Norbury High School for Girls

Norbury High School for Girls is a larger-than-average secondary school in the Wandle Learning Trust, serving a relatively deprived area. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard in achievement, curriculum and teaching, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils generally achieve in line with national averages, while disadvantaged pupils achieve well above national averages for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND broadly achieve well from their starting points. The sixth form is described as supportive, cohesive and inclusive, with improving achievement and strong care and guidance. However, attendance and behaviour, inclusion, and leadership and governance require attention. Persistent absence remains high, especially for pupils with SEND, and attendance work lacks consistent rigour. Teaching is variable: checks on understanding are inconsistent, high attainers are not routinely extended, and adaptive teaching for SEND is uneven, with staff training and monitoring of support not consistently effective. Leadership structures lack clarity, improvement actions are not precise or timely enough, and governors do not have a secure understanding of the school's priorities. Overall, this is a school with notable strengths in pupil support, disadvantaged pupil achievement and personal development, but it needs sharper leadership, more consistent teaching and better attendance for specific groups to secure improvements across the board. It was inspected as a full section 5 inspection and is part of the Wandle Learning Trust.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well above national averages for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils with SEND broadly achieve well from their starting points.
• The curriculum is well ordered and taught by staff with secure subject knowledge.
• Subjects such as art and music show thoughtful curriculum development.
• Pupils generally use subject-specific vocabulary accurately and engage confidently in discussion.
• Support for pupils' social and emotional development is typically effective.
• Staff know pupils well and working relationships are warm and respectful.
• Leaders promote a welcoming ethos where differences are recognised and respected.
• Pupils feel safe, listened to, valued and able to build positive relationships.
• A coherent personal development programme provides varied extra-curricular activities, outings, clubs and cultural events.
• Careers education is well structured and pupils are suitably well informed about next steps.
• The sixth form is a supportive, cohesive and inclusive community.
• Sixth-form students benefit from tailored careers guidance and a wide enrichment offer.
• Sixth-form achievement is showing much improvement and students produce high-quality work.
• Behaviour is generally positive; pupils are typically focused and attentive, and low-level disruption is rare.
• Bullying is rare and leaders respond swiftly and effectively to negative incidents.
• There has been a significant reduction in the use of suspensions.
• Staff morale is positive and leaders prioritise staff wellbeing.
• Parents and carers are generally positive about the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains well above the national average, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Attendance support lacks consistent rigour, limiting the pace of improvement.
• Teaching does not consistently check pupils' understanding, allowing misconceptions and gaps to persist.
• The learning of high attainers is not consistently extended or deepened.
• Adaptive teaching for pupils with SEND is uneven, and some support focuses on task completion rather than new learning.
• Staff training to meet the needs of pupils with SEND and those known or previously known to social care is limited.
• Monitoring of how staff use information about pupils' additional needs does not take place often enough.
• Low-level disruption is not always addressed effectively by staff.
• Leadership structures lack clarity, resulting in variable oversight and a lack of rigour.
• Leaders' improvement actions lack the precision and timeliness needed and do not consistently identify root causes.
• The professional learning programme is not always precisely targeted to staff needs.
• Governors do not have a securely clear understanding of the school's areas for improvement.
• Sixth-form achievement has not yet matched national averages, and the A-level average point score was below national in 2024/25.
• Opportunities to assess individual pupils' knowledge precisely are sometimes missed.
• Some pupils with SEND do not access learning fully because teaching is not consistently well adapted.
• Leaders do not have consistently high expectations for pupils with SEND and those known to social care.
• Evaluation of how well pupils learn the personal development curriculum is not systematic enough.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

• BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology
• Bensham Manor School
• Harris City Academy Crystal Palace
• Harris Invictus Academy Croydon
• Riddlesdown Collegiate

Norbury High School for Girls is part of Wandle Learning Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Kensington Avenue Primary School Thornton Heath
• Paxton Academy Sports And Science Thornton Heath
• Ravenstone Primary School London
• Fircroft Primary School London
• Chestnut Grove Academy London
• Swaffield School London
• Chesterton Primary School London
• Thomson House School London
• Hellingly Community Primary School Hailsham
• Grovelands Community Primary School Hailsham

What is Norbury High School for Girls's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Norbury High School for Girls is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Norbury High School for Girls last inspected by Ofsted?

Norbury High School for Girls was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Norbury High School for Girls have?

Norbury High School for Girls has 1,082 pupils on roll.

What age range does Norbury High School for Girls cover?

Norbury High School for Girls for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Norbury High School for Girls's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.5, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Norbury High School for Girls?

Norbury High School for Girls is at Kensington Avenue, Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR7 8BT.