Vyners School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr James Heale Executive Headteacher Vyners School Warren Road Ickenham Uxbridge UB10 8AB

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Short inspection of Vyners School

Following my visit to the school on 27 February 2018 with Rosemary McCarthy and Charles Spring Rice, Ofsted Inspectors, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2013.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in certain areas. This may indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

The head of school and you provide highly effective leadership, with a clear sense of vision about where you wish the school to be heading. You communicate this clearly to all staff and governors, so that they too share this sense of clarity and direction. Leadership within the school is currently undergoing an important transition, whereby the current head of school will become the substantive headteacher from 1 September 2018. You are right to feel confident in the journey ahead, given the sustained improvements you and the senior leadership team have driven forward since the previous inspection.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

The school’s self-evaluation is very candid and accurate, and because of this the school improvement plan focuses on the right priorities. The senior leadership team clearly understands these priorities and shows determination and positive impact in working on these. Leaders at all levels and governors play their part in the school’s strong leadership. The ethos of highly effective teamwork is also evident in the way that leaders, governors and staff as a whole work together. All staff share a common sense of moral purpose to ensure that all pupils feel happy and safe, and have the highest possible standards of education, to enable them to succeed at the school, and in the future.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

Leaders have successfully tackled the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. The quality of teaching is now consistently strong in most areas. Teachers are more responsive to pupils’ individual needs. For example, pupils with low starting points now make above-average progress and have done so over the past two years. Teaching assistants and support staff are very effective in helping pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities to make rapid progress. You have taken decisive action to improve the progress made by the small group of disadvantaged pupils and these pupils are now making strong progress across the school.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

You have implemented effective systems to monitor different aspects of the school’s work, for example the tracking of current progress made by key groups of pupils. You have rightly recognised that students in the sixth form could make even better progress given their starting points.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

Together with the head of school and other leaders, you have successfully created a culture of high expectations and aspirations for all pupils. Teachers clearly share and promote these values and this was evident in learning observations and when talking to pupils. Pupils have a positive attitude towards their studies and enjoy learning. They show pride in their work and are always keen to improve further, which is clearly evident in their books and folders.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

The overwhelming majority of the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were very positive about the school. Parents and carers are confident that the school is well run, their children are safe and happy, and would recommend the school to another parent. The responses to the staff survey were also very positive about all aspects of the school.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

Leaders have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and work effectively. An open and supportive culture of safeguarding exists within the school and this is underpinned by strong record-keeping and timely interventions. One example of excellent practice was a ‘decision log’ to enable detailed monitoring of individual safeguarding cases and holding staff to account for the decisions that they make.

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Short inspection of Vyners School

There is regular and ongoing safeguarding training for staff, governors and pupils, keeping them updated about current safeguarding issues and developments. A number of Year 12 students are involved in producing a television show with a local university about the ‘Prevent’ duty. This highlights the school’s commitment to challenging extremism and radicalisation and entwining safeguarding into the curriculum as it links with the wider community. Leaders are tenacious in their approaches to safeguarding, as well as being reflective and adaptable. They are aware of the importance of their work and are very knowledgeable about the particular challenges and risks faced by pupils. Pupils told inspectors that they felt safe at the school and knew who to speak to if they had any concerns. This reflects the responses of the vast majority of pupils who completed the inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection findings

 A key focus of this inspection was the extent to which the curriculum enables disadvantaged and the most able pupils to make at least good progress.  School leaders show a commitment to diminishing the difference between disadvantaged and other pupils. Outcomes for pupils are no different between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils. Evidence from classes and pupils’ work shows that disadvantaged pupils make the same progress as their peers, or even better. The school’s current progress data shows that disadvantaged pupils are making strong progress.  The school is committed to ensuring that the curriculum stretches and challenges all groups of pupils, particularly the most able, so that they make rapid progress. This was evident in learning observations and in pupils’ work. Evidence shows that most-able pupils are making rapid gains in their learning.  A second area we investigated was the quality of teaching and the support for

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Inspection findings

pupils in lessons. We looked at the impact that this has on all pupils, particularly the less able and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.  In all lessons seen, teachers have high expectations which create a positive climate for learning. Less-able pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities benefit from well-targeted personal support and this has a positive impact on their learning.  Teachers provided timely and appropriate feedback to all pupils and pupils show the ability to reflect and act upon this.  The quality of sixth-form provision and progress across the curriculum was a further area of investigation. Year 13 students are making stronger progress than those in Year 12. Students speak highly about their experience in the sixth form and felt they were given strong guidance and support by both leaders and teachers. The school provides high-quality information, advice and guidance to

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Inspection findings

students. There is a strong track record of students going on to further education and employment.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 they focus more sharply on ensuring that students in the sixth form make the progress that they should. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hillingdon. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

We held meetings with you and the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher, governors and other leaders and staff. We also considered 108 responses from staff to Ofsted’s online questionnaire. We considered 211 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We observed teaching and learning across year groups and subjects. All observations were undertaken jointly with a senior leader. Scrutiny of pupils’ work, across year groups and subjects, was carried out during learning walks. A further scrutiny of pupils’ work for all subjects was undertaken. Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, and 289 questionnaire responses from pupils were taken into account. We looked at a number of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school’s improvement plan, and analysis of the school’s information about the progress of current pupils.

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