Villiers High School

Ofsted

A summary of comments from the last Ofsted inspection in May 2019:

‘Outstanding’ in every category.

Villiers High school is now an outstanding school where pupils and staff excel in a supportive and caring environment.
Leaders set the highest standards for pupils. All groups of pupils make exceptional progress and their behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent.
Staff care deeply about their pupils and make every effort to support them in becoming confident young adults.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The quality of teaching in key stages 3 and 4 is consistently strong. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge.
Pupils are set challenging tasks in lessons and this raises their expectations of what they can achieve.
Pupils’ attitudes to learning are extremely positive. They respond exceptionally well to their teachers’ high expectations.
Pupils are encouraged to track their own progress and are confident to do so. They are keen to share their work and talk about their progress.
There is a broad and balanced curriculum which enables pupils to make outstanding progress.

Outcomes for pupils

Pupils’ outcomes in public examinations have been very strong for several years.
Pupils’ progress in English and mathematics is substantial and has been sustained over several years. The quality and consistency of teaching in these two departments are extremely strong.
Pupils make outstanding progress from their different starting points across all subjects and year groups.

Behaviour & Safeguarding

The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary.
Pupils are polite and courteous. They interact positively with adults and with their peers. Pupils said that a great strength of the school is the strong friendships which exist across ethnic groups, different cultures and backgrounds. Teachers and leaders model this respectful behaviour for their pupils.
All staff ensure a culture of high vigilance and care, especially for the most vulnerable pupils.
Pupils feel safe and cared for in this environment. Teachers give pupils strong support to develop healthy lifestyles and good mental health.
This is a very harmonious school where pupils show respect for others, for diversity, for human rights and for different religions and cultures. Pupils are very effectively prepared for life in modern Britain.

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders focus relentlessly on pupils’ outcomes. They track pupils’ progress carefully and provide additional help where needed. Leaders know their pupils extremely well. They give their pupils timely and effective support, which ensures that there is no underachievement.
Leadership of the sixth form is outstanding. Students make excellent progress because of the highly effective teaching. The wide curriculum offer, together with strong support and guidance, ensures that students are very well prepared for university or employment.
Leaders have established an ethos of learning and support that helps pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language, to make exceptional progress.