The Harrodian School

The Harrodian School Lonsdale Road, London SW13 9QN

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor and school leaders are effective in ensuring that all of the independent school standards are met.  The headteacher and senior leaders maintain a strong culture of enquiry in which pupils become happy, reflective learners.  Pupils make good progress across a range of subjects. Barriers to learning for individual pupils are promptly identified and skilfully overcome.  Pupils’ understanding of moral and cultural themes are deepened by the opportunity to explore these in a wide range of subjects.  Teachers typically use assessment well to guide pupils’ learning. However, some teachers in the pre-prep school are less successful in helping pupils, including the most able, to apply their skills and deepen their understanding.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They study diligently and demonstrate a strong curiosity.  Teachers enable pupils to communicate and learn using reading and writing well, though

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

this is less evident in some parts of the pre- prep school.  Pupils’ personal development is very well supported by skilful staff and specialist speakers.  The school is rightly proud of pupils’ standards of work in art, music and drama.  The outstanding sixth form ensures that pupils build on firm foundations so they can make well-informed, individual choices about future education and employment.  Teachers in the early years accurately assess children’s starting points and enable them to make good progress in a nurturing, encouraging environment.  Leaders ensure that checks are routinely made on premises, activities and staff. However, some evaluations of potential risks have limitations.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Broaden the range of potential risks assessed and evaluated when considering routine aspects of school life.  Ensure that teachers in all parts of the school provide consistent challenge for pupils to apply their skills across the curriculum.  Ensure that leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching ensure their consistent excellent use of assessment and adaptation of teaching resources so that outcomes, especially for the most able, improve further.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher and his leadership team have successfully maintained a good quality of teaching. Leaders have ensured that all of the independent school standards are met. This results in good outcomes for pupils overall.  Leaders provide a consistent example in upholding the school’s stated values. As a result, staff, parents and pupils are typically positive about the quality of pastoral care and academic provision provided by the school.  Leaders responsible for each part of the school check carefully on the progress that pupils make. They use this information to provide effective challenge and support when monitoring the quality of teaching. However, some communications between different parts of the school are not extensive enough to ensure that transitions are as effective as they could be.  The curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their skills and acquire knowledge across all areas of learning required by the independent school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

standards. Pupils also benefit from an impressive range of enrichment activities and experiences which bring learning to life for them. However, teachers’ expectations and the impact of the challenge they provide for pupils to apply skills in all subjects remains variable.  Leaders ensure that assessment information is checked for accuracy and used well to decide on priorities for training and improvement. For example, leaders’ work to improve the teaching of phonics has been successful. Leaders have also strengthened the guidance that pupils receive on careers in key stages 3 to 5 since the last inspection.  Leaders ensure that provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is excellent. Teachers make very effective use of the curriculum and the extensive range of extra-curricular activities on offer to enrich pupils’ cultural lives. Pupils make substantial progress in considering moral aspects of topics they study. For example, pupils in Year 6

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

are asked to examine whether Julius Caesar was a good or a bad leader.  Leaders are also successful in deepening pupils’ understanding of British values and institutions. Older pupils who spoke to inspectors have a secure understanding of democratic processes.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well included and make good progress due to the vigilant eye leaders keep on the impact of provision for these pupils. There is no additional funding for this group but extensive work is done to provide guidance for teachers and additional lessons when this is found to be necessary.

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Governance

 The school does not have a governing body. The proprietor maintains a well-informed overview of the school through his own visits and regular meetings with leaders. He has an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This has enabled him to provide effective challenge to leaders which has ensured that standards have been maintained since the last inspection.  The proprietor has insisted that leaders place a priority on areas for improvement identified at the school’s last inspection. As a result, some aspects seen as relative weaknesses before, such as careers guidance, are now among the school’s strengths.  The proprietor works well with leaders to uphold the open and accessible culture which is seen as a hallmark of the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders ensure that checks on staff are completed according to statutory guidance and appropriately recorded. They expect staff to understand and keep up to date with safeguarding policies and information. Leaders support this with training which staff see as useful. The safeguarding policy meets statutory requirements and is published on the school’s website.  Pupils, staff and parents typically express confidence in safeguarding arrangements. They particularly appreciate the quality of pastoral care that the school provides. Leaders understand some of the predominant risks pupils may face to their well-being, such as stress due to academic pressure. They act on this by providing well-considered training for staff and support for pupils.  Leaders place a priority on ensuring that the school provides a welcoming environment. This contributes positively to the school’s culture of safeguarding. Leaders’ arrangements

