Bishopshalt School

Bishopshalt School

Address: Royal Lane, Hillingdon, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3RF Unique reference number (URN): 137633

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Exceptional

From their starting points, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, make excellent progress across all subjects and year groups. In national GCSE examinations, pupils' achievement is consistently and significantly above all others nationally. Students in the sixth form achieve exceptionally well. They produce extremely high-quality work and articulate their learning comprehensively. Students’ outcomes at A level in 2025 were above average. This means that, combined with the school’s excellent provision for personal development, pupils at age 16 and sixth-form students are extremely well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.

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Attendance and behaviour Exceptional

Leaders place an extraordinarily high priority on attendance and punctuality. Their work has ensured that, over time, attendance has been consistently and significantly above the national average, and persistent absence has remained significantly below it for all groups, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. Attendance continues to improve and reflects the school’s very strong culture of aspiration, with a clear message that pupils need to be in school to succeed.

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Attendance and behaviour Exceptional

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. The start of each day is calm and well organised and pupils move around the school with respect and maturity. They take responsibility for their own behaviour and rise to the high expectations and trust the school places in them. Classrooms are purposeful, with no low ‑ level disruption. Pupils show dedication to learning, self ‑ discipline and pride in their work. Leaders have established a deeply respectful culture rooted in the school’s values, which pupils understand and apply daily.

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Attendance and behaviour Exceptional

Staff apply behaviour expectations consistently well. Bullying or any form of discrimination is not tolerated. Any concerns are addressed quickly and effectively. Pastoral care is of a very high standard, with adjustments made for pupils with SEND when needed.

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Attendance and behaviour Exceptional

Pupils’ high attendance and excellent behaviour play a key role in enabling them to achieve remarkably well academically, socially and personally.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

Leaders have an incredibly clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They use research and evidence well to design a broad, rich and ambitious curriculum that builds pupils’ knowledge very securely over time. Each subject is carefully sequenced so that new ideas connect logically to what pupils have learned before. Planned learning helps pupils deepen their understanding, practise regularly and remember important knowledge. Planned retrieval tasks, homework and assessment routines are all deliberately linked and integrated. This ensures that pupils retain extensive knowledge over time. Leaders make sure all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, learn the same rich curriculum. Teachers adapt lessons thoughtfully and highly effectively when pupils need extra support. Pupils who have gaps in basic knowledge of reading, writing or mathematics are very well supported so they

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

catch up quickly and move confidently to more complex learning. These very high expectations for everyone remain constant.

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Curriculum and teaching Exceptional

Staff benefit from a very well ‑ structured continuous programme of training. New teachers receive expert guidance through induction and coaching, while ongoing professional learning ensures all staff have expert subject and pedagogical knowledge. Leaders’ approach creates consistency across all classrooms and helps teachers refine their practice. Teaching is highly effective. Teachers check understanding carefully and use well ‑ crafted questions and carefully chosen activities to promote highly effective learning.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Leaders have created a remarkably inclusive school where every pupil is valued, understood and supported to thrive. Staff know each pupil well and identify their individual needs with great care and precision. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are known, or previously known, to children’s social care. Leaders act quickly to remove barriers to learning and wellbeing through thoughtful and carefully nuanced adjustments, strong pastoral support and consistently very high expectations for every pupil.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Teachers use clear checks on understanding to spot misconceptions early and give immediate help when needed. Leaders check each pupil’s progress closely and review the impact of any extra support, including short-term programmes for literacy and numeracy, so pupils return quickly to class confident and ready to learn.

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Inclusion Exceptional

The inclusion team works very effectively with parents and carers, external professionals and the virtual school. Staff receive high ‑ quality training so they can support a wide range of needs with immense expertise. Leaders also share their excellent practice across local and national networks.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Pupils appreciate the calm inclusion space available during break and lunch, where sixth ‑ form students act as positive role models and play games with them. The school uses additional funding for disadvantaged pupils exceptionally well to ensure they attend regularly and achieve highly.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

Leaders leave nothing to chance. They know the school extremely well and check its work frequently and with real precision. They analyse information intelligently, identify what needs improving and act swiftly and strategically. Their work since the previous inspection has led to highly notable improvements in academic outcomes, strengthened inclusion practice and the creation of a calm, purposeful and creative environment where pupils genuinely thrive. Leaders make decisions in the best interests of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, pupils attend extremely well, persistent absence remains low and pupils’ personal and social development is exceptionally effective. Leaders’ ambition for pupils is both unwavering and clearly evident in the sustained improvements achieved.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

Governors are very experienced. They bring a wide range of expertise to their work, having backgrounds in senior educational leadership, including for safeguarding and finance, for example. They frequently visit the school and know its strengths and areas for development. They ensure that all statutory requirements are met. They are highly supportive of school leaders in the drive to raise substantially all aspects of the school’s work.

