St Gregory's Catholic Science College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders should provide more information about different types of employment for pupils in Years 7 and 8 to support pupils in their choice of career pathways.
• Leaders should evaluate current provision regarding the risks of radicalisation and extremism to check that students are aware of all the forms that these can take.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leaders are very ambitious for all pupils. Pupils respond to these expectations. Their behaviour is exemplary, and they make exceptional, sustained progress.
• Leaders know the school very well. They demonstrate a very accurate understanding of its strengths and areas for development, which are addressed promptly. For example, this year, teachers were trained on challenging the most able pupils; inspectors found high levels of challenge in all lessons.
• Staff are enthusiastic about working at the school and want their pupils to achieve to their full potential. Staff know their pupils exceptionally well, providing excellent support, both in lessons and outside lesson times, to help them do as well as they can. Teachers regularly discuss pupils’ learning and are keen to improve both their own and their pupils’ practice.
• Leaders use information from their regular visits to lessons to identify strengths and areas for development in teaching. This information is used to inform training for teachers to further improve their practice. Additionally, all staff are encouraged to observe their colleagues teaching. There is a ‘Teaching and Learning Community’ group which reflects on good practice and how this can be shared across the school. Teachers really enjoy and appreciate these opportunities to develop their practice.
• All additional funding is used very effectively. Those Year 7 pupils who start the school behind their peers in reading, writing and mathematics make very strong progress. Disadvantaged pupils make exceptional progress. So, too, do pupils with SEND.
• There is a broad and balanced curriculum which builds pupils’ knowledge and skills sequentially across a range of subjects, so enabling pupils to excel in public examinations. The extra-curricular opportunities for pupils are very wide and varied. Leaders track pupils’ attendance at extra-curricular clubs. They identify any groups of pupils who are not attending or groups that are under-represented and encourage them to attend. Extra-curricular clubs include chess, gardening, sports, drumming, debating and computing.

Governance of the school

• Governance is a great strength of the school. Governors’ high levels of commitment and exceptional knowledge of the school make them very effective.
• Governors set very high expectations for standards in school. They challenge leaders when any groups of pupils fall behind. They also provide considerable support for staff and pupils.
• Governors encourage a caring ethos, reflecting the school’s foundation and values. This ethos is apparent throughout the school community.
• There are regular audits of the governors’ skills. They ensure that they are well trained and well informed about their responsibilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is an exceptional culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff are very aware of local and national risks. They do everything in their power to keep their pupils safe, with particular attention to local issues such as gangs and knife crime.
• All staff are trained appropriately in safeguarding and this training is regularly updated. Leaders are diligent in chasing up support for vulnerable pupils. Parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire said their child is safe in school.
• The school keeps detailed records on their vulnerable pupils and works very effectively with external agencies to ensure that these pupils get the support they need.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers have excellent subject knowledge. They plan effective lessons and are highly skilled in supporting pupils’ acquisition of knowledge and development of skills.
• Outstanding teaching is seen across all key stages and across all subjects. In particular, pupils make exceptional progress in English and mathematics. All departments contribute to strengthening pupils’ literacy and numeracy.
• Teachers have very high expectations of pupils and encourage them to take responsibility for their learning. They help pupils to develop their knowledge and skills by recalling learning from earlier lessons. Lessons are both challenging and enjoyable. Pupils speak very highly of their teachers because of this support.
• Teachers use assessment information very effectively to plan lessons. They also assess pupils’ progress during lessons and adapt planned activities accordingly to deepen and develop pupils’ understanding.
• Teachers constantly strive to improve their practice. They talk about their teaching. They often observe colleagues’ lessons and give each other constructive criticism. Teachers model this behaviour for pupils. Pupils support each other with their learning. Pupils have opportunities to comment on the quality of other pupils’ work to help them improve.
• Pupils are set challenging homework. They respond well and develop the ability to manage their own learning. Pupils love learning at St Gregory’s.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are very confident and articulate because of the work teachers do with them in assemblies, tutor time and lessons.
• Teachers support pupils extremely well in improving their work. Pupils have an excellent understanding of the importance of learning from their mistakes. They often take responsibility to develop and improve their work.
• Pupils are exceptionally respectful of others, reflecting the school’s ethos and values. They are encouraged to discuss difficult issues and to listen to the viewpoints of others from different cultures, religions and backgrounds. This is a very harmonious school.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very well throughout the curriculum and in the broader work of the school. There are many opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep healthy in personal, social, health and cultural lessons. Pupils are knowledgeable about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. There is a strong emphasis on developing positive emotional health and teachers nurture this in their pupils.
• Teachers provide effective support for vulnerable pupils. This starts with the very effective transfer of pupils from primary school into St Gregory’s. Pupils are tracked carefully, and support is provided through the year teams, the house system and the special needs team. Where necessary, external support is sought. Pupils believe they are very well cared for and, in turn, they are very loyal to their school.
• Pupils are aware of all forms that bullying can take, including cyber bullying. They say bullying is rare but when it does happen, teachers deal with it very effectively. Parents also believe that bullying is dealt with very well by the school.
• Careers advice and guidance for pupils are well developed in key stage 4 and the sixth form. The impact of this advice is evident in pupils’ successful progression after Year 11 into the sixth form, either in this school or elsewhere. However, pupils in Year 7 and Year 8 would like more guidance on different types of jobs and qualifications.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ attendance is well above the national average and pupils are rarely late for school or lessons. They have excellent attitudes to their work and they really value the education that their school provides.
• Pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons is excellent. Pupils manage their own behaviour very effectively. They are conscious of the very narrow corridors around the school and they move sensibly from one lesson to the next.
• Most pupils’ work is very neat. A very small minority of boys show a lack of pride in their presentation in books.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils’ outcomes in GCSE and A-level examinations have been consistently very good over many years. Current pupils make excellent progress across all key stages. School information shows that pupils are making even stronger progress than in previous years. Pupils’ progress in lessons across all subjects is very strong.
• Pupils with SEND make exceptional progress from their starting points. Disadvantaged pupils also make exceptional progress. This, and the progress of other groups of pupils, is very strong because of the excellent teaching and care they receive.
• Pupils are encouraged to read in lessons. Younger pupils are given reading partners to help them read in tutor periods. There is a strong culture of reading for pleasure in key stage 3. Pupils are well prepared for the demands of challenging texts in key stage 4.
• Pupils achieve excellent outcomes in public examinations. Together with the strong careers advice and guidance they receive, this prepares them well for further and higher education and employment.

