Bishop Ramsey Church of England School

Inspection of Bishop Ramsey Church of England School Hume Way, Ruislip HA4 8EE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected Bishop Ramsey Church of England School as an academy school under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 8 and 9 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff look after their pupils well. They make sure that pupils’ safety and well-being are their top priorities. Pupils said that they can talk openly with staff if they have any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff support pupils to express and celebrate differences. Pupils are respectful to each other. They do not often experience bullying or harassment. Staff are quick to deal with any such behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive about their learning and they behave well. They have a wealth of rewards which motivate them. Pupils carry an ‘expectation card’ to remind them of the school’s rules. They compete to be ‘house-point hero’ or ‘best dressed’ in the school’s uniform for following leaders’ high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time here. They appreciate the opportunities they have to find new interests and develop their talents. Leaders have put in place a wide range of clubs and activities that pupils can choose to attend. These include the popular ‘Canterbury Choir’, various sports clubs and clubs for hobbies, such as chess and knitting. Educational outings take place regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school does not offer a broad and ambitious curriculum in Years 7 to 9. Pupils’ learning in some subjects is cut short at the end of Year 8. Apart from food technology, design and technology is not taught.

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better?

Pupils in Years 7 and 8 learn a wide range of subjects. They continue to study most of these in Year 9. However, subjects such as art, music and drama are optional in Year 9. Pupils can choose to study these subjects again in Year 10 but very few do so. This means that pupils’ learning in some subjects stops at the end of Year 8.

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better?

However, the curriculum is narrow in some aspects and lacks ambition. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 do not learn the full scope of design and technology. Leaders do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about and use different materials and mechanical and electronic systems, for example. In Years 10 and 11, pupils have limited options to study design and technology.

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better?

In Years 10 and 11, subjects such as English, mathematics, science, languages, history and geography are at the heart of the curriculum. In the sixth form, leaders have developed an ambitious study programme. Historic outcomes at GCSE and A level are consistently high.

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better?

Teachers make sure that lessons are well sequenced. This helps pupils to apply their knowledge to new learning. For example, in science, pupils in Year 7 learn about different types of waves and how they behave. This prepares them for Year 9, when 8 and 9 June 2022

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they analyse the different properties of waves. Leaders plan ample opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning. In languages, for example, pupils like the regular vocabulary quizzes, which they said help them learn new words.

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Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge, particularly in the sixth form. They use this to explain complex information clearly. Teachers check how well pupils have understood what they have been taught. However, in some subject areas, staff do not use these checks to inform their teaching or address gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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The support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not as strong as it could be. Leaders identify pupils’ needs and inform staff of suitable strategies to support pupils with SEND. However, teachers do not routinely adapt teaching for pupils’ specific needs. Support staff are not well directed in lessons to support pupils. This affects pupils’ learning. Leaders have recently reviewed the provision for SEND and have started to make improvements in this area.

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Pupils have a well-stocked school library, where they get book recommendations and can help out as ‘library monitors’. In Years 7 and 8, pupils have dedicated time to read in their form groups. Leaders identify weaker readers but do not ensure that these pupils get sufficient support. This means that pupils who are weaker readers do not get the practice they need to develop the fluency in reading that they need to achieve well in all subjects.

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Sixth-form students act as role models for younger pupils. For example, students shared their own experiences of mental health and neurodiversity in a recent assembly. Students undertake community service and organise events for younger pupils, such as in chaplaincy, arts and sports.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff encourage them to apply the school’s ‘virtues’, such as humility and compassion. Pupils nominate each other for showing these traits in their actions. Pupils typically said, ‘You can be yourself here.’ Various support groups help pupils to discuss or find out about issues such as feminism, sexuality and gender. Pupils receive suitable careers guidance. Those in Year 10 spoke positively about their recent work experience.

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This is a supportive school community where staff and leaders, including trustees, value each other’s work and commitment to the pupils. Staff are proud to work here. They appreciate leaders’ consideration of workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding team works well together to identify and manage risks to pupils’ well-being and safety. Staff follow the guidance they receive and log any concerns about pupils. Pupils like being able to report concerns through an online system. The safeguarding team arranges suitable support for pupils, carefully considering 8 and 9 June 2022

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individuals’ needs. The record of pre-recruitment checks on staff had some minor omissions, which were rectified during the inspection.

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Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe and well, including online. They spoke highly of the mental health support available at school, including the opportunity for counselling.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum lacks breadth. Pupils’ learning in subjects such as art, music and drama often stops at the end of Year 8 as pupils make some subject choices for Year 9. In Years 7 to 13, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to learn a broad range of design and technology subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is sufficiently broad for pupils in all year groups.  Pupils who struggle with reading do not receive suitable support to practise and develop their reading skills and help them read fluently and achieve highly across the curriculum. Leaders identify weaker readers and have trained support staff to deliver a catch-up reading programme but this is not in place. Leaders should ensure that they implement their plans to deliver an effective reading support programme.  Leaders have recently reviewed the provision for SEND and have started to make improvements in this area. However, pupils with SEND do not consistently receive

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

strong support in lessons. They struggle with their learning at times because of this. Leaders should ensure that they continue with their plans to improve the provision for SEND. They should ensure that staff use appropriate strategies to support pupils’ individual needs and that support staff are suitably trained to help pupils effectively.  The systems for assessment are not consistently applied across the curriculum. In some subjects, teachers assess pupils’ learning but do not use this information in a meaningful way, such as addressing gaps in knowledge or identifying next steps in learning. As a result, lesson tasks are not always suitably matched to pupils’ needs. Leaders should ensure that assessment procedures are used consistently and purposefully.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1256

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a secondary Church of England school. The school had its last section 48 inspection in January 2018.  The school converted to become an academy school in September 2011. It joined the Bishop Ramsey Church of England Academies Trust in September 2016. In June 2017, the trust was renamed the Veritas Educational Trust. The school is the only school in the trust.  The current headteacher took up post in September 2021.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision for their pupils.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 8 and 9 June 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of the school leadership team, including the leaders with responsibility for safeguarding and SEND. Inspectors met with five trustees and had a telephone conversation with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: computing, design and technology, English, history, languages and science. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum 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. Inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read and spoke to pupils about reading.  Inspectors talked to pupils and staff about the curriculum in other subject areas.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors visited lessons and reviewed samples of pupils’ work in a range of subjects, including art, drama, mathematics and music.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils from different year groups. Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors spoke with leaders, pupils and staff about the arrangements for safeguarding and reviewed safeguarding documentation, including pre- recruitment checks.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey of parents’ views, Ofsted Parent View, and to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jude Wilson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Hayley Follett Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 June 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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