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Hampstead School’s successful debaters, Nick Courtman, Simeon Wallis, Jeffrey Burgin and Harry Farmer |
Comprehensive school comes under fire from Ofsted report
Inspectors say some of teaching is ‘inadequate’ as head sets out ‘journey’ ahead
THE borough’s biggest mixed comprehensive school has been warned that some of its teaching is “inadequate” while its leadership has also come in for criticism.
Hampstead School, which has a roll of just over 1,300 students, was given an overall “satisfactory” rating in an Ofsted report published last Wednesday.
The government education watchdog praised the school in West Hampstead for improving “rapidly” in areas raised during its last inspection, but described the quality of lessons as “mixed”, finding some were badly planned.
Another low point of the inspection at the Westbere Road school was the report’s conclusion that too many lessons were “barely satisfactory and a few are inadequate”.
It went on: “There are currently too many weaker lessons for students to make good progress overall.”
The review, carried out over two days in October, also found room for improvement in the school’s management.
It is in sharp contrast to a report in 2000, when headteacher Dame Tamsyn Imison and her management team were praised as “outstanding” – Ofsted found the current overall leadership was “satisfactory”.
Inspectors described the new headteacher, Jacques Szemalikowski, who took over two years ago, as “good”, but said leadership fell down among some of the school’s “middle leaders”.
The inspectors said: “While some are making a significant contribution to the school’s development and improvement, this is not consistently the case.”
The school’s sixth-form teaching was praised for achieving standards “similar” to the national average.
The report said: “Achievement was very high given students’ starting points and capabilities.”
It added: “The way in which the school monitors students’ academic progress has improved enormously. Much has been achieved in a relatively short amount of time.”
Mr Szemalikowski said the overall tone of the report was positive and recognised that the school was “improving”.
While accepting “it’s not where we want to be”, he pledged that by the time Ofsted visit again, in four or five years, Hampstead will be judged “outstanding”.
“We always saw this Ofsted as a stepping stone,” said Mr Szemalikowski. “We are on a journey and the hard work is still there, but nothing short of outstanding will be good enough for us.”
Schools chief Conservative councillor Andrew Mennear also found much cause to celebrate about the Ofsted report, describing Hampstead as an “improving school” that “is headed in the right direction” and “will continue to make positive strides”.
Cllr Mennear said: “The report states the school has made good progress – this isn’t like a failing school where you’re forced to intervene.
“We know we have three to four years until the next inspection. There are areas for improvement, but these aren’t things that can happen overnight.”
No arguments: Hampstead top debaters
Hampstead School is celebrating the success of its debating team, which has been a consistent victor in a national competition for the past five years – beating the cream of the country’s elite schools in the process.
Hampstead, the only state school in the Model United Nations competition, has wiped the floor with all its privately educated peers, making the team’s win all the more improbable and certainly much the sweeter. Their most recent success at Belfast at the end of last month was the fourth consecutive time the current collection of students has waltzed off with the trophy.
Team member Harry Farmer, 18, said: “No degree of education will compensate for who’s a better public speaker.” Simeon Wallis, 17, added: “In state school what you get out is what you put in.” |
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