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Safeguarding

to assess risks are typically rigorous and well informed. However, leaders’ consideration of some school routines do not reflect a wide enough range of potential risks.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching is typically good because it enables pupils to sustain good progress from different starting points across a wide range of subjects.  Teachers enable pupils to learn phonics securely. As a result, they become confident readers and develop personal reading preferences at an early stage. The well-resourced library is skilfully managed. This contributes well to pupils’ deepening understanding of a wide range of genres as they get older.  Pupils’ work demonstrates that teachers provide effective guidance in helping them write for different audiences and purposes. Teachers of older pupils ensure that they can apply skills to communicate across a range of subjects. Some teachers are less effective in this regard.  Teachers typically ensure that pupils achieve well in mathematics. However, leaders have rightly identified that some teachers are less successful in adapting teaching materials to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

challenge pupils to apply their skills. They are providing additional resources and training to tackle these variations. There are signs of improvement as a result, but expectations of teachers, particularly for the most able younger pupils, remain an area for improvement.  Specialist teachers across the curriculum demonstrate good subject knowledge. This helps pupils deepen their understanding and sustain progress in key stages 3 and 4. The school is rightly proud of its achievements in music and art, which are exemplified by the high standard of pupils’ work resulting from skilful teaching in these subjects. The most able pupils are identified accurately and challenged successfully.  Teachers interpret and uphold the school’s values and policies consistently and proudly. This leads to excellent attitudes to learning from pupils across the whole school.  Pupils who may be at risk of falling behind with their learning for any reason are quickly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

identified. They are sensitively supported through a mixture of intervention work and adaptation of lessons by their main teachers. As a result, these pupils continue to enjoy learning, and retain their self-confidence, even when faced with significant challenges.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are challenged to consider the impact of their actions on others through all aspects of school life. As a result, they develop a strong understanding of the school’s values and come across as happy, motivated learners.  Parents wrote to inspectors to express their admiration for the school’s work to support pupils’ welfare. Pupils benefit from opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe. Teachers described how helpful training in keeping up to date with the most recent mobile phone apps is in providing relevant e-safety advice for pupils.  Leaders make a wide range of information and guidance available to help pupils learn about rights and responsibilities For example, pupils in Year 6 receive a gender- intelligence talk to help them understand relationships. As a result, pupils say that they feel safe and confident in school, whatever their racial background or gender.

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Personal development and welfare

 Leaders have well-established and well-resourced arrangements to check that the premises and school activities promote rather than detract from pupils’ welfare. However, they have not considered a wide enough range of potential consequences of some of the school’s arrangements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Across all parts of this large school a common factor in lessons is pupils’ curiosity and dedication to learning. Disruption in lessons and other misbehaviour is very rare.  The school’s mentoring and prefect system is held in high regard by pupils for its impact in empowering pupils to understand and tackle bullying. Leaders’ records demonstrate that discriminatory behaviour is a rare occurrence and is tackled effectively when necessary.  Pupils attend school well. Current attendance rates are as good as those for similar schools nationally.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils sustain good progress and achieve well by the end of each key stage. By the time they reach the end of key stage 4 a large proportion of pupils attain GCSE qualifications in a range of subjects at the highest grades. Nearly all pupils stay on to the sixth form and enter it well prepared for the exceptionally high demands and expectations of this part of the school.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics overall. By the end of key stage 2 nearly all reach the demanding standards the school expects of them. However, leaders are aware that some pupils need to catch up in some parts of the school.  Pupils’ achievement across a wide range of subjects is good. Their work and attitudes demonstrate that pupils sustain progress even when they find work hard. Some parents have accurately picked up that the most able pupils make better progress as they get older. This is because teachers have higher expectations of what can be achieved and more

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Outcomes for pupils Good

effectively identify opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills and knowledge.  Pupils who are at risk from particular barriers to learning make the same good progress from their starting points as other pupils. Teachers’ work with other support staff ensures that creative approaches are taken to ensure that the motivation of these pupils remains high and they continue to achieve well.

