Hall School Wimbledon

Hall School Wimbledon Stroud Crescent, Putney Vale, London SW15 3EQ

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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 Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school’s leaders and new proprietors have ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  Outstanding provision in the early years prepares children for Year 1 exceptionally well.  Pupils make good progress across the school, especially in English, mathematics and science.  Curriculum provision in most areas of learning securely supports pupils’ good achievement. However, opportunities for technological learning are too narrow, limiting pupils’ outcomes in this area.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the June 2017 inspection. However, some variability remains. While planning is generally good, some teaching fails to engage pupils in not giving them opportunities for practical work and open- ended investigation, for example.  School leaders have put in place a new system to accurately evaluate and develop the quality of teaching and learning. It is too soon for any

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

impact to be realised.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very effectively supported so they make comparable progress to their peers. So, too, do those pupils learning to speak English as an additional language  Extensive enrichment opportunities for pupils of all ages contribute well to the school’s strong provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  School development plans reflect the ambition that new proprietors have for the school. However, the plans are not specific in setting out the intended impact of actions on pupils’ academic outcomes and personal development.  Clarity is being given to the role of middle leaders, but they are not yet taking full responsibility for performance in their areas or fully contributing to whole-school improvement.  The proprietors have established new arrangements for the governance of the school to ensure that leaders at all levels are

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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?

 Develop the capacity of leadership and management by ensuring that: – middle leaders take greater responsibility for the quality of provision in the areas they lead, and fully contribute towards whole-school improvement – school development planning is sharply focused on the intended impact of actions on pupils’ progress, welfare and personal development.  Improve pupils’ outcomes by: – reducing the variability in teaching, particularly at the secondary school, by sharing the existing good practice that gives pupils opportunities for practical and creative learning and open-ended investigation, for example – providing pupils of all age groups with a broader range of technological learning experiences, including the design and making of products.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The school’s new leaders, both at school and proprietorial level, have established themselves in a relatively short space of time. They have evaluated the school’s strengths and aspects of its work that need to be improved. They have acted swiftly to address some health and safety concerns and to identify the school’s priorities. They have also introduced new systems of accountability across the school. The headteacher, senior leaders and proprietors have ensured that the independent school standards continue to be met, and also that legal requirements for the early years foundation stage are met.  Leaders at all levels are ambitious for the school and its pupils. They wish to build on pupils’ current academic success by improving the quality of teaching and learning, with an emphasis on supporting pupils’ individual needs and developing their wider skills and experiences. Development plans are now in place and are being used to drive school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improvement. However, actions have yet to be linked to their impact on pupils’ academic outcomes, their well-being and personal development.  Leaders are reviewing the work of middle leaders, and some new posts of responsibility have been created. However, these roles are at an early stage of development and middle leaders do not have a responsibility for quality of provision and pupils’ outcomes in the areas they lead, or contribute to school improvement.  Leadership of SEND has made a significant contribution to developing teachers’ knowledge and skills through mentoring and coaching. As a result, the needs of these pupils are now being met in the classroom. As yet, however, this expertise has not been used in whole-staff training.  Since the June 2017 inspection, there has been improvement in the quality of teaching. Staff now have access to professional development opportunities. A new staff appraisal

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

system is now in place, together with a new programme for checking the quality of teaching. This is beginning to be used to identify strengths in teaching, for the sharing of good practice and for planning future training at whole-school and individual level. However, as leaders recognise, some variability in teaching remains, particularly at secondary level. Leaders have yet to tailor training to the needs identified in the development plan and those of individual staff.  Staff are loyal to the school and proud of its pupils. However, there is some variation in the views of staff to the recent changes. Many staff view this as an exciting development and welcomed the opportunity to take on roles of responsibility, take part in professional development and move the school forward. However, leaders have not yet reconciled all staff to the changes being made and some staff expressed concern about these changes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The current curriculum serves pupils of all ages well so they make strong progress in most areas of learning, but particularly in English, mathematics and science. The new leaders’ initial reviews of the curriculum have also identified strengths in physical education, but weaknesses in technological learning. Firm actions are in place to improve pupils’ access to computers.  There is strong focus on promoting British values across both the primary and secondary sites. Pupils have a strong sense of inclusivity. They spoke with real pride and respect for the wide diversity of pupils at the school, how well they all get on and what they learn from each other. Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths is enhanced through connections with a local church and visits to different places of worship. The wide range of opportunities across the school, both through the curriculum and school events, supports pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. Consequently, pupils are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Most parents who responded to the online Ofsted survey, Parent View, would recommend the school. A very few parents raised concerns in their written responses about the change of ownership, but the majority viewed this as an exciting development. Parents also very positively commented on how much their children enjoy school, the quality of teaching, and the individual support provided for pupils with SEND.

