Chiswick School Is 'On The Way Back' Says School Head

Ofsted report finds school is making progress towards regaining its 'Good' status

Chiswick School has fared better in a recent monitoring visit by Ofsted, the first since its full inspection last November which downgraded its overall status from 'Good' to 'Requires Improvement'.

Ofsted were happy with the progress made in the areas which came under criticism and commented that “Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection in order to become a good school”.

The report has been welcomed by the school's headteacher Tony Ryan and by the Chair of Governors Jane Manfield. Mr. Ryan said; "We still have work to do, but we are on the way back to regaining that ‘good’ judgment that the community deserves.'

The more positive monitoring report means there is no need for further inspection until the scheduled Ofsted visit in about a year's time.

The report recognised that work was already underway to re-structure the governing body, an area that was criticised in the previous inspection. The Ofsted team had wanted clearer lines of accountability from the governing body to the head teacher and his leadership team.

Chair of governors, Jane Manfield, commented that; “Governors are very pleased that the report acknowledges the hard work and progress that has been made so far to address the points raised in the inspection. We realise there is more to do, but we feel that the systems and procedures are now in place to build on and to allow governors and school leaders to effectively monitor the progress of all groups of students.”

The monitoring inspection found that the school had "completely refocused" its use of data used to track the performance and progress of SEND (special educational needs) students. This had also been criticised by the November report where Ofsted wanted the school to dig deeper into data of key groups to ensure that every student, including the most disadvantaged made the maximum progress possible.The report did also state: "While the difference in the performance of disadvantaged pupils is not improving as quickly as leaders and governors want, the system is in place to allow all staff to support quick improvements in pupils’ outcomes."

The Ofsted judgement last year had been described as "harsh at best" by the head teacher Tony Ryan, but he said today ; "We still have work to do, but we are on the way back to regaining that ‘good’ judgment that the community deserves."

The report recognised that work to re-structure the governing body was having an impact. Sub-committees have been replaced with a single managing board that now meets half termly to review progress and question impact of actions taken by the school’s leadership. The HMI leading the inspection stated “Governors’ increasingly refined monitoring of all aspects of the school’s performance, including the performance of groups of pupils and the school’s arrangements for safeguarding and finance, means that leaders expect to be challenged.

The report recognised that the school’s leadership has drawn in additional external expert support to address key areas. Whilst the next step is for the most vulnerable students to demonstrate improved progress and outcomes, the report stated that the actions taken make this a "logical and realistic prospect."

Tony Ryan headteacher stated, “Moving to a ‘requires improvement’ status has been difficult for everyone associated with the school. We have made so much progress over the last six years; to take a step back has been difficult. However, once the shock wears off, a new clarity of thought emerges. If we are to be a truly exceptional school then we need to bring all students with us, irrespective of all barriers to learning that may exist. I am delighted that the inspectors involved recognised that we have listened to and learned from their November judgments and have taken appropriate action to address the main issues. We still have work to do, but we are on the way back to regaining that ‘good’ judgment that the community deserves."

June 12, 2016