St Augustine's Federated Schools: CE High School

Inspection of St Augustine’s Federated Schools: CE High School Oxford Road, London NW6 5SN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 10 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. 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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The vision of faith, hope and love is central to this school. The core values of kindness and inclusion are guiding principles. Leaders have developed a broad curriculum. Leaders encourage pupils to develop an understanding of differences in people. They help pupils to respect people from different backgrounds and to challenge stereotypes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations, including for pupils’ behaviour. They provide pupils with support and guidance. Pupils are safe, happy and well cared for by staff. Pupils appreciate staff’s approach to managing behaviour in a fair and reflective way.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders address any concerns about bullying or the use of discriminatory language effectively when they occur. Pupils behave well, and the school is a calm and purposeful environment. Working relationships between staff and pupils are respectful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils have access to an exceptionally wide range of activities, in which all pupils take part. Pupils fundraise for many charities and take on responsibilities. For example, pupils take their roles seriously while working for the ‘eco-charity’ and well-being committee. Pupils have opportunities to take part in a variety of workshops and projects, such as working with financial organisations and London theatres.

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better?

Leaders have constructed an ambitious curriculum. In all subjects, pupils build important knowledge progressively over time. For example, when studying poetry in English, pupils in Year 7 learn how to identify key themes and develop analysis skills. In Years 8 and 9, pupils use these strong foundations to compare poems, including Middle Eastern poetry. On occasion, teachers’ expectations of pupils’ work are not as consistently high.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly. Typically, they check pupils’ understanding carefully. However, this is not routinely the case. Sometimes, teaching does not address pupils’ misconceptions in a timely way.

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better?

Leaders place a high priority on reading. There is a range of reading-based enrichment opportunities for pupils to take part in. For instance, all pupils in Year 7 visit a bookshop in order to buy a book, which is funded by the school. Pupils at the early stages of reading are identified and supported to improve. This helps pupils to read fluently and with confidence.

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better?

Leaders identify and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Staff receive regular and effective training to support pupils with SEND in the classroom. They use assessment information and appropriate 7 and 8 March 2023

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strategies to help pupils with SEND to succeed. Staff support pupils with SEND, including pupils who utilise the ‘deaf student provision’ to access the curriculum effectively.

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Pupils are well behaved in lessons and around the school site. They are enthusiastic to receive ‘positive behaviour points’. Low-level disruption in lessons is uncommon. On occasion, pupils lose focus in class, and staff do not ensure that they support pupils to concentrate on their learning.

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Leaders promote pupils’ wider personal development through a rich set of experiences. They have developed an extremely thoughtful curriculum, which pupils study weekly. This allows pupils to consider and debate a range of opinions and beliefs. Leaders empower pupils to follow their initiative. For example, the student leadership group works closely with the school community to organise many events. Pupils take part in an extensive range of visits.

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Leaders have developed an exceptional careers programme, which involves all pupils. Leaders strongly support students in the sixth form with making decisions about their future education and employment. This includes support in writing applications for universities and apprenticeships. Students receive personal interviews and regular support, and they take part in a variety of work-based opportunities. All students in the sixth form take part in work experience and complete a two-day work placement at London Zoo.

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Leaders are highly considerate of staff workload and take their well-being seriously. Staff feel well supported and have access to a wide range of professional development opportunities. The governing body understands the strengths and priorities of the school and carries out its role effectively. It has a clear strategic vision and provides appropriate challenge and support to leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have put clear safeguarding systems in place. There is a strong culture of safeguarding, where everyone takes responsibility. Staff are well trained, and they understand how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. Leaders are timely in their response to any concerns. They work effectively with a range of external agencies to provide specialist support for pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand the local risks and react diligently when concerns are raised. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, and they know how to report concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching does not identify and clarify pupils’ misunderstandings. This means that pupils are not fully ready to learn new content. Leaders should develop the expertise of all teachers so that they identify and address any gaps in pupils’ understanding consistently.  On occasion, staff’s expectations of pupils are not high, including in keeping all pupils attentive in lessons. As a result, some pupils do not demonstrate a consistently positive attitude to the quality of their work. Leaders should ensure that all staff have consistently high standards for the quality of work produced and support pupils to focus and concentrate.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents 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.

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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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10265829 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,046

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Chair of governing body Father Colin Amos

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sixth form

Headteacher Eugene Moriarty (head of federation) and Rachel Kelly (head of school) Website www.stahigh.org

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 18 and 19 September 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 7 and 8 March 2023

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 This was the first graded 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, school leaders, pupils and a range of staff. They also met with the chair of the local governing body and spoke to a local authority representative.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, science, modern foreign languages, and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke to subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, discussed learning with pupils, and considered samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors spoke with the designated safeguarding leads, along with pupils and staff. Inspectors reviewed the record of pre-employment

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checks and other relevant documentation.  Inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff through responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Simon Conway, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Hayley Follett Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 March 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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