Whitmore High School

Inspection of Whitmore High School Porlock Avenue, Harrow HA2 0AD

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Outcomes over time are excellent, and this includes the performance of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve particularly well at this school due to the ambitious curriculum provided and the school’s inclusive ethos. The expectations for pupils’ learning are consistently high across the school. Pupils enjoy the success of building their knowledge over time. The school ensures they are supported to achieve their potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A clear sense of care resonates through this truly inclusive school. Pupils bring different life experiences with them, adding to the school’s rich community. The school provides high-quality pastoral support. This includes teaching pupils the importance of good mental health and positive relationships. The enrichment programme provides a significant variety of experiences for pupils, including clubs such as chess, boxing, gardening, and jazz club. There are frequent trips to bring the curriculum to life. Through these experiences, pupils’ cultural capital is further enhanced.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school fosters a calm and productive atmosphere, ensuring a safe environment for all. Pupils typically behave with high levels of maturity and empathy. Pupils understand how the school expects them to behave towards each other in social times and do so consistently. Sixth-form students are excellent role models for younger pupils.

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

Pupils study a broad academic curriculum. The school has identified the most important knowledge that pupils need and has carefully considered how they should learn it. The key to the success of the curriculum is the consistent implementation by staff. For example, they introduce new content and concepts precisely and model what is expected exceptionally well. This ensures that pupils, including those with SEND, can access the ambitious curriculum successfully.

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

Staff have very strong subject knowledge and benefit from high-quality professional development. They regularly revisit prior learning and check for gaps in pupils’ understanding. Pupils confidently and articulately discuss subject content. This helps them produce high-quality work across the curriculum. Teachers check for pupils’ understanding systematically and address any misconceptions swiftly. Pupils respond readily to the feedback they receive. As a result, they improve the quality and sophistication of their work. The same high standards as in the rest of the school are present across the sixth- form curriculum for these older students. This helps ensure that all students learn the curriculum well.

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

The school adopts an inclusive approach, whereby pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, access the curriculum alongside their peers. They are supported well. Staff know how to adapt their input to ensure that pupils thrive. As a result, pupils are extremely well prepared for the next phase of their learning, including examination success. 18 and 19 March 2025

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The school fosters a culture of reading. Pupils in the earlier stages of reading are supported effectively to catch up with their peers. Staff reading ambassadors work across the school to enhance and broaden pupils’ vocabulary and introduce them to a diverse range of texts. This supports a positive culture of reading at the school.

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Pupils are highly engaged and focused in lessons. They value diverse beliefs in their community. Pupils are encouraged to report any inappropriate behaviour or comments from others. They say that this kind of behaviour is very rare and dealt with effectively. The school knows the pupils very well. Its work with a range of external agencies to support pupils and their families with additional support is exemplary. Pupils enjoy school and attendance is high. The school takes swift action where any concerns about attendance are identified. This work is highly effective.

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Leaders prepare pupils, and students in the sixth form, extremely well for the next stage of education, employment, or training. The school’s personal development offer and careers programme are both very thoughtfully planned and delivered. Pupils value the rich and varied opportunities to pursue their own interests and talents and to gain cultural insights. The school is mindful to ensure that this offer is truly inclusive, so those who are disadvantaged are given access to these as a priority. The school draws on its varied network of partners and alumni to support its work to inspire pupils and provide them with impartial information about next steps in education and employment. Consequently, pupils are thoroughly prepared for the future. After the sixth form, many go on to university and apprenticeship destinations.

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The school’s leadership ensures that there is a clear consistency of vision, which is realised in its principles, policies, and practice. Leaders work effectively together to promote a culture of continual improvement that has sustained the school’s high performance. The governing body knows the school very well. It challenges leaders rigorously to ensure that decisions are consistently made in the best interests of pupils and staff. Staff appreciate the consideration shown of their workload and well-being. They feel valued and are extremely proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,733

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 March 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  The school uses one registered provider of alternative provision.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The provision is for pupils with autism and physical disabilities.  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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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 (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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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers, and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, history, modern foreign languages, and art. 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.  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.  The inspection team took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plans, school policies and minutes of governors’ meetings.  The inspection team members spoke with pupils about their experience of the school. They took account of parent and carer and staff views through conversations and responses to Ofsted’s 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 18 and 19 March 2025

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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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