Huntington School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Huntington School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school full of opportunities. The school opens doors to new experiences and broadens pupils' horizons. Pupils are polite, friendly and highly motivated to do their absolute best.

Ambition for pupils to excel pervades all aspects of school life. The school values enrichment activities as much as the taught curriculum. Pupils leave the school with the qualifications that give them the freedom and opportunity to access their chosen next steps in education or employment.

When pupils have left the school, they regularly come back to advise and enthuse pupils who are still a...t school. Pupils are proud of the phrase, 'Once Huntington always Huntington'.

Pupils are supported as they progress through school.

Pupils told inspectors they feel safe and supported and have someone to talk to at the school should they have any worries.

This is a calm school where staff expect pupils to behave well. They are not disappointed.

When pupils require guidance and help to improve their behaviour, this is quick to occur.

The school is outward-looking and values the support of the community that it serves. Work to maintain and improve these relationships is continual.

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

Respect, honesty and kindness are the school values. These are the bedrock of everything the school does. They are exemplified in lessons, at breaktimes and lunchtimes and during extra-curricular clubs and educational visits.

The curriculum is far-reaching, diverse and exciting. The pupils at this school know what they are learning and why. Leaders have made a conscious decision that the pupils who come to Huntington receive a well-rounded education that enables them to explore subjects in great depth over extended periods.

As a result, the pupils thrive. Pupils enjoy talking about their learning across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy debating mathematical problems or exploring the thoughts of historians.

Respectful and lively debate is a skill that is celebrated at this school.

The school takes pride in pupils' achievements. When there is room for improvement, leaders ensure that rapid action takes place.

This has been the case more recently in mathematics, where the school has acted decisively in addressing performance which does not match that of other subjects.

Staff and pupils value reading. Sixth-form pupils support pupils who are in the earlier stages of reading.

The texts that pupils engage with are appropriate and interesting. Pupils talk avidly about the characters and storylines created by authors such as Anthony Horowitz.

The school has a well-thought-out professional development programme for staff, which is supported effectively by the Research School.

As a result, staff are experts in their subject areas. The school ensures that staff are supported in their development and learning. Staff apply relevant subject and pedagogical research.

This benefits all pupils.

The behaviour of pupils supports learning. The time and effort given to understanding the benefits of positive attitudes is reaping benefits around school.

Staff share with pupils insightful and meaningful data that shows reduced behaviour incidents and an increase of positive rewards. The school maintains a clear focus on helping and supporting all pupils to attend more often. Personalised support is having an impact and helps pupils who may have poor attendance to attend more regularly.

The school offers pupils the opportunity to gain experience and develop in many ways. Clubs and activities range from languages to film. Sports and performances are part of the DNA of the school.

Pupils respond extremely well to their responsibilities in the school. Pupil leaders take their role seriously. When elected, they work hard to represent the whole pupil body.

Younger pupils look up to and respect the sixth-form students. The students in the sixth form are positive role models to those in key stages 3 and 4.

The school supports pupils to make extremely well-informed choices about their next steps in education or employment.

Leaders ensure that careers advice, work experience, mock interview evenings and the taught curriculum explore all options available when leaving school.

Pupils with SEND access the curriculum that is on offer to their peers. Pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND are part of the whole school.

Pupils with SEND socialise and engage with other pupils daily.

Governors are advocates for the pupils and their community. They are astute, knowledgeable and caring.

They support, challenge and share the values of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

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

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be in October 2017.