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Leadership and governance Exceptional

A significant strength is leaders’ commitment to high ‑ quality, research ‑ informed professional learning. Staff benefit from a coherent and ambitious programme that builds expertise at every career stage. Early career teachers and new staff receive well ‑ structured induction and ongoing coaching. Leaders also take thoughtful steps to balance development with workload and wellbeing, ensuring staff feel valued, listened to and supported. This approach contributes greatly to the school’s stability, professionalism and sustained excellence.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

Leaders have created an incredibly rich personal development programme that shapes pupils into confident, reflective and socially responsible young people. The programme is built around clear themes, including health and wellbeing and living in the wider world. It is delivered through tutor ‑ time sessions, assemblies, drop ‑ down days, reading and enrichment. This programme grows year on year, helping pupils to understand right and wrong, value different beliefs and appreciate a wide range of cultural experiences. Pupils develop strong social skills and learn to reflect thoughtfully on ethical issues and their role in the wider community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

Pupils benefit from meaningful experiences that make learning purposeful. Pupils explore climate action and nature, and they take part in curriculum ‑ linked visits, such as to the British Museum. Pupils enjoy a rich variety of clubs, including debating, engineering, art and anatomy. The school’s vibrant music provision, including samba, guitar ensemble and choir, enables pupils to express themselves creatively. 'Futures Friday' seminars and visiting speakers widen students’ ambitions and deepen their understanding of future study and career pathways.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

The Bishopshalt Experience ensures all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those supported by additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, participate fully in enrichment, leadership roles, charity work and house competitions. Fundamental British values are taught explicitly and reinforced through assemblies, debates, community projects and activities that celebrate diversity and democracy, for example. Online safety is taught with increasing complexity from Year 7 to Year 13, preparing pupils well for risks they may face both online and offline.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

Relationships and sex education is delivered sensitively and adapted where needed. Impartial careers guidance is very effective. Structured programmes help students engage with employers and alumni, for example. Pupils with SEND receive priority access to one ‑ to ‑ one guidance to ensure they are well prepared for their next steps. Together, this provision creates confident, thoughtful and socially very responsible young people who are extremely well prepared for their futures.

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Post 16 provision Exceptional

Leaders have a precise understanding of the sixth-form study programmes and shape them so that every student, including those who are disadvantaged or students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can access ambitious pathways. Leaders provide individualised support, such as supervised study, attendance intervention and targeted pastoral care, to remove any barriers to success. A-level students achieve exceptionally well, with outcomes above national averages. The current few students on the vocational path are making very secure progress from their starting points.

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Post 16 provision Exceptional

Careers education is a real strength. All students take part in 'Future Fridays', meeting a wide range of professionals and employers. All have opportunities for work experience and individual meetings for bespoke careers guidance.

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Post 16 provision Exceptional

The sixth form offers an impressive range of wider opportunities. Students join and lead societies, act as conversational language buddies, support younger pupils in lessons and take part in entrepreneurship projects, such as founding and running a profitable 3D ‑ printed product business. Prestigious monetary scholarships reward academic excellence and character. Students use the award for purposeful development, such as museum memberships or specialist tuition in areas of their interests, such as guitar playing. Students also deliver weekly seminars on topics such as dream theory or the relationship between fiction and reality. Students leave the school with the qualifications, characteristics and ambitious attitudes that set them up for great all-round success in their future lives.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils and staff live and breathe the school’s values of 'love learning, show kindness, build character, chase brilliance and bright futures'. This is reflected in pupils’ well-above-average attendance rates, their enjoyment of learning and their excellent social skills. Pupils thrive because of the highly ambitious and rich curriculum and the expertise of their teachers. Pupils who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing receive the support they need to excel. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged achieve extremely well across all subjects alongside their peers and in comparison with all pupils nationally.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school’s ambience is calm and purposeful. Pupils enjoy extremely positive working relationships with their peers and staff. They are polite, well mannered and kind. Older pupils buddy and support Year 7 pupils to help them quickly integrate into the school’s community. All sixth-form students run a wide range of lunchtime enrichment activities for key stage 3 pupils, all of whom attend at least one activity each week. Because pupils and students integrate so well and are kind to one another, incidents of bullying or discriminatory behaviour are very rare, but they are dealt with effectively should they occur. Pupils feel safe.

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Team inspectors:

David Booth, Ofsted Inspector Ray Lau, Ofsted Inspector Karim Ismail, Ofsted Inspector Russell Bennett, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

Pupils benefit from regular assemblies, mostly led by sixth-form students. These assemblies reinforce the school’s core values and are followed up in form time. Activities include structured debates, exploration of the social contract, voting and developing nuance in discussion. All sixth-form students take part in one of 15 student-led societies, including law, Greek mythology, mathematics and debating. Pupils also contribute to charitable activities locally and abroad. All pupils from Year 7 to Year 13 take part in house-based subject and headteacher challenges, such as creating artwork inspired by poetry, spelling bees, kindness initiatives and university-style quizzes. Pupils leave school extremely well prepared for their ambitious next steps and as active, engaged citizens.

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About this inspection

This school, Bishopshalt School, is an Academy Converter. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Charles Coombs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other leaders, the chair and other trustees, as well as groups of staff and pupils, during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Liam McGillicuddy The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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English and maths GCSE

Percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Attainment 8

A measure of pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Progress 8

How much progress pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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A-level average point score

The average points that students achieved per A-level entry.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 37.58 34.38 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 33.50 34.16 Close to average

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A-level value added

A score showing students’ progress between the end of key stage 4 and the end of their academic qualification studies.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 0.2 0.0 Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (revised) 0.0 0.0 Close to average

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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