Harrow High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Harrow High School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Paul Gamble. This school is in a single-academy trust, Harrow High School Trust. The trust is overseen by a members panel, chaired by Peter Bains.

The chair of the governing body is Richard Hayward.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a safe and nurturing school that pupils and staff are proud to be a part of. Staff are dedicated to helping all pupils to achieve their potential They place a strong emphasis on developing pupils' aspirations.

The school prioritises pupils' personal development. Staff work sensitively with families. Parents and carers, pupils and staff are ...very positive about the school.

The curriculum is ambitious. It has been thoughtfully planned. Leaders have high expectations for pupils' achievement and aim to encourage 'excellence for all' throughout the curriculum.

For example, in English, wider reading is encouraged and work is demanding. Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified and their needs met. Pupils leave school well prepared to take their next steps in education or training.

The school is a positive environment for learning. Pupils' behaviour is sensible in lessons and around the school. Pupils know that if they have a concern, there are adults they can talk with.

Leaders act swiftly if bullying occurs.

Pupils take part in an extensive range of extra-curriculum activities and visits. They enjoy this part of school life.

They receive detailed and helpful careers guidance. All these strengths make Harrow High School a happy and supportive place to be.

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

The curriculum matches, and sometimes exceeds, the scope and ambition of what is expected nationally.

Typically, the school has thought carefully about what pupils should know, do and remember. Generally, the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced, although sometimes this is not as securely the case across all subjects. The curriculum is delivered so that pupils build up knowledge and skills.

For example, in English in Year 7, pupils are shown how to embed quotations in their writing so that in later years, pupils work independently on more challenging tasks, producing complex pieces of extended writing with quotations from the texts that they have read.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. The school provides subject-specific and subject-delivery training for staff.

This has ensured common approaches to the start of lessons. However, the school has not ensured that all staff put the training into practice. In particular, checks on pupils' learning are not as routinely well used to identify what pupils know and remember and where there are gaps in their recall, in order to plan what pupils need to learn next.

Pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. The school identifies their specific needs and puts in place suitable additional support. Staff make appropriate adaptations to teaching and resources for pupils with SEND.

This supports pupils to access the curriculum successfully. Some pupils take part in specialised reading programmes. This helps them to build greater confidence and fluency in reading.

The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Leaders have worked successfully to ensure that the school is a respectful, calm and orderly environment. They have achieved this through discussions during assemblies and in tutor time.

Mostly, pupils display a positive attitude towards their learning. They know their role and responsibility in ensuring a safe and secure school environment.

The school prioritises pupils' personal development.

This is a strength of the school's work. The school ensures that pupils have access to a wide range of high-quality, additional opportunities beyond the subject curriculum, including journeys abroad, reading and writing clubs, sports clubs and numerous careers guidance events. Pupils speak positively about the impact of these experiences.

As a result, the number of pupils who choose to stay on at school into the sixth form is increasing.

Leaders are insightful. They have an accurate view of the quality of the school's work and subject areas.

They are aware of the school's strengths and where development is needed. The governing board is strategic and correctly challenges the school. Staff enjoy working at the school.

They appreciate the support from leaders, including for their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not ensured that teaching routinely uses assessment effectively to check pupils' learning.

This means that teaching is not typically adapted to address any misconceptions or misunderstandings. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used in a timely way and that the information gathered is used to inform future teaching.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014.