Challney High School for Boys Judged to be Outstanding by Ofsted
Following its recent inspection by Ofsted, Challney High School for Boys in Luton, part of The Chiltern Learning Trust, has once again been judged as outstanding by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Schools.
The inspection, which took place over two days on the 10th and 11th of December noted that, “The quality of education at Challney High School for Boys transforms pupils’ life chances,” and in a letter to the head teacher, the lead inspector states that, “Collectively, you have established a culture of high aspirations and expectations that are shared by leaders, staff and pupils alike.”
This judgement follows outstanding judgements in 2002 and 2007, as well as the school featuring in an Ofsted report in 2012 as one of “Twelve outstanding schools excelling against the odds.” This makes Challney High School for Boys one of very few schools in the country that has retained an outstanding status over such a long period of time.
The inspection looked very closely at the quality of teaching and the standards of pupils’ work in English, science, geography, design technology, history and French and concluded that, “Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of education, employment or training.” The report also notes that teachers are “highly ambitious about what pupils can achieve, and choose and adapt learning activities accordingly.”
The excellent behaviour and very positive attitudes to learning on the part of pupils are commended in the report which goes on to say that, “Pupils fully embrace the school’s motto of Ready, Respectful and Safe. They strive to be the ‘five star Challney student’ in all respects,” and that pupils are “… proud of work they have done to support charities and the local community.”
The inspection also looked closely at the measures taken by the school to keep its pupils safe and reports that, “Not only do leaders and staff undertake all statutory obligations, but often go ‘above and beyond’ to identify and support pupils and their families, at the earliest stages, who may be in need of additional help.”
The report comes on the back of another year of excellent examination results returned by Challney boys in 2019. In the core subjects of English and mathematics, 67% of students achieved standard passes in both subjects with 49% achieving strong passes in both. This compares with 61% and 40% of boys nationally achieving the same measures. English, a subject in which boys often underperform compared with girls, is particularly strong in the school with 74% of students achieving standard passes in English Literature in 2019. This strength was also noted by Ofsted inspectors who wrote in their report that the school promotes “a love of reading, both in school and at home,” and that “Teachers use pupils’ love of reading to promote actively the skills of writing across subjects.”
The head teacher of the school, Mr Daniel Connor, commented, “We are really pleased indeed that the Ofsted inspection was able to see the skill, hard work and professional dedication of the superb staff team here at Challney, as well as the exceptionally positive attitudes to learning, engendered by school staff and parents in partnership, personified by so many of our students. This judgement, while richly deserved by the Challney community, is certainly not a destination for us and we will continue to strive to provide the boys and young men of Luton with the best possible education that we can. This is what they deserve and this is what will support them to become kind fathers, caring husbands and partners and brilliant, grown-up young men who have had the best start in life.”
The Chief Executive Officer of The Chiltern Learning Trust, Mr Adrian Rogers, is also delighted with the report. “The staff and students at Challney, along with the whole family of schools in our Trust, work tirelessly to maintain the highest possible standards at all times. This report is well-earned and a very justifiable recognition of the excellent work done by the team at Challney High School for Boys now and over many years. It takes skill and dedication to maintain excellence consistently against the ever-changing backdrop of society and education nationally and Challney exemplifies our Trust and state education at their best.”
Click this link to read the full report on our Ofsted Report and Review Documents page.