Highgate Wood Secondary School

Highgate Wood School is a mixed comprehensive school providing secondary education to approximately 1600 students. The school is situated in a pleasant area in Crouch End and is surrounded by woodland and sports grounds.

Headteacher

Patrick Cozier

Ethos and values: The Highgate Wood Way

Our established values of Courtesy, Consideration, Contribution and Cooperation (the 4Cs), underpin the school’s behaviour ethos and what we call the Highgate Wood Way.

Our school motto is Everyone Matters, Everyone Achieves and this reflects our conviction that we have a duty to value every student as an individual.

We strive to be as inclusive a school as we can possibly be and provide a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for our students to enable their individual talents and creativity to be identified and nurtured.

The Highgate Wood Way is regularly celebrated and routinely promoted so that it is always something that is real and tangible. The Highgate Wood Way is far more than words on a page. It is the lived experience of our students and staff.

It is through the Highgate Wood Way that we bring to life our mission statement: "To inspire our students to be confident and open-minded through exceptional teaching in a caring school community”.

Ofsted Report

We are delighted our Ofsted report (November 2021) confirmed that Highgate Wood School continues to be good, and improving. The inspectors confirmed our governors and leaders know the school well and this accurate self-evaluation is allowing us to continuously raise standards.

Ofsted observed our “strong sense of community among pupils and staff” and noted that “leaders are passionate about building a school with a culture of inclusion at its heart”. They noted that our “pupils enjoy school and behave well in lessons” and are committed learners who want to achieve.” Ofsted also commented on how “pupils show respect for each other and the school celebrates the diversity of its community.”

Ofsted were impressed by the way our lessons have “focused and purposeful atmosphere” in which “pupils work hard”. They praised the way “subject leaders have given careful thought to the sequence of the curriculum and pupils build their understanding over time. Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to recall their learning at the start of each lesson” and “plan lessons which help pupils to make connections between the different parts of their learning.” Ofsted commented on the success of our sixth form and the way we have “high ambitions for all.”

The inspectors also saw how “pupils learn to engage with the wider world around them. Leaders expect pupils to be responsible, critical citizens.” and noted that “there is a strong sense of cohesion between staff from different departments in the school. Staff say that leaders support them with their workload and are responsive to their request. They are proud to work at the school.”