Church Hill School

Inspection of a good school: Church Hill School Burlington Rise, East Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN4 8NN

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Outcome

Church Hill School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Church Hill School is a happy school where everyone is welcomed and feels included. Pupils enjoy learning and playing together, and everyone understands the school’s values of being respectful, friendly, determined, kind, courageous and tolerant.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well behaved. Pupils are safe. Staff care for them and look after them well. Many pupils talk positively about the roles they have undertaken at the school. These include roles such as that of school councillor. Pupils enjoy having these wider responsibilities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. They want pupils to develop the skills and essential knowledge to succeed in life. All members of staff share leaders’ vision that every child can succeed academically and socially. Pupils want to do their best too.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like taking part in the wide range of creative and sports activities available. Netball club or learning to play a musical instrument are popular choices. Staff invite specialist teachers into school regularly. Pupils said how much they like the opportunities they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers say that their children feel happy here. Opportunities to promote pupils’ emotional and physical well-being are well considered. Pupils say that leaders consider their views.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The executive headteacher, with the support of governors, has restructured leadership and moved swiftly to develop the school. Staff from both schools in the federation work well together to lead curriculum subjects. Leaders have good subject knowledge and support other colleagues well. Teachers work together as a strong, supportive team.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that supports pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. They have organised 29 and 30 March 2022

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learning so that pupils, including children in early years, build on what they already know. In religious education, for example, pupils build on their knowledge of major faiths as they move from year to year. Importantly, the curriculum begins in early years. For example, children in Reception learn that some stories are special to specific religions.

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Children at the early stage of reading quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need. Teachers make sure that pupils have opportunities to read regularly and to put their phonics knowledge into practice. Leaders have recently decided to adopt a new approach to the teaching of early reading, and secure plans are in place to implement this.

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As pupils move up through the school, reading is taught both in English lessons and through additional guided reading sessions. In some sessions, teaching is appropriately challenging, clearly structured and effective. This supports pupils well in developing reading fluency and enjoying a wide range of texts. Occasionally, some guided reading sessions are not as well organised and are, therefore, less effective at helping pupils develop their reading skills.

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The mathematics curriculum is clearly sequenced. In early years, mathematics is prioritised. Daily ‘carpet time’ is used to teach children mathematical concepts. Throughout the school, teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit what they have learned before. This is helping pupils to remember more. Leaders have made the development of pupils’ mathematical vocabulary a priority. Pupils are starting to use mathematical vocabulary with accuracy, but inconsistencies remain. This is also the case with other curriculum subjects.

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Pupils attend a range of extra-curricular clubs. They also go on educational visits that link to areas of the curriculum that they are learning about. For example, pupils learning geography visited the Natural History Museum, where they enjoyed finding out about how volcanoes shaped the Earth.

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Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils work hard in class. They listen carefully to their teachers. This sensible behaviour helps everyone to get on with their learning. Children in early years listen attentively and engage in their learning. Pupils work and play very happily together.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are identified early and are supported effectively. Staff are knowledgeable, and they understand how to meet the needs of these pupils. Leaders work closely with a range of external agencies, and parents and carers, to ensure that pupils with SEND benefit from the help that they need.

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Governors are knowledgeable, committed and determined. They have a thorough and accurate knowledge of the school and are determined for it to be the best school it can be. The governing body has been strengthened by new governors with a range of professional skills. They hold leaders to account for tackling the areas that need improvement. Staff enjoy working at the school. They said that leaders take account of their workload and are mindful of their well-being. They described the staff team as a family. 29 and 30 March 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive regular training related to safeguarding. This alerts them to even the smallest sign that a pupil could be at risk. They know how to raise concerns. Leaders’ meticulous record-keeping links concerns together, enabling them to take appropriate action.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and know what to do if they have a concern about their own safety. They know how to manage online risks. For example, pupils are taught what online bullying and harassment are and can clearly describe how to stay safe when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some guided reading sessions are not well organised and are not suitably ambitious for all pupils. This means that some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. Leaders should monitor these sessions to ensure that across the school, guided reading demonstrates suitable ambition for pupils and contributes well to developing their reading fluency, confidence and enjoyment.  Leaders have thought carefully about the essential, subject-specific vocabulary that they would like pupils to know by the end of each key stage. However, systems to check pupils’ understanding and knowledge of these words are at an early stage of development. Leaders should continue to refine and embed curriculum planning, so that pupils’ vocabulary builds year on year.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2011. 29 and 30 March 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 29 and 30 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Headteacher

Andy Griffiths (Executive Headteacher) Jo Porter (Head of School) Website www.churchhill.barnet.sch.uk

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Date of previous inspection

18 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school federated with another local school in April 2018. Both schools are led by the same executive headteacher.  There is a new chair of governors since the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 29 and 30 March 2022

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 The inspector looked at the single central record and checked the school’s systems for monitoring and reporting safeguarding concerns. She also met with leaders responsible for safeguarding in the school.  The inspector met with the special educational needs coordinator to help evaluate SEND provision and practice in the school. The inspector reviewed individual plans for pupils with SEND, to evaluate how well these are being implemented.  The inspector spoke with a range of staff and pupils to find out what it is like to be a pupil, or to work in this school.  The inspector met with the chair of governors and four other governors.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey. She also considered responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Michelle Thomas, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 March 2022

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regulates and inspects to 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 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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