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Ofsted & Parent View

East Barnet School > About > Ofsted & Parent View

What is Ofsted?

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages. EBS was last inspected in March 2022.

The Ofsted report has been published and will feature on the Ofsted website on the 10th May 2022. We are incredibly proud, as I am sure you will be, of the report and the things the inspectors told us about the school, the staff and the children. I was delighted that they recognised how brilliant our students are:

Pupils at East Barnet School are confident and articulate. They enjoy being part of a diverse community and display a friendliness and respect to all. One of the school’s values is “Do the right thing”.

This sums up the way that pupils conduct themselves. Pupils behave very well in lessons and they are keen to learn. They listen to teachers, contribute their ideas and work hard. Outside of lessons, pupils’ behaviour is calm and orderly. They socialise happily with each other at break and lunchtime.”

I was thrilled that the inspectors could see the effective learning environment teachers and students have created:

Leaders have created a positive learning environment. Low-level disruption in lessons is not tolerated. Pupils say that teachers are consistent in their use of the behaviour system. They say this stops any potential disruption from happening. This means that pupils can learn without disruption. Leaders have high expectations of pupils. They want them to succeed in their studies and develop into responsible young adults.”

It was reassuring to see that the inspectors could see that students are safe in school and that we are a truly inclusive school:

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding across the school community. They engage with parents and carers and raise their awareness of safeguarding risks. They educate pupils on how to keep themselves safe, including online.

Leaders encourage pupils to report any inappropriate language or behaviour. Pupils feel empowered to do so. They know that leaders will address any such behaviour swiftly and effectively. Pupils are safe here. Bullying is rare. Leaders have created a culture of mutual respect and understanding in the school. Their work in areas such as anti-racism and equalities is of particular note.”

Our recent work on the school curriculum was also noticed:

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is broad and balanced, providing pupils with a rich education in Years 7 to 9. At GCSE, and in the sixth form, pupils select from a wide range of subjects. Leaders make sure that pupils make well-informed choices about their programmes of study. This helps them to progress into further and higher education, training and employment. The curriculum is well sequenced and coherent. Leaders have selected the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn. They have ordered this knowledge well. This helps pupils build their knowledge and understanding in increasing depth over time.

There is a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents. These include choir, orchestra and African drumming, drama productions, robotics and many sports. Pupils stand for the UK Youth Parliament and work with the artist- and writer-in-residence.”

I was glad that as well as wanting our students to achieve well academically, that we believe and focus on the development of the whole child:

Pupils’ broader development is central to the school’s ethos. They learn about subjects such as relationships, citizenship, physical and mental health. Pupils value this aspect of their education. It helps to prepare them for the changing world in which they live.

Sixth-form students take on leadership roles. They volunteer to help younger pupils as part of their volunteer service programme. Pupils receive comprehensive support with their applications for university, apprenticeships and employment.”

It is a honour and privilege to be in a position where the work that we do on a daily basis has the power to shape lives. It was humbling that external inspectors could see how wonderful our school is and spoke so highly of our community. I must thank the staff and students, without them, we would not be able to achieve such a glowing report.

L Swaine,
Headteacher

Our Latest Ofsted Reports

Ofsted Good Provider logo for East Barnet School statusOur most recent Ofsted inspection was in March 2022. Prior to this, we had a short inspection in April 2017 and a full inspection in April 2012. All can be read below.

All historical East Barnet School Ofsted Reports can be found on the Ofsted website.

Good Practice Schools

In September 2015, Ofsted released an article about East Barnet School from their case studies ‘Good Practice Example: Schools’. We are delighted that Ofsted has recognised EBS in this way. The entire article can be read below:

The Ofsted 'Good' and 'Outstanding'

Parent View

ofsted parent view logo with green pink and blue shadow families

Parent View is an online questionnaire and is the main source for gathering parents’ and carers’ views about a school when it is inspected. Parent View can also be used throughout the year, enabling parents and carers to contribute their views through a short set of questions.

When our school is notified of its next Ofsted inspection, parents will be invited to give their views about the school to inspectors using the Parent View online facility as this has replaced Ofsted’s paper questionnaire.

Please make sure we have your most up-to-date contact details so that you will receive our notification of any impending visit from Ofsted, as well as all the normal news that we forward to parents from time to time.

We do not receive much notice of an inspection visit, so you may wish to add your views at a time which is convenient to you. If so, please register with an email address and a password at https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk. Once your login has been activated, it only takes a few minutes to complete answers to 12 short questions about various aspects of our school.

Your views are important to us and in helping inspectors make a decision about our school, so a few moments of your time would help to give them a true impression of what parents feel about EBS.

If you do not have a computer or an email address or if you would like help to use Parent View, please come into school and ask at reception.