Ruislip High School

Inspection of Ruislip High School Sidmouth Drive, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 0BY

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The headteacher of this school is Gareth Davies. This school is part of Vanguard Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Martina Lecky, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Davies.

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Ofsted has not previously inspected Ruislip High School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Ruislip High School to be outstanding, before it opened as an academy. 5 and 6 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this school. Leaders have placed inclusivity at the heart of school life. Pupils receive a highly ambitious education. This includes excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values, such as respect, integrity and perseverance, run through all that happens here. Pupils and parents and carers appreciate the high expectations and standards that leaders have. They know that these keep pupils safe and support them to achieve very highly across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour at the school is impeccable. Pupils enjoy school and have extremely positive attitudes to learning during lessons. The school environment is calm and focused. Pupils and staff work together very well. This strengthens the education that pupils receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a broad range of enrichment opportunities. These enhance the academic curriculum and give pupils the chance to experience things that they otherwise might not. Pupils take part in a variety of activities, including sports and music clubs, robotics club and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The school places a high importance on pupils developing leadership skills. Sixth-form students, for example, have many opportunities to take on leadership roles, including mentoring younger pupils.

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better?

Leaders have designed and implemented a rich and highly ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including in the sixth form. Leaders have ensured that pupils build on knowledge sequentially. For example, in science, pupils in Year 7 learn in depth about states of matter and physical and chemical changes. This prepares them well for their learning in Year 8, when they learn about different chemical reactions.

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better?

Teachers check carefully what pupils have learned and remembered. In lessons, teachers use their expertise and a range of strategies to identify and address misconceptions. Across all subjects, the school uses well-established assessment approaches to review pupils’ learning. Leaders use this information effectively to continually develop the curriculum and make sure that pupils achieve consistently highly.

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better?

The school has prioritised a love of and culture of reading. In Year 7, for example, all pupils have a ‘reading hour’ which focuses on strengthening their reading further. The school encourages pupils to read widely, for example through special events and visits to book shops in Central London. Those pupils who need extra help with reading receive well-targeted additional support from leaders and staff.

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better?

Support for pupils with SEND is strong. These pupils successfully progress through the same curriculum as their peers. The school works closely with parents and 5 and 6 December 2023

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regularly communicates with them about their children’s needs. This helps everyone to know the part that they play in supporting pupils to achieve highly. Leaders carefully check that the additional support pupils receive is having a positive impact. Staff are well trained in helping all pupils to flourish in their learning. Leaders also make sure that pupils with SEND are fully involved in wider school life. This includes school visits, such as a recent outing to an indoor ski slope.

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Teachers have consistently high expectations of the work that pupils produce across subjects and year groups. Pupils enjoy describing what they have learned and their aspirations for the future. They are prepared exceptionally well for the next stage of their education. Staff make sure that sixth-form students also achieve highly and move on to further education, training or employment that matches their goals.

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Pupils appreciate the excellent quality of careers advice and guidance that they receive. The careers programme is woven into the academic curriculum carefully. The school organises bespoke events such as careers fairs and opportunities for work experience in the sixth form. The school has also built links with a range of employers to provide further opportunities for pupils to learn about different careers.

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Everybody understands the importance of excellent behaviour throughout the school. Pupils show exemplary conduct both inside and outside lessons. Parents, pupils and staff appreciate that this makes the school a happy and calm place to be. Rates of attendance are high. The school makes sure that pupils and parents understand why attending school every day is important for pupils’ learning and success.

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The school has thought carefully about how to nurture and encourage pupils’ personal development. Staff ensure that all pupils have equal access to the broad and balanced programme of extra-curricular activities. There are a wide range of educational visits on offer, for instance overseas residential trips, which aim to support pupils in their learning of modern foreign languages.

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The school prioritises training and development opportunities for all staff. Leaders look after the well-being of staff. They are conscious of the pressures of workload and explore strategies to minimise this where possible.

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The trust works very effectively with the school to achieve its ambition for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 5 and 6 December 2023

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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.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 5 and 6 December 2023

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School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Academy converter

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,292

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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

 Ruislip High School converted to become an academy in April 2014. When its predecessor school, Ruislip High School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The school uses three unregistered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 5 and 6 December 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders and representatives from the trust, including the chair of the trust, other trustees, the CEO and the school improvement director. Inspectors also met with the chair of governors and other members of the governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: art, English, mathematics, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors also considered online survey responses from parents, staff and pupils.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in the playground and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Luke Stubbles, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Saunders His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 December 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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