16 to 19 study programmes Outstanding

• Leadership of the sixth form is very strong. Leaders and staff have high expectations of students. Students work hard and achieve very high standards. Students’ outcomes in public examinations are consistently well above average.
• Teachers in the sixth form have excellent subject knowledge. They plan lessons which challenge their students. Students are given time to reflect on their work and to discuss with their teachers how to improve and develop their responses. Teachers constantly assess their students’ progress and adapt the content of lessons to support learning.
• Students who join the sixth form with low grades in their GCSE mathematics or English receive excellent support. Their outcomes in mathematics and English GCSE examinations are well above national averages.
• Students greatly appreciate the care and guidance they receive in the sixth form. Their attendance is well above the national average. The retention of students between Year 12 and Year 13 is exceptionally high. All students have work experience placements, organised to support their education and career pathways after they leave school. Most of the students who left the school in 2018 went on to university, many of them to Russell Group universities.
• The sixth-form curriculum includes a wide range of A-level subjects and vocational courses. Most students study A levels. Students make exceptionally strong progress on both academic and vocational courses. There is also a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities for sixth-form students. These include supporting younger pupils, raising money for charities and local community work. Students would like more opportunities to contribute to the running of the school through their council and student parliament.
• Students receive advice and guidance about local risks and how to keep themselves safe. They are also given information about the dangers of extremism and radicalisation and how to keep safe on the internet. However, not all students understand the range of forms that extremism can take. Students all believe that they are safe in school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142560 Brent 10058972 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Academy converter 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,110 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 209 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Alloysius J. Frederick Andrew Prindiville 020 8907 8828 www.stgregorys.harrow.sch.uk schooloffice@stgregorys.harrow.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15 May 2018

Information about this school

• The school became an academy on 17 January 2016.
• St Gregory’s is part of a multi-academy trust, the All Saints Trust. The trust delegates all responsibilities and decisions to the school’s governing body.
• The school does not use any alternative provision.
• St Gregory’s is a Catholic school. The last section 48 inspection took place in October 2014. A section 48 inspection is scheduled for the autumn term 2019.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons in key stages 3 and 4, in the sixth form and across a range of subject areas. They visited an assembly and registration time. Inspectors carried out checks on pupils’ books and talked to pupils about their work.
• Inspectors met with pupils, teachers, middle and senior leaders, and governors. Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents related to pupils’ behaviour, safety, teaching and learning, and pupils’ progress and attainment.
• Inspectors considered the 118 responses to Parent View, including 56 free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the 104 responses from pupils and the 41 responses from staff to the Ofsted online questionnaires.

Inspection team

Joan McVittie, lead inspector Hayley Follett Sunday Ellis Bruce Goddard

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector