Barnhill Community High School

Inspection of Barnhill Community High School Yeading Lane, Hayes UB4 9LE

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The headteacher of this school is John Jones. This school is part of the Middlesex Learning Partnership multi-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Ben Spinks, and is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jacquie Smith. 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive and respectful relationships underpin the Barnhill community. This results in a calm, purposeful and orderly environment. Pupils feel safe and know they have adults to speak with if they have concerns. This, along with well-established pastoral support, ensures that pupils are kept safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations. Pupils rise to these. The ambitious curriculum is well designed and implemented. Pupils achieve well and are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils benefit from carefully planned provision that extends beyond the academic curriculum. Older pupils and students in the sixth form value responsibility and play an active role in helping to run the school. For example, prefects are on duty and offer help at lunchtime. They volunteer to support younger pupils in lessons, raise money for charity, such as the recent Valentine’s charity event, and help younger pupils to read.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have access to ‘deep learning days’ which provide enrichment opportunities such as listening to motivational speakers. Pupils are confident to debate and discuss complex ideas such as exploring climate change. Students in the sixth form are encouraged to request additional lectures to help with their studies and to find out more about current affairs.

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better?

Leaders are determined for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to succeed. Pupils consistently meet these ambitions because of the well-crafted, broad and ambitious curriculum. Subject leaders have identified the knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. This is well sequenced so that pupils embed important concepts before applying them to more complex ideas. For example, in science, younger pupils learn about how particles are arranged in solids, liquids and gases. Older pupils use this knowledge when learning about models of bonding in chemistry.

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better?

Leaders provide high-quality professional development to ensure that teachers have the relevant subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum effectively. Assessment is used well to check pupils’ learning and to identify and address any gaps in their knowledge. This means that pupils, and students in the sixth form, develop a deep understanding in the subjects they learn.

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better?

Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly. Information is shared with staff. This helps teachers to ensure that appropriate and effective adaptations are put in place. As a result, these pupils successfully access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, wherever possible. 20 and 21 February 2024

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Reading is prioritised. Leaders identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and ensure that effective targeted intervention is provided for those who need help to catch up. Staff receive appropriate training. This helps to ensure that pupils develop as accurate, fluent and confident readers who are better placed to access the planned curriculum.

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Students in the sixth form benefit from an equally broad and ambitious curriculum. A carefully planned enrichment offer supports them to achieve well. Pupils across the school benefit from an effective careers programme. This includes work experience and repeated opportunities to engage with different employers. This means that pupils, and students in the sixth form, are very well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

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The curriculum in personal, social and health education is designed to help pupils understand important ideas. This includes what constitutes healthy and respectful relationships and how to keep safe, including when online. Every opportunity is taken to support pupils’ character development. For example, assemblies are used to reinforce key messages about the dangers of retaliation by drawing on proverbs and teachings from different religions.

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Trustees have an accurate understanding of the school’s many strengths and strategic priorities. They have established effective routines to ensure that they challenge leaders’ work. Leaders at all levels are reflective and systematic in securing further improvements for the school. For example, leaders have refined the approach to managing behaviour. This has resulted in a calm and orderly atmosphere in classrooms and around the school. Pupils typically display high levels of self-control, and, over time, records show that behaviour is improving. Similarly strong systems ensure that pupils attend well, and that support is rightly focused on families for whom this remains a priority.

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Staff are rightly proud to work at this school. They appreciate and value the careful consideration that leaders have given to their professional development, workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 1,572

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 9 November 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school, including sixth form, has grown in size since the previous inspection.  The school makes use of two alternative providers.  The school is part of the Middlesex Learning Partnership multi-academy trust.  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. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and other members of staff. They spoke with the chief executive officer of the Middlesex Learning Partnership multi-academy trust. Inspectors held discussions with a range of trustees, including the chair of trust board, who is also the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: art and design, English, geography, modern foreign languages and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The curriculum in other subjects was considered as part of this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and priorities for improvement.  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 views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sophie Healey-Welch, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Debbie Lebrett Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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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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