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Governance

 Governance arrangements are in the early stages of development. The expectations and responsibilities for the governing body, the proprietorial management board (known as the senior management team) and the Chatsworth advisory team are well documented in the governance policy.  The governing body is bringing independence and expertise to governance arrangements. Minutes of meetings and reports to the governing body and proprietorial management board show that accountability systems were established as soon as the current proprietors became the school’s owners. The proprietorial management board has swiftly identified aspects of concern and supported leaders to address these.  The chair of the governing body is already highly involved in the school. He is using his strong knowledge and understanding of the independent school standards to assist school leaders and the proprietors in meeting regulatory requirements. He regularly meets with

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Governance

the headteacher, acting in the role of ‘critical friend’. He has undertaken an audit to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding procedures.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school’s current safeguarding policy is available to parents on the school website. The safeguarding policy references and has due regard for all aspects of current government guidance and requirements. This includes the ‘Prevent’ duty and online safety.  The improvement in safeguarding reported in the February 2018 inspection has been sustained. Staff at all levels and in all roles speak with one voice, saying that ‘safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’. Staff are vigilant and take their responsibilities to keep all pupils safe extremely seriously. Safeguarding leaders work well together, ensuring that agreed policies and procedures are applied consistently well on both sites. They are all trained at the appropriate level and meet weekly to ensure information is shared and actions reviewed. The advice of the designated officer is sought when

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Safeguarding

needed. Systems for child protection are secure, suitably recorded and kept safe.  Staff are well trained. A full day’s training took place at the start of term, led by a specialist safeguarding consultant. Staff undertake additional online training in specific aspects of safeguarding, such as peer-on-peer abuse, mental well-being, child sexual exploitation and use of reasonable force. Safeguarding is one focus of weekly staff meetings at both sites. The understanding of staff on safeguarding matters is routinely checked by leaders and any deficiencies are addressed.  Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe and happy in school. They know who to talk to if they have any issues or concerns. Parents and staff also support the view of pupils that they are safe in school.  Early years and other staff at the Beavers Holt site have undertaken the appropriate paediatric first aid training as part of the early years welfare requirements.

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Safeguarding

 Leaders are ensuring that the necessary pre-employment checks on staff and parent volunteers are carried out. Recruitment records are well kept and accurately recorded on the school’s single central register.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Across the school, teachers demonstrate very strong subject knowledge. Teachers’ planning makes clear what pupils should learn and how the needs of the most able and pupils with SEND will be met. Often, the chosen activities use subject matter well to engage and motivate pupils. However, at times the teaching approaches lack variety. In particular, some teaching provides few opportunities for practical and creative activities and for open-ended investigations that engage and give pupils responsibility for learning.  Most teaching at both primary and secondary level sets high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Mostly, too, questioning is well used to probe pupils’ understanding and extending their learning. Misconceptions are picked up well and dealt with sensitively, either to support individual pupils or to make a whole-class teaching point. Good examples of this were seen throughout the inspection, including in mathematics and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

science.  Teachers make good use of the information gained from informal and formal assessment to adjust their lessons and plan the next steps in learning. However, there is some variation in teachers’ effectiveness in guiding pupils to improve their work. Generally, the older pupils were more confident in talking about the progress they are making. Parents’ responses to the online inspection survey indicated that they felt well informed of their child’s progress.  Pupils of all ages show very positive attitudes to learning. In most lessons, pupils were seen to be actively learning, focusing on the task in hand and asking questions when needed. The strengths in teaching and pupils’ learning are reflected in the quality, content and presentation of their work, particularly so for primary pupils.  Pupils who need additional help are supported well. This includes pupils with SEND, those learning to speak English as an additional language or those who have been identified as

