Hewens College

Inspection of Hewens College Hewens Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB4 8JP

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 25 and 26 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Hewens College and are kept safe. They are proud to be part of a diverse school and demonstrate mutual respect and tolerance towards each other. Incidents of bullying are rare. When they occur, leaders address pupils’ concerns. While many pupils behave well, learning is disrupted in some lessons. This is because expectations of behaviour vary and the systems that exist for managing behaviour are not consistently applied.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy representing their school through sporting and debating events. Opportunities are provided for pupils to take on leadership responsibilities through acting as buddy readers or sport leaders at the neighbouring primary school. There is a growing range of extra-curricular activities that provide pupils with opportunities to develop their talents and interests. These include sports, philosophy, creative writing and archaeology.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are weaknesses in the way the curriculum is designed and implemented. Pupils are not consistently supported to secure the important knowledge and skills that they need to learn and remember more. This means they are not as well prepared for the next stage of education, employment or training as they could be.

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better?

The curriculum has aspects that are not sufficiently broad or ambitious. Important aspects of some subjects have not been considered in key stage 3. This does not prepare pupils well enough where they want to study these subjects in key stage 4. For example, until this academic year, pupils in key stage 4 have not had the option of studying triple science. Similarly, several pupils have not had the opportunity to undertake a GCSE in English Literature. Leaders have now broadened the curriculum and examination offer to pupils.

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better?

In some subjects, leaders have identified the important concepts that pupils need to learn. These are well sequenced so that pupils deepen their understanding over time. For example, in English, older pupils can compare presentations of Shakespeare’s Hermia, Juliet and Jessica. This is because they have studied different plays with contrasting characters earlier. Similarly, in science, pupils understand the process of meiosis because they have already learned about cells and chromosomes.

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better?

However, there are several other subjects where leaders have not sufficiently identified what pupils need to learn and remember. As a result, pupils spend time practising examination questions rather than developing a rich body of knowledge through mastering the building blocks of each subject. Some aspects of the planned curriculum are not well sequenced. Teachers do not routinely focus on ensuring that pupils embed important concepts. As a result, pupils’ understanding of what they have learned is variable. These weaknesses in curriculum design also mean that teachers cannot check consistently what pupils have understood. Errors and 25 and 26 January 2023

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misconceptions are often missed and persist in pupils’ learning. This makes it more difficult for pupils to learn new and more-complex ideas.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified. Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure that appropriate advice, guidance and support are available to teachers working with these pupils. Although these strategies are implemented by staff, the weaknesses in curriculum design mean pupils with SEND are not consistently helped to learn and remember the most important knowledge in different subjects.

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Pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read are identified. In some subjects, teachers provide additional help so that these pupils can access the planned curriculum. However, this support is not consistent. As a result, these pupils are not developing the knowledge that they need swiftly enough to become accurate and fluent readers.

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Leaders have recently put in place strategies to help staff to better manage pupils’ behaviour. While many pupils behave well, in some lessons low-level disruption is tolerated and pupils’ attitudes to learning are not as positive. This is because staff have differing expectations of behaviour and are not implementing the new strategies consistently. Leaders have ensured there are effective systems in place for checking that pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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The curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) helps pupils to learn important ideas. For example, they learn about the functions of democracy, how to maintain good physical and mental health, and the importance of challenging prejudice. However, the PSHE curriculum is not sufficiently sequenced to allow pupils to revisit these ideas. This means that pupils’ depth of understanding is limited. Leaders are developing a programme of events to support and guide pupils with career choices.

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Leaders, and those responsible for governance, understand the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. The recently appointed principal and senior leadership team have put new systems and structures in place to tackle the school’s weaknesses.

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Staff, including those at the start of their careers, enjoy working at the school. Teachers value the professional development they receive. Staff have mixed views, however, about the support they receive to manage their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have received up-to-date safeguarding training. As a result, staff typically understand their responsibilities in reporting any concerns they may have. Leaders work effectively with external agencies, including the local authority, to ensure that pupils and their families receive the support they need. 25 and 26 January 2023

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The curriculum has been designed to help pupils understand how to stay safe. For example, pupils have worked with local police officers to understand how to stay safe in the local community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not learn a broad and ambitious curriculum in key stage 3. They do not develop a sufficiently rich body of knowledge across different subjects. Leaders must ensure the curriculum offered at key stage 3 is sufficiently ambitious to prepare pupils for their next stage of learning.  In several subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge they expect pupils to learn and remember. This means pupils have gaps and misconceptions in their understanding. Leaders should ensure important concepts pupils need to learn are identified and well sequenced. This will better support pupils, including those with SEND, to learn, practise and embed ideas before applying their knowledge to more-complex concepts.  Weaker readers do not routinely receive the help they need to read with accuracy. Leaders must ensure these pupils receive appropriate support to develop as fluent readers. This will help them to access the curriculum with greater confidence.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some classes disruption is tolerated, and learning is interrupted. Leaders should ensure that newly introduced behaviour systems are consistently applied.  Older pupils have not had consistent access to careers advice and work experience. This means some pupils have not received the help needed to support their choices for the next stage of education, employment or training. Leaders should ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, receive the advice and guidance that they need to make informed choices about their future.

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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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 25 and 26 January 2023

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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. 25 and 26 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255404 Type of school Secondary

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sixth form

Chair of governing body Claudette Hanson

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 27 and 28 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Hewens College is smaller than the average-sized school for pupils aged 11 to 19.  Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the school’s leadership team. The current principal was appointed in January 2023 and vice-principal in September 2022.  Hewens College is part of the Rosedale Hewens Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school does not meet 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. 25 and 26 January 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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.  The inspection team completed deep dives in these subjects: English, geography, science, and art and design. To do this, they met with subject leaders, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  Inspectors met with the principal, senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders, teachers, and other staff.  Inspectors held discussions with two members of the governing body.  The inspection team reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with staff and pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 No judgement was made during this inspection on the quality of sixth-form provision due to the small size of the cohort currently on roll.  During the inspection, the small number of students in the sixth form were attending lessons at another site within the Rosedale Hewens Academy Trust. This was due to extensive building work at Hewens College. Students enrolled in the sixth form were spoken with regarding safeguarding and their personal development.  The views of pupils, parents, and staff, as gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s surveys, were considered.

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Inspection team

Matea Marcinko, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Turvey His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 January 2023

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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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