INSPECTION REPORT HORNSEY SCHOOL for GIRLS London, N8
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INSPECTION REPORT HORNSEY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS London, N8 LEA area: Haringey Unique reference number: 102153 Headteacher: Ms Jean Lebrecht Reporting inspector: Mrs Sylvia Richardson 1038 Dates of inspection: 25th February - 1st March 2002 Inspection number: 194369 Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2002 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Type of school: Comprehensive School category: Community Age range of pupils: 11 - 18 Gender of pupils: Girls School address: Inderwick Road London Postcode: N8 9JF Telephone number: 020 8348 6191 Fax number: 020 8340 1214 Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Ms Lucy Moy-Thomas Date of previous inspection: 25th November 1996 Hornsey School for Girls - 1 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Subject Aspect Team members responsibilities responsibilities 1038 Mrs Sylvia Richardson Registered inspector The school’s results and how well pupils and students achieve How well are pupils and students taught? How good are the curricular opportunities offered to pupils and students? 9163 Mr Geoffrey Humphrey Lay inspector Pupils’ and students’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils and students? How good is the partnership with parents? 19530 Ms Jennifer Bray Team inspector; Geography How well is the school led Co-ordinating the and managed? inspection of the sixth form 20629 Mr John Bryson Team inspector English Drama Literacy 12630 Mr David Naylor Team inspector Mathematics Numeracy 23188 Mrs Virginia Maunder Team inspector Science Chemistry Biology 15406 Mrs Jennifer Adey Team inspector Art and design 14522 Mr Ian Smith Team inspector Design and technology 15576 Mr David Nebesnuick Team inspector History 17985 Mr Hugh Magee Team inspector Information and communication technology 13054 Mr Michael Pennington Team inspector Modern foreign languages – French and German 8696 Mr Abul Maula Team inspector Modern foreign languages – Bengali and Turkish 11672 Mr Peter Harle Team inspector Music 18888 Ms Jan Boultbee Team inspector Physical education 30317 Mrs Elizabeth Barthaud Team inspector Religious education 2480 Mrs Christine Gilder Team inspector Special educational needs 22957 Mr Avtar Sherri Team inspector Equality of opportunity English as an additional language Hornsey School for Girls - 2 Hornsey School for Girls - 3 The inspection contractor was: PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to: The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division The Office for Standards in Education Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Hornsey School for Girls - 4 REPORT CONTENTS Page PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5 - 9 Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school ANNEX: THE SIXTH FORM 10 - 12 PART B: COMMENTARY HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 13 - 17 The school’s results and pupils’ and students’ achievements Pupils’ and students’ attitudes, values and personal development HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT? 17 - 20 HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS? 20 - 23 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 23 - 25 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS? 25 - 26 HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 26 - 29 WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 30 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 31 - 35 PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN KEY STAGES 3 AND 4 36 - 60 PART E: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN THE SIXTH FORM 61 - 72 Hornsey School for Girls - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Hornsey School for Girls is larger than the average secondary school, with 1389 girls on roll. It serves an ethnically and socially diverse neighbourhood, with many pupils coming from homes with no tradition of extended secondary education. Over 60 per cent of pupils have English as an additional language and 85 per cent are from ethnic minorities. One hundred and fifty-one pupils are recent refugees. Three hundred and twelve pupils are on the register of special educational need, well above average. The relatively small number of girls with statements of special educational need does not accurately reflect the large numbers with significant special needs. Attainment on entry was below average until 1999, but is now improving and in 2001 was average. There is a significant minority of pupils who do not complete their secondary education at Hornsey and others who enter later than the beginning of Year 7. Many of these girls are just beginning to learn English and some have special educational needs. Each year group consequently changes its profile over the five years of compulsory secondary education. The school was recognised as a beacon for the quality of its examination results in 2000. It has just been awarded specialist college status for the performing arts. It shares its sixth form with Highgate Wood School. HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS This is a good school with some very good features. The girls’ achievements and progress are good as a result of mainly good teaching and their positive attitudes to learning. Results in national tests and examinations are good and show significant improvement on the standards with which the girls enter the school. Leadership is very good. The school has below average attendance, especially in the sixth form, which increases the unit costs and reduces the value for money, which is nonetheless satisfactory. What the school does well · Many girls achieve well. Examination and test results are above average in comparison with similar schools, and in the case of English, they are well above average. · Teaching is good in Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form and in much of Key Stage 3. · The progress made by pupils with special educational needs or English as an additional language is very good, especially when supported by specialist teaching. · The atmosphere in the school is very good, with evident respect for each others’ values and beliefs. Relationships are very good, supporting personal development and learning very well. · Equality of access and opportunity to all aspects of the life of the school is very good, as is provision for girls’ cultural and social development. · There are very good procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development. · The headteacher and key senior staff provide very good leadership and the governing body is very effective. They all contribute well to the school’s clear values and sense of direction. What could be improved · Poor attendance impairs the progress of some girls and limits the standards they finally reach. Checking has not been sufficiently rigorous, especially when absences are first noted. · The National Numeracy Strategy is not fully in place, as there is no school-wide policy and few contributions by subjects to improving pupils’ numeracy. · Provision for teaching ICT (information and communication technology) is inadequate in Years 8 and 9 and in the planning of some subjects. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION Improvement since the last inspection in 1997 has been good. Almost all the issues raised in the last Hornsey School for Girls - 6 report have been addressed at least satisfactorily and, in many cases, well. Behaviour has improved and is now good overall. A carefully applied policy on behaviour, including one-day exclusions, has contributed to the improvements in behaviour but it has kept the levels of short, fixed-term exclusions disproportionately high, especially for African Caribbean girls. There have been virtually no permanent exclusions. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is now generally very good. Standards have risen since the last inspection, particularly in English. There has been significant investment in computers for teaching, learning and administration and senior staff set a good example to staff and pupils in the use of computers. However, not all teachers use the data generated about pupils’ needs and progress well enough, and some teachers do not yet incorporate the use of computers into their lessons. The school has participated in projects to raise the attainment of students of African Caribbean and Turkish heritage and has put considerable effort into its support for pupils of ethnic minorities. This has resulted in improvement in their attainment. STANDARDS The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 11 and students at the end of Year 13 based on average point scores in GCSE and A-level/AS-level examinations. compared with Key similar Performance in: all schools schools well above average A above average B 1999 2000 2001 2001 average C below average D GCSE examinations C C C A well below average E A-levels/AS-levels C C C The trend of improvement by the age of 14 has been above the national trend, when judged by the average points score achieved in national tests.