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

falling behind. All interventions are carefully planned and tracked. The use of teaching staff to support class teachers in lessons, as well as for individual or small group teaching, is particularly effective in supporting the progress of these pupils.  Homework is an integral and effective part of learning for pupils across the school. From Year 3 pupils use the school’s ‘Flint system’ to provide daily tasks linked to their lessons and assessments at the end of each week. However, while the set tasks are useful for informing both teachers and parents of pupils’ progress, they can be too easy for the most able or too difficult for less able pupils or those learning to speak English as an additional language. Some teachers compensate for this, for example by providing a wider variety of tasks, such as research and investigation, or better targeted work for the less able.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The improvements in safeguarding pupils’ welfare, reported at the time of the February 2018 inspection, have been sustained. Detailed risk assessments for both on- and off-site activities are in place. There is a robust system for checking these ahead of any visits to minimise any risks to pupils.  The new proprietors quickly commissioned a full external health and safety audit on both sites. This did not identify any significant concerns, but some minor issues raised by the audit have been addressed, such as fitting restraining locks to the upper floor windows at The Downs site.  Strong professional relationships between staff and pupils contribute to pupils’ care and well-being. As a result, pupils across the school say they feel safe at school and well looked after.  Pupils are taught age-appropriately about the potential risks posed in everyday life and

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Personal development and welfare

how to keep themselves safe. Opportunities for this come through the taught personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons, the broader curriculum, and activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Pupils were clear on the risks posed by the internet and actions they could take to keep themselves safe when online. However, leaders have yet to establish a process of regular review to ensure that new risks are identified and covered in pupils’ learning on keeping themselves safe.  Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to take responsibility in school. Elections to the active school council help pupils understand about democracy and leadership. Through the many enrichment activities that they undertake, pupils learn to get on and work well together, so developing their self-esteem, self-confidence and resilience. These, in turn, have a positive impact on their academic learning and well-being.

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Personal development and welfare

 Secondary aged pupils all receive detailed and impartial careers advice. This starts formally at key stage 3 through the PSHE education programme. It is enhanced through visiting speakers and, at key stage 4, through an online tool and visits to careers fairs. Pupils are helped well with their GCSE choices and in making the arrangements for their 16 to 19 education.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Staff set high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, in line with the school’s policy. Any incidents are effectively managed and, as result, there have been no exclusions in the current academic year. Pupils, staff and parents all agree that pupils’ good behaviour is a strength of the school.  At both sites the atmosphere is calm and pupils are well mannered. Pupils are appropriately supervised throughout the school day. Pupils of all ages speak kindly and with respect to each other, play well at breaktimes and lunchtimes, and work well together in lessons.  Pupils said that bullying is rare. They showed a good awareness of what bullying is and the risks to their well-being that it can pose. Both pupils and staff were confident that bullying is dealt with effectively. Inspection evidence supported this view. Some parents who responded to the online Ofsted survey, Parent View, expressed concerns.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attendance rates across the school continue to be high. The few pupils who are persistently absent are closely monitored; staff support both the pupil and their parents effectively in their learning and to improve their attendance.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils make good progress across the school. This is a significant improvement on the variable progress that pupils made within and between subjects and year groups reported at the last inspection. In particular, pupils with SEND are now making comparable progress to their peers from their starting points. At primary level, outcomes at both key stages 1 and 2 have improved considerably, with most pupils making strong progress.  Almost all pupils make good or better progress in English, mathematics and science because of the school’s strong focus on these subjects. Outcomes in arts and languages also remain strong, although some variability remains in other subjects, including humanities. Across the school, pupils’ technological learning is weak because of the variability in learning opportunities that pupils receive.  Evidence, including tests and public examination results, indicates that a higher

