Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Angela Rooke Headteacher Hornsey School for Girls Inderwick Road London N8 9JF

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Ofsted visit to Hornsey School for Girls

Following my visit with Brian Oppenheim, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 1 October 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings. Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils.

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Ofsted visit to Hornsey School for Girls

This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended.

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Ofsted visit to Hornsey School for Girls

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

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Ofsted visit to Hornsey School for Girls

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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Context

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full education for pupils following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

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Context

 approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate)  maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities.

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Context

The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

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Context

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020, when the school was not open to all pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 The school opened to all pupils on 7 September 2020. Pupils are attending on a full-time basis.  Attendance is slightly lower than at the same time last year. On the day of the visit, a group of Year 11 pupils were self-isolating after a confirmed case of COVID-19. Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance and communicate their expectations with parents via information evenings, the school’s website, text messages and telephone calls.  All pupils are following their usual curriculum. Leaders have altered the structure of the school day to minimise how often staff and pupils need to move around the site.  Members of staff met with all pupils and parents in July to find out where gaps in pupils’ knowledge might exist in all subjects. You said that teachers are also using different strategies, such as quizzes and online tasks, to check pupils’ learning. You and your team are focusing on helping pupils to recall

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

and remember knowledge that they were previously taught.  Pupils in Years 7 to 9 are studying the national curriculum. You have extended the length of tutor time to provide increased opportunities for pupils to explore issues related to their health and well-being. This means that pupils have slightly less time allocated for the study of history and geography.  In Years 10 and 11, pupils are studying nine examination subjects as normal. Within their two-week timetable, pupils have five full days dedicated to option choices, with a day for each subject. You said that teaching includes an increased focus on practical work because pupils missed out on this during the spring and summer terms.  Leaders have developed a plan to deliver the curriculum online, partially or fully, as the need arises. To support this work, leaders have bought into a new software program and teachers are being trained in how to use it.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Haringey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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