Bishop Ramsey Church of England School

Inspection of Bishop Ramsey Church of England School Hume Way, Ruislip HA4 8EE

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 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 Requires improvement

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The executive headteacher of this school is Hilary Macaulay. This school is part of Veritas Educational Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Hilary Macaulay, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christopher Mathews. 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this diverse school. Leaders are deliberate in their focus on pupils’ character development. Over their time at the school, pupils learn to show the school’s virtues through their actions. For example, pupils receive recognition for their compassion when raising money for charity. When pupils contribute to the life of the school through leading assemblies, they are appreciated for the courage that they show. The school’s vision of ‘loving, learning and living’ threads through the personal, social and health education curriculum. When learning about the risks of vaping, for example, pupils learn about taking responsibility for their actions and living a healthy life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has improved the curriculum on offer for pupils since it was last inspected. Leaders want pupils to achieve well and drive this ambition forward through their focus on developing teachers. As a result, many pupils achieve well and secure meaningful qualifications by the time they leave the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are mostly well behaved. In lessons, they want to learn and show positive attitudes towards their education. During social times, pupils know the school’s behaviour expectations and follow these well. The school responds swiftly when incidents of bullying are reported. This includes helping pupils understand how their behaviour affects others. Most pupils say that they feel safe at the school.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious for pupils. Actions taken since the last inspection mean that pupils now access a broad curriculum throughout their time at the school. For example, pupils are encouraged to learn a language as part of the school’s actions to place the English Baccalaureate at the heart of the curriculum. Increasing numbers of pupils are obtaining language qualifications with success.

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

In some subjects, the curriculum is being reviewed and the school is taking action to improve the clarity of what is to be learned. The school has identified subjects where this thinking is in earlier stages of development and is providing the necessary support to ensure this work is prioritised.

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

The school’s recent efforts have led to an improvement in the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers identify pupils’ needs and usually make effective adjustments to help these pupils access the curriculum. The school has introduced a new approach to teaching pupils to read. This is beginning to improve the weakest readers’ ability to read with fluency.

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

During lessons, most pupils make progress through the intended learning tasks. Teachers have significant expertise in the subjects they teach, including in the sixth form. Sixth- form students are provided with appropriate activities and opportunities for discussion. This deepens their understanding of what they are learning over time. There is more variability in Years 7 to 11. Lessons are designed with regular chances for teachers to 19 and 20 November 2024

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check what pupils know. However, when gaps in pupils’ understanding are identified, the way this is addressed can be inconsistent at times.

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Pupils’ conduct is positive and there are high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. They are polite and considerate in the main. In a few lessons, there are incidences of disruption to learning. Teachers manage these situations well to minimise the impact on learning, although on occasion the behaviour policy is not implemented consistently. Pupils who have recently joined the school in Year 7 say that they feel welcome and supported in their move to secondary school.

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The school uses its assemblies to build pupils’ understanding of the values and traits important to the school. They are praised when they show these attributes. Pupils understand the priority that the school places on building a culture of service. They take on leadership roles in the school or volunteering opportunities to support a partner school community in Malawi.

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The school is building on its wide range of enrichment clubs and activities to ensure they are inclusive of all pupils. As pupils progress through the school, they receive careers guidance to help them reach their intended next steps. Parents and carers are positive about the opportunities the school offers and notice the ‘holistic development and growth’ of their children.

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Staff at the school feel well supported and that the leadership team listens to their voice. The school’s leaders, including trustees, are mindful of their role in ensuring the well- being of staff. Trustees engage external partners and this assures them that statutory responsibilities are being met. The school has taken effective action since the previous inspection to strengthen areas of the curriculum and the provision for pupils. The school’s oversight systems that ensure consistency and high quality are being strengthened.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the way in which pupils’ understanding is checked during lessons is not precise. This means that misconceptions can emerge in what pupils know and understand. The school should strengthen its systems for checking understanding and addressing gaps identified, ensuring that pupils develop a depth of knowledge over time.  Some policies and practices are not embedded with sufficient rigour. This means that practices around pedagogy and behaviour, for example, can be inconsistent in their implementation. The school should ensure that it has a systematic approach to quality assurance and oversight leading to reliable practices across all areas of school life. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,265

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form

Headteacher Hilary Macaulay (executive headteacher)

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form

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 June 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Veritas Educational Trust.  The school did not use alternative providers at the time of inspection.  The school is a Church of England school within the Diocese of London. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in January 2018.  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. 19 and 20 November 2024

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Information about this inspection

 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.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, members of the senior leadership team and trustees of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, design technology, art and design, and geography. 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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects with leaders and reviewed pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with leaders of the sixth form and reviewed this provision by visiting lessons and speaking with students.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.

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Inspection team

Karim Ismail, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Booth Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 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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