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Outcomes for pupils Good

proportion of most-able pupils make good progress across the different subjects. Good level of challenge was exemplified in a Year 6 mathematics class, where pupils used small sticks to create complex shapes; this both engaged and challenged them so that their progress was palpable. However, there remains some variability. For example, pupils in key stage 3 said they would like more opportunities for extended and creative writing.  Reading and love of books is promoted across the school. The new library is proving very popular with pupils and staff and is further fostering primary pupils’ love of reading. Strong phonics teaching is enabling younger children to get to grips with reading rapidly but securely. Both primary and secondary pupils enjoy reading and learn to read with fluency and expression. The strong focus on developing pupils’ comprehension skills is adding to pupils’ enjoyment of reading and academic success. A wide range of books is available in most

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Outcomes for pupils Good

classrooms. Teachers use opportunities within lessons to enhance pupils’ reading skills.  A highly structured programme, regardless of pupils’ age or timing of entry, very effectively supports the high proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. This enables them rapidly to gain the necessary language skills to fully participate in the school’s curriculum. As a result of this and ongoing support for these pupils, they make similarly strong progress to their peers.  Over time, attainment at GCSE has been above both local and national averages, including in English, mathematics and science. This sets pupils up well for their future studies. In 2018, all Year 11 pupils gained places on 16 to 19 study programmes in sixth forms or colleges.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 The early years provision is impressive as a result of highly effective leadership, demonstrating excellent knowledge of how children of this age learn and develop. This knowledge is used well, alongside information about children’s learning and progress, to identify the provision’s strengths and areas for development. This in turn has led to significant improvements in children’s outcomes since the June 2017 inspection. Children now make exceptional progress from their starting points because the learning is so well tailored to their developmental needs.  Children enter the Reception Year with a wide range of starting points. Some join without any spoken English. For some of these children and others, this is their first experience of attending early years provision. Assessment on entry and over time enables staff to track their progress and identify any child who maybe slipping behind or who may have a

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Early years provision Outstanding

special educational need. Careful tailoring of teaching ensures that, by the end of the Reception Year, almost all achieve at least a good level of development. This is above the national average.  A strong focus on vocabulary development helps the children to make accelerated progress in their speaking and listening skills. This particularly assists those children who are at an early stage of learning to speak English as an additional language. Effective teaching also helps children to make rapid progress with phonics and early reading. Children are able to use their knowledge of letters, sounds and broad vocabulary to write independently, often in full sentences with accurate punctuation.  Teaching is carefully planned throughout the day to be responsive to children’s learning needs. This includes not only coverage across all the required areas of learning, including their social and emotional development, but also in developing them as learners.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 There is an excellent balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. All are challenging, motivating and engage children’s imagination. Relationships between adults and children are exceptionally strong; adults know just when to supplement children’s learning through questioning, task extension and modelling. During the inspection, for example, the children enjoyed a craft activity to create the face of the moon on a paper plate. This not only enabled them to be creative but provided a rich opportunity for language, mathematical and fine motor skill development, and to think about the world around them. The most able children were expected to make more complex use of pattern in their design. Children completed this task with much enthusiasm and enjoyment.  Both the indoor and outdoor areas are exceptionally well resourced and are set up to provide vibrant and stimulating learning environments. For example, the role-play area,

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Early years provision Outstanding

set up with a ‘space’ theme during the inspection, provided an exciting and fun place to develop language and play together. Outside, children were seen playing exceptionally well together, exploring the outdoor world by riding on bikes, playing in the Wendy house or on the climbing equipment.  Children in early years are happy and safe. They understand the provision’s routines and behave extremely well. Leaders ensure children follow the safety routines, such as wearing helmets when they ride on the bikes. The leader and her assistant ensure that the area is kept safe and safeguarding is effective. During the inspection, children who were very new to the provision were seen to be already settled and playing confidently.  Staff work closely with parents, meeting them when the children join and inviting them in to the classroom each term for celebration events when they share their ‘learning journals’. This helps parents to understand more about what their children are learning

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Early years provision Outstanding

and to support learning at home. Parents are also encouraged to share children’s home progress and any difficulties or concerns with school staff. This strong home–school partnership contributes to children’s strong progress over time and helps them to be well prepared to move on to Year 1.

