St Ignatius College

Inspection of St Ignatius College Turkey Street, Enfield EN1 4NP

p.1

Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

p.1

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 11 and 12 February 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceptionally proud ambassadors for their school. They are courteous and warm, both to each other and to visitors. Pupils appreciate their teachers and know that all staff will respond swiftly and effectively to any concerns. Pupils behave in an exemplary manner. They know the importance of ‘social responsibility’ and make every effort to look out for others. For example, sixth-form students volunteer as ‘Ignatian Hands’, supporting younger pupils with their learning. Pupils hold many leadership positions, including as charity ambassadors, faith ambassadors and sports team captains.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has the highest expectations for pupils and their learning. Pupils enjoy working through the ambitious curriculum and take pride in their work. Achievement is especially high in GCSE examinations. Many pupils choose to join the mixed sixth form, where female students are welcomed with great respect. Sixth-form students are well supported with selecting their next steps. The vast majority progress to their first-choice university.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that pupils have plentiful opportunities that go beyond the academic. For example, pupils take part in a programme of varied visits to the seaside, theatre and further afield to China. An exemplary offer of extra-curricular activities encourages pupils to develop a rich range of talents and interests. These include cooking, swimming, Latin, music production and gospel choir.

p.2

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

The curriculum for all pupils is broad and highly ambitious. The school has identified the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in each subject very carefully. This is sequenced effectively to ensure that pupils build their learning cumulatively. In modern foreign languages, for example, teachers ensure that pupils have a deep understanding of regular verbs before they apply this learning to irregular verbs. When introducing past and future tenses, teachers revisit and build on pupils’ prior understanding of these verbs with exceptional precision.

p.2

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

Teachers benefit from a range of subject-specific training. They are experts in their subject and present information with absolute clarity. Teachers are highly skilled in making links to previous learning. They check pupils’ understanding consistently and are well placed to address any misconceptions adeptly. Teachers create many opportunities for pupils to review and improve their work. As a result, the quality of pupils’ work is high.

p.2

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive. The school ensures that these pupils have their needs identified accurately. A culture of high expectations from well-trained staff gives these pupils personalised support. This helps pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers, where possible. Pupils with SEND are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

p.2

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

Reading is prioritised across the school. Staff model reading strategies consistently and support pupils to enhance their vocabulary. Exceptionally effective systems ensure that pupils needing additional help with their reading receive the right level of support swiftly. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.2

3

As a result, these pupils read with increasing fluency and comprehension. This enables them to access the wider curriculum very successfully.

p.3

3

The school has the highest expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct. This ensures that all lessons are free from disruption. The school models positive social interactions explicitly. As a result, pupils treat other pupils and staff with consistently high levels of respect and maturity. Leaders intervene swiftly on the rare instances when pupils need support to meet leaders’ high expectations, including to improve attendance. These personalised packages of support reflect the school’s focus on caring for each pupil as an individual.

p.3

3

The carefully planned ‘magis’ curriculum provides extensive personal development opportunities for all pupils. In the well-sequenced personal, social, health and economic education lessons, pupils build a clear understanding over time of key topics, such as healthy relationships and consent. Pupils value their daily meditation sessions, which allow them to pause and reflect. Pupils are very well prepared for their next stage of education, employment or training. An extensive careers programme ensures that pupils have multiple opportunities to engage with a vast range of employers and education providers. Sixth-form students appreciate the well-considered visits to a university fair and multiple universities.

p.3

3

Staff at all levels feel well supported, including with their workload and well-being. For example, the school ensures that staff benefit from opportunities to collaborate with their peers regularly and are given annual well-being days, which they particularly appreciate. Those responsible for governance are knowledgeable about the school’s work. Together with leaders, they provide highly effective challenge and support. For example, when published outcomes in the sixth form did not meet leaders’ high expectations, the school took swift and effective action. As a result, the sixth-form curriculum offer has been changed and there is a renewed focus on teachers’ professional development. This helps the school to address any gaps in pupils’ learning.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have made recent changes to strengthen the sixth-form curriculum, which are not fully embedded. As a result, achievement in some sixth-form subjects is not consistently high. The school should ensure that it continues to sharpen aspects of the taught curriculum, including building on the strong practice of the higher achieving subjects in the sixth form, so that students achieve equally well across subjects. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 11 and 12 February 2025

p.4

form

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

form

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is designated as having a religious character. The school is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was in February 2023.  The school uses one registered and one unregistered alternative provision.  The school has a specialist SEND resource base for 10 pupils with developmental language disorder.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 11 and 12 February 2025

p.5

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 (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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspectors met with members of the diocese and the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, science, history, modern foreign languages and music. They met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The curriculum in other subjects was considered as part of the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

p.6

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.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils, parents and carers and staff through both discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

p.6

Inspection team

Hannah Glossop, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Yvonne Chisholm Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7