Addey and Stanhope School

Age group 11–16 Inspection date(s) 8–9 March 2012 Inspection number 376445 Addey and Stanhope School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100748 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 376445 Inspection dates 8–9 March 2012 Lead inspector Robin Gaff

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Secondary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 595 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Cliff Hardcastle Headteacher Ann Potter Date of previous school inspection 24–25 September 2008 School address 472 New Cross Road London SE14 6TJ Telephone number 020 8305 6100 Fax number 020 8305 6101 Email address info@as.lewisham.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. Inspectors watched 27 part lessons