision taken by members of the school council to introduce a traditional school uniform which all pupils

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

wear willingly.  Pupils work hard in lessons and are polite to staff and visitors. Disruption to lessons very rarely occurs, and on those very few occasions when it does, incidents are quickly and effectively dealt with and learning proceeds calmly and orderly. Parents and carers, staff and pupils are all extremely positive about both behaviour and safety at the school, including how much these have improved over time.  Incident reporting is rigorous and reports are meticulously monitored by senior staff. Excellent support and advice are provided for victims and perpetrators. Incidents of a racist nature and bullying are almost unheard of, although pupils themselves show a strong awareness of different types of bullying. They know how to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet.  Rewards are closely matched to the desires and aspirations of the different age and ability groups and they provide motivation for excellent learning and behaviour. Pupils thoroughly

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

enjoy a weekly assembly in which their own achievements are celebrated alongside those of others.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

The leadership and management are outstanding  School leaders and managers at every level have a deep and accurate understanding of how well the school is doing and what everyone needs to do to make further improvements.  Their drive to improve teaching means that there is more outstanding teaching now than at the time of the last inspection. As a result, pupils achieve even better grades at GCSE or in alternative types of accredited courses.  Teachers are enthusiastic about the school’s well-planned professional development and performance management systems which are closely matched to the improvement plan and focus on accelerating pupils’ progress.  School leaders test themselves against others through a variety of means including sharing data on pupils’ achievement and behaviour with a network of similar schools including those in the school’s local federation. They are never complacent and there is a relentless drive by

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

everyone to do the very best they can to drive up standards.  The pupil premium is used most effectively to provide extra teaching in English and mathematics which has led to more pupils making even better progress.  The school’s outstanding curriculum provides rich and memorable opportunities for pupils in the classroom and beyond. They visit theatres and sporting events and attend careers fairs which help them make decisions about their futures.  By means of regular review and monitoring, school leaders ensure that the curriculum develops in such a way as to closely match the needs of a changing school population. The introduction of Spanish into the curriculum has opened the eyes of pupils to life in another country as well as providing them with an opportunity to travel abroad and to study a modern foreign language to GCSE level.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptionally well promoted. They

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

learn well about the similarities as well as the differences among various faith groups and lifestyles. Very effective teaching starting with the youngest pupils places great emphasis on working together, valuing the opinions of others and making good choices.  School leaders ensure that parents and carers are well informed about their child’s progress and that they actively participate in helping them to make progress. Parents’ and carers’ evenings are well attended and they provide an opportunity for governors to meet parents and carers and hear their views.  The local authority provides light touch support for this outstanding school.  The governance of the school:  Governors monitor the work of the school regularly which provides them with high-quality information about how well it is doing. They commission reviews of the school’s performance from others. They use their evidence to hold senior leaders to account and

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

they challenge them robustly to drive standards even higher. Governors ensure that all resources, including funding made available for those pupils entitled to receive the pupil premium, are effectively used. Governors ensure that performance management arrangements are rigorous and robust and closely linked to salary progression. They also ensure that staff are carefully deployed to maximise the benefit to all groups of pupils and that statutory requirements regarding safeguarding and the promotion of equal opportunities are fully met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 102879 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 402902

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Special School category Community Age range of pupils 5−16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 57 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Father Mervyn Jennings Headteacher John d’Abbro (Head of Group) Maureen Smyth (Head of School) Date of previous school inspection 16−17 January 2008 Telephone number 020 8501 3951 Fax number 020 8500 9309 Email address admin@nrhs.redbridge.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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