The head teacher of a top girls' grammar school in Hampstead Garden Suburb has expressed her disappointment after receiving a downgraded rating from education chiefs.
Clare Wagner, newly installed headteacher at the Henrietta Barnett School, in Central Square, has accused Ofsted as being "not fit for purpose" after submitting an appeal to the grading result which was subsequently "dismissed".
The school has been downgraded from "outstanding" to "good" overall, with all categories including leadership being "good" and only attitudes and behaviour keeping the "outstanding" rating.
At its last full inspection as a voluntary aided school in 2007 Henrietta Barnett was rated "outstanding" and did not change following a monitoring visit in 2019. In 2012 the school became a single trust academy .
Clare Wagner, head teacher of Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb (Image: Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb)
Inspectors gave the school a glowing report saying it was "well led and managed" following its visit in May.
"Senior leaders and governors share a strong vision to provide high-quality academic education." they added. "This vision is being realised."
Pupils behave "exceptionally well" and leaders provide a well-planned programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE), and safeguarding is effective, the report states.
But the report says: "In all subjects, teachers check pupils’ knowledge and skills. However, the quality and impact of assessment practice varies across subjects.
"Leaders should ensure that the best practice, which exists in pockets across the school, is shared in a systematic way to further deepen pupils’ subject-specific understanding."
Clare, who joined in September 2021, said: "We were very disappointed. We appealed, we submitted a formal a complaint that they didn't apply their own criteria correctly so we were really disappointed.
"Obviously we take on board feedback and we will work on improving the school as you would expect."
Henrietta Barnett pupils have a broad curriculum with the school coming top for best GCSE results in 2022. (Image: Henrietta Barnett)
She said that the school has "the best GCSE's in the country, third best A-Levels and we got 28 kids into Oxford and Cambridge" – more than the elite private school Eton.
This year's GCSE results included 75% at grade 9 and 17 students got 11 straight 9s.
Clare said the school has more than 150 clubs.
A development plan is available on the school website.
"Whether the whole Ofsted structure is fit for purpose, is a question I have my opinions on but I don't want to sound like sour grapes," she said.
"We take it on the chin, we improve where we can. Do we agree with it? No we fundamentally do not agree with their findings.
"If they come into a school like this where the progress scores are amazing, the children do amazingly, the SEN kids do amazingly, you just wonder what it is they are looking for."
Clare said Ofsted has downgraded 82% of previously outstanding schools which it has inspected since 2021.
Among these is Camden School for Girls, which was downgraded earlier this year from "outstanding" to "good".
"I know the heads of many grammar schools who've had a similar experience to us. They've done this to local schools as well.
"I asked them, are you looking for perfection, and they said no.
"How can I make a perfect school when I've only been here for two terms and we've had Covid for two years?
"I know a lot of heads are totally demoralised by this."
Henrietta Barnett School pupils out walking - they have a choice of 150 clubs to join (Image: Henrietta Barnett)
Ofsted declined to comment or explain the changes in its new framework.
Its report says: "Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school."
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