Richard Hale School

Inspection of Richard Hale School Hale Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG13 8EN

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Ian Hawkins. This school is a single-academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Harvey Moore. 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live out the school’s vision of ‘learning with virtue’. They have thoughtful opportunities to develop their character. Activities such as team sports and coaching foster pupils’ happiness. Additionally, comprehensive pastoral support helps pupils to be safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s aim for pupils to respect others is realised. Pupils behave well in and out of lessons. This happens because they build positive relationships with staff. Respecting staff means pupils follow rules and routines. The school is a happy place to learn and work in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils reap the rewards of leaders’ commitment to enhance the curriculum. This commitment results in lessons that feature clear explanations from teachers. Teachers ask helpful questions to check pupils’ understanding. Pupils, including sixth-form students, gain good knowledge in their subjects and perform highly in national examinations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ experiences extend beyond the academic. For example, Year 7 pupils go on a residential trip and Year 9 pupils learn vehicle maintenance. There are extensive extra-curricular opportunities. These include chess, football and robotics, to name a few. Pupils are well prepared for their future. The school provides strong careers advice and support for university and apprenticeship applications. Sixth-form students engage with visiting speakers to aid their decision-making. Most students progress into higher education.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has made significant improvements. The curriculum is ambitious. Curriculum plans for each year group provide a helpful overview of what pupils should learn. Staff teach essential vocabulary effectively. For instance, in computing, Year 10 pupils use correct technical terms when explaining coding. In the majority of subjects, teachers use their extensive subject knowledge to provide lively explanations. They use questioning skilfully to check closely on pupils’ understanding. Leaders are in the process of reviewing the curriculum in a small number of subjects to make sure it meets their high ambition for pupils.

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better?

Sixth-form students, including those new to the school, receive high-quality care and education. They benefit from academic and vocational curriculums that are taught well. Students appreciate staff's expertise and the strong relationships they build with them. Year 12 students value the diverse work experience opportunities that inspire their career goals.

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better?

Most pupils are proficient in reading, writing and mathematics. This helps them to achieve well across the curriculum. The school uses approaches that it knows work to help pupils who are weaker readers. These help pupils to quickly improve their 9 and 10 July 2024

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reading skills so they can read fluently and with understanding. This boosts their confidence and means they can access learning in other subjects.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Those pupils with an education, health and care plan benefit from having a key worker who advocates for them. ‘Pupil passports’ outline pupils’ short-term targets. These guide any support and adaptations to teaching that pupils need and are implemented effectively. Well-trained teaching assistants know how to adjust their level of support for pupils. This ensures pupils with SEND understand what to do before working independently.

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The school’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance are high. The school is successful in its efforts to ensure that attendance is high for many pupils. There is a strong emphasis on building positive, respectful relationships. Pupils appreciate how staff recognise their successes and efforts to do well. Staff receive effective support and training to manage pupils’ behaviour well. This includes arranging extra help for pupils facing mental health and well-being challenges.

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The school’s personal development curriculum celebrates diversity. Pupils learn about different cultures. Sixth-form students serve as role models and mentors. They lead sports activities and help younger pupils with reading. The extra-curricular programme includes house competitions and a ‘super-curriculum’ with research tasks. This provides rich opportunities for project work that complements the curriculum.

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Leaders accurately identify what the school does well and what could be even better. Trustees offer valuable support and challenge. This has helped the school go from strength to strength. Pupils, parents and staff appreciate clear communication about what is happening and why. This ensures that the school’s actions have the support and trust of its community. Leaders are mindful of the pressures on staff and have made considered changes to policies and practice to help reduce workload and increase staff’s well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not always make clear links between new and previous learning. The school should continue the curriculum development in these few remaining subjects to ensure that it is planned and delivered in incremental steps so that pupils can gradually build, and retain, the knowledge they need to succeed. 9 and 10 July 2024

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,227

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one registered alternative provider of education.  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.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders over the course of the inspection. The lead inspector also held a meeting with representatives from the trust board and reviewed documentation relating to governance, including minutes from board meetings.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, mathematics, history, computing and engineering. 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.

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Inspectors also visited a sample of lessons in other curriculum areas and spoke to additional subject leaders.  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.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils and students formally throughout the inspection and spoke with them informally at social times and in lessons.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils, parents and staff gathered through Ofsted’s questionnaires. This included the 282 responses and 186 free-text comments submitted by parents to Ofsted Parent View. There were 39 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Ahson Mohammed, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Fowler Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 July 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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