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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

Annual fees (day pupils) £12,501–£16,539 Telephone number 020 8788 2370

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6–8 June 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is registered to take up to 600 pupils aged four to 16. It is located on two sites in the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Merton. Children in the early years and primary-aged pupils attend the Beavers Holt site (Stroud Crescent, Putney Vale SW15 3EQ). The secondary-aged pupils attend The Downs site (17, The Downs, Wimbledon SW20 8HF). All pupils attend full time.  The school also uses Oberon Fields and pavilion (Lindisfarne Road, Wimbledon SW20 0NW), for physical education and games.  Since late in September 2018, the school has been owned and run by Chatsworth Schools (HSW) Ltd. A new headteacher was appointed at the time of the change of ownership. An additional deputy headteacher was appointed from within the school staff and is based at the secondary site. The deputy headteacher, based at and with responsibility for the primary site, has continued in post.  Since the June 2017 inspection, the number of pupils on role has fallen. Many pupils join

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Information about this school

and leave the school within the school year.  At the time of this inspection, one pupil had an education, health and care (EHC) plan but around 35% of pupils had been identified with SEND. An above-average proportion of pupils join the school who speak English as an additional language.  The school makes use of other venues in the local area for sports but has no additional specialist provision. The venues used are: – badminton and squash at Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club, Wimbledon (SW19 4HD) and The King’s Club, Wimbledon (SW19 4TT) – hockey at Spencer Hockey Club, Earlsfield (SW18 3HF).  Hall School Wimbledon is the proprietor’s first school. Four further schools have recently been acquired. An overall senior management team, an advisory group and a governing body take the governance responsibilities for all the schools owned by Chatsworth Schools (HSW) Ltd, including Hall School Wimbledon.

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Information about this school

 The school’s last full inspection was in June 2017, when it was judged to be inadequate. A number of independent school standards were found to be unmet. A follow-up progress monitoring inspection took place in February 2018, when all the previously unmet independent school standards were judged to meet the regulatory requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 This standard inspection was conducted over two and a half days.  The inspectors visited classrooms at both sites to observe learning across all phases and subjects and look at pupils’ work. Senior leaders and representatives of the proprietorial body accompanied inspectors on some of these visits.  The inspectors held meetings throughout the inspection with the headteacher, senior leaders, the key stage 1 leader, middle leaders and the two leaders of the provision for pupils with SEND. They also met with groups of staff at both sites.  The lead inspector also met with chief executive officer of Chatsworth Schools (HSW) Ltd, the director for innovation and operations and the chair of the governing body.  The inspectors spoke formally to groups of pupils in key stages 2, 3 and 4. Throughout their time in school, the inspectors spoke with pupils in and out of lessons. They observed their behaviour at both sites.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector toured the school’s buildings at both the Beavers Holt and The Downs sites to check whether the relevant independent school standards were met and pupils’ welfare is taken into account. In addition, two visits were made to the school’s Oberon sports fields and pavilion, and pupils were accompanied to an off-site games lesson at a local park.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation. This included policies and procedures, assessment and behaviour information, attendance information, the school’s curriculum documentation, risk assessments, the single central record of pre-employment checks on staff, and a sample of staff recruitment files. Inspectors also considered the school’s most recent self-evaluation, development plans and internal safeguarding audits. Case studies of pupils with special educational needs were also examined.  The lead inspector spoke to the local authority’s designated officer.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team took account of 57 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and 42 free-text responses. They also took account of 42 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey, which included 36 free-text responses, and 51 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. An inspector spoke with parents at the end of the school day at the Beavers Holt site and during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Angela Corbett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Davies Ofsted 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

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Inspection team

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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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