Harlington School

Inspection of Harlington School Pinkwell Lane, Harlington, Hayes UB3 1PB

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils agree that the school is a happy and welcoming place to be. As a result, they feel safe in school. Raised expectations of pupils’ behaviour are now paying dividends. Pupils, staff and parents all say that behaviour has improved in the last year. The learning environment is mostly calm, and low-level disruption has reduced. Bullying rarely happens, and staff address it effectively if it occurs. Staff foster strong relationships with pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision and designated unit for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides strong pastoral and academic support. Staff make sure that help is available if pupils need it. For example, the school offers mental health support and counselling as well as academic mentoring. Year 11 pupils value the additional revision classes provided.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a broad range of subjects from Year 7 onwards. Staff share the strong belief that all pupils can succeed and flourish. The school has made necessary changes to the curriculum, which are benefiting all pupils. This is why most pupils achieve well. Students in the sixth form appreciate how they are supported to achieve by staff who understand them and how they learn.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum is highly ambitious for all pupils. This includes pupils with SEND. Subject leaders use the national curriculum to guide what is taught to pupils across each year group. The school has worked hard to ensure that staff use effective teaching approaches. This includes drawing out information from pupils with thoughtful questions and ensuring pupils regularly recap what has been learned before. This is helping pupils to know and remember more.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils achieve well in most subjects, but there are some variations. In some subjects, some pupils have not been sufficiently supported and have not achieved as highly as they might. For instance, misconceptions are not routinely addressed in a timely way. Occasionally, teachers do not ensure that pupils use feedback provided to improve their work. In those instances, pupils do not always have the secure knowledge they need for the next stage of the curriculum. The school is aware of these areas of variability and continues to prioritise the training and development of staff to ensure all pupils achieve well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school identifies pupils with SEND promptly. Staff use the information about pupils’ identified needs to tailor their support for pupils with SEND. This ensures that they are successful in their learning. The new designated unit for pupils with SEND has been welcomed by the school and wider community. Staff who work in the designated unit and specially resourced provision are well trained. They create a nurturing environment which is enabling pupils to succeed. 26 and 27 November 2024

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There is a newly introduced reading strategy. This means there is now a strong focus on ensuring that all pupils can read well. Weaker readers are quickly identified. Appropriate interventions are put in place to help them become confident and fluent readers. Pupils at the earlier stages of speaking English as an additional language also receive well-targeted support to read with increasing accuracy.

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Most pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. The number of significant incidents has reduced. However, there is a new behaviour approach in place which is not fully understood by all staff and pupils. The school is not complacent, however. The new systems are being embedded carefully to improve the consistency of how they are used and followed by staff.

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The school has invested in a range of strategies to improve the monitoring of pupils’ attendance and to encourage them to come into school. Pupils who experience barriers to attendance work with trusted staff to support them to come to school more regularly. This means that pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The school has introduced a well-designed programme to support pupils’ personal development. They find out about different faiths and beliefs. Pupils and sixth-form students learn about healthy relationships and consent in an age-appropriate way. Pupils spoke highly of the careers guidance that they receive, including learning about apprenticeships and taking part in work experience. The school also provides a range of other opportunities that enhance the school experience for pupils. For example, many pupils take part in careers trips and sports clubs, are part of the school council and volunteer in the sixth form.

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Leaders at all levels are highly focused on improving the school further. They recognise the changing needs of the school population and decisions are always taken in the best interests of pupils. The school has navigated a period of considerable organisational change. Staff feel well supported in their roles and are united in their ambition for further improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies sufficiently well to check and address pupils’ misconceptions. This means that, at times, teachers do not identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly enough. The school should ensure that teachers have the skills they need to identify and address gaps in learning so that pupils build their learning securely over time. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 The new approach to behaviour is not fully understood and consistently applied by all staff. This means that some pupils struggle to meet the high expectations of behaviour. The school should work to embed the new systems, routines and policies to ensure that staff consistently uphold its high expectations of conduct across the school.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,373

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Chair of governing body Catherine Mosdell

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form

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 October 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides a breakfast club.  The school has specialist provision for pupils with physical disabilities. It also has a designated unit for pupils with autism.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Year 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements 26 and 27 November 2024

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(quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, early career teachers, and governors.  An inspector spoke with the local authority school improvement partner and to leaders at the alternative provision.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, science, religious education, modern foreign languages and business studies. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of behaviour and attitudes, inspectors evaluated the

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school’s analysis of, and response to, pupils’ behaviour over time; observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, at breaktimes and between lessons; and gathered the views of pupils, parents and staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks; 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 scrutinised a range of documentation provided by leaders, including their priorities for improvement.  The inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sam Johnson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Eliot Wong Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 November 2024

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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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