Henley In Arden School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 December 2022

New senior leaders and the trust have brought a clear drive for excellence and high ambitions for all pupils. They want pupils to do well and develop as well-balanced young people who follow their interests and talents. Senior leaders have high expectations of themselves, staff and pupils. Teachers and pupils work hard to meet these expectations. Pupils achieve well and move on to strong destinations. Pupils are friendly, welcoming and happy. They value their education. Positive relationships are clear in everyday school life. Pupils behave very well. Lessons are calm and orderly. Pupils feel and are safe. Pupils know that there is always someone they can go to if they are worried about something. Pupils are confident that their teachers will deal with any bullying should it occur. Leaders have planned a strong offer to further pupils' wider development. Pupils have many varied opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom and pursue their passions. Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, activities and events. These include sporting and performing arts clubs, visits and outside speakers. Pupils value these opportunities and many are thoroughly involved in them. For example, many pupils were involved in the Christmas music show at the time of the inspection. Parents on the whole value the school and most of them would recommend it to others. The school has a real community feel to it.

What the school should improve

• Subject leaders in a few subjects have not yet identified clearly enough what key knowledge pupils need to learn and when. As a result, learning is not yet as well sequenced as it could be in these subjects. Leaders need to ensure that learning in all subjects is effectively sequenced so that pupils can build up their knowledge and skills over time.
• Leadership of SEND is not as sharp as it should be. Consequently, record-keeping and communication with parents are not clear. Leaders should ensure that this aspect of their work is as effective as it could be.
• Teachers choose learning tasks that are not always well matched to pupils' needs in some lessons. When this happens, pupils do not always complete the work or do not attempt it and their learning slows. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use learning materials that are matched to pupils' needs so that they can effectively access their learning.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)