The Heathland School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. The headteacher sets the highest expectations for all members of the school community.

He believes passionately that all students, irrespective of their circumstances, are entitled to the best possible education. The proportion of students achieving five GCSE passes has stayed consistently above national levels since the last inspection. Students make outstanding progress in many subjects.

They make particularly exceptional progress in mathematics. Teaching is outstanding. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and plan dynamic lessons which motivate students of all abilities to learn.

However, on occasions, teachers'... marking does not give students enough information about how to improve their work. Students display excellent attitudes to learning. They behave very well around the school.

They show high levels of respect and courtesy towards each other and to their teachers. The sixth form is outstanding. Students make excellent progress because they benefit from high-quality teaching, individualised support and a relevant curriculum.

Leaders at the school have a relentless focus on maintaining and building on established high standards. They continually review the performance of staff and students. Governors are fully committed to the success of students at the school.

They have a very clear view of how well the school is doing and what it needs to do to improve further. They show determination to drive continued improvement of teaching and students' achievement.

Information about this school

The Heathland School is larger than the average-sized secondary school, with a large sixth form.

Its specialisms are in mathematics and science. The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is much higher than the national average. The largest groups are of Indian and Pakistani heritages.

The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is much higher than the national average. The proportion of students eligible for pupil premium funding, which is additional money provided for looked after children, students known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families, is above the national average. There are no children of service families in the school.

The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below that in other schools. A very small number of students attend off-site courses at West Thames College. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.