Waldegrave School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school The exceptional leadership of the headteacher and her senior team ensures excellent standards in all aspects of the school's work. Governance is highly effective.

Governors offer sharp challenge to leaders by asking intelligent questions based on their evaluation of data. Pupils make outstanding progress across the curriculum, including English and mathematics. They consistently achieve above average standards.

As a result, they are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education. Middle leaders are very effective at improving the quality of provision and outcomes in their subjects. They are skilful at monitoring the... impact of their work.

The quality of teaching is consistently strong across the curriculum. Teachers use comprehensive subject knowledge and skilful questioning to challenge their pupils effectively. The curriculum is exceptionally well thought through and provides much stimulation and mental challenge.

Consequently, pupils learn to think more deeply about key concepts and ideas. Parents are highly supportive of the school, and staff morale is high. Students achieve exceptionally well in the sixth form.

This is due to consistently effective teaching and excellent opportunities to enhance students' wider personal development. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They are very well disciplined and show high regard for those who are different to them.

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very effectively. Pupils reflect deeply on current issues and thoroughly enjoy discussion and debate. A strong culture of safeguarding is at the heart of school life.

Pupils feel very safe and are well informed about risks and how these should be managed, both in and out of school. Pupils actively participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, and this makes a very strong contribution to their personal development and well-being. Pupils' attendance is high.

Leaders have rightly identified sharpening of assessment across the curriculum at key stage 3 as a key area for further improvement.

Information about this school

The school converted into an academy in September 2012 and is larger than the average-sized secondary school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.

The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly in line with that found nationally. The school is resourced for six pupils with special educational needs related to autism and speech and language difficulties. These pupils are integrated into the main school for most of the time.

The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average. A very small number of pupils spend one day a week at 'Anstee Bridge', a local alternative education provider.

Waldegrave is the lead school of the Richmond Teaching School Alliance, which is comprised of 10 secondary schools. This inspection is a section 8 deemed section 5 inspection, due to the addition of a new key stage 5 phase in September 2014. The sixth form is mixed, although the majority of students are girls.

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