Hewens College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 May 2025

Pupils and staff are proud to belong to Hewens College. They value highly the positive shift in culture that has been fostered across all areas of school life. Pupils enjoy attending this inclusive school and feel safe. Staff take the time to build positive relationships with pupils. Staff prioritise raising aspirations and reducing barriers so that all pupils can be successful. The curriculum is designed well, but there are inconsistencies in how well it is taught. Teachers have high expectations for students in the sixth form, who rise to meet them. However, published outcomes for key stage 4 pupils have been lower than national averages in recent years. Leaders have improved behaviour and attendance in a short period of time. Pupils speak positively about the sense of community in the school. Most pupils are motivated to learn. They display positive conduct in lessons and during social times. This helps the school to promote a calm and purposeful culture for learning. The school's focus on pupils' personal development is a key factor in its success. This helps create the school's very positive climate and promotes pupils' commitment to their learning. To enhance their learning, pupils choose from a wide range of extra-curricular activities and educational visits, for example trips to Kew Gardens and the Bank of England. Pupils appreciate these wider opportunities.

What the school should improve

• Expectations of pupils' learning are not high enough across the curriculum. The work given to pupils does not give them secure opportunities to develop deeper thinking of important subject content. The school should ensure that the work given to pupils provides them with the opportunity to develop their subject-specific skills effectively across the curriculum.
• In some subjects, the checking of pupils' previous knowledge and understanding is not consistently strong. As a result, some pupils have gaps in what they know and remember. The school needs to ensure that teachers have the expertise to assess accurately where pupils have gaps and address them promptly, so that pupils develop the intended depth of knowledge across the curriculum.

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