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Early years provision Good

 Leaders manage the early years effectively so that all of the independent school standards are met.  Most children enter the Reception Year with a higher level of development than that typical for their age. Their skills are rigorously assessed, and leaders take effective steps to check that these assessments are accurate. Children make good progress so that the proportion achieving a good level of development was above the national average in 2017.  Leaders have been effective in improving the teaching of reading so that children make good progress in learning phonics. The expectations of staff and the opportunities provided to help children explore their ideas make a positive contribution to their progress. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the assessment of their child’s learning. Children’s writing typically demonstrates the sustained progress they make in developing the physical skills

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Early years provision Good

needed to manipulate a pencil and in improving the content of their work.  Leaders have developed useful links with the sports department to help improve the provision for children’s physical development. The outdoor area is used to continue children’s learning of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the same level of creativity and imagination evident in teachers’ work in using the indoor environment is not as evident outside.  The safeguarding and welfare arrangements in the early years are effective and meet the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage.  Children behave well. They cooperate with one another when sharing resources and during parts of lessons when teachers encourage them to talk with one another about their ideas.

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Sixth form provision Outstanding

 Senior leaders ensure that consistently effective teaching provides students with the challenge and support they need to sustain outstanding progress across the wide range of subjects on offer. Students build on the firm foundations provided by the learning in the senior school.  The proportion of students who attain a higher grade at A level is well above the national average. This enables nearly all students to move on to university studies. All current Year 13 students have an offer of a place at university. Students are very well prepared for their next steps into adult life. Students say that the support they receive in their university applications is ‘fantastic’.  Leaders’ work to monitor variations in outcomes between subjects ensures that they know where progress is somewhat less evident. They use this analysis to challenge and support individual students very well, examining their progress in depth and tailoring

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Sixth form provision Outstanding

support to meet individual needs.  Students enjoy a wide range of careers and training guidance which, they say, enables them to make well informed choices about destinations. For example, students participate in psychometric testing which provides them with useful specialist information to help them make informed choices about their future.  The excellent provision for pupils’ personal development seen in the rest of the school continues in the sixth form. For example, students are encouraged to read the latest Booker Prize shortlist and make their own decisions about what they would choose as a winner. Leaders ensure that students act as role models for younger pupils, and take these responsibilities very seriously.  Parents and pupils rightly praised a high level of pastoral support in the sixth form. Leader are vigilant to look out for any signs that students are suffering from undue stress or anxiety as a result of their studies. The culture of open discussion and support ensures

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 170

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £15,000 to £23,040 per year

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–2 February 2012

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Information about this school

 The Harrodian School is an independent day school for boys and girls aged from four to 18. It is registered to admit up to 990 pupils. The school opened in September 1993. None of the 974 pupils currently on roll attend part time.  The school occupies a large site in Barnes, south-west London. It is divided into a pre- prep school for pupils up to the age of eight, a prep school for pupils in Years 4 to 8 and a senior school which includes a sixth form. The school does not use any additional premises.  The school is owned by a sole proprietor. There is no governing body.  The school’s website includes all of the information required by the independent school standards.  At its last inspection in February 2012 the school was judged to be good, and all but one of the independent school standards were found to be met.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors conducted a tour of the premises with the headteacher and examined documents recording checks on the premises. Inspectors also visited a range of lessons with senior leaders across the whole school. A wide variety of pupils’ work was scrutinised.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders responsible for different aspects of school provision, a group of teaching staff and some pupils. The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with the proprietor, who was out of the country at the time of the inspection.  A range of documents related to safeguarding, pupils’ progress, school improvement and behaviour were considered.  Inspectors took account of 216 written responses from parents, 93 staff questionnaires and 233 responses to the online Parent View survey. Inspectors also spoke with parents informally at the beginning of the third day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Liam Stevens Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

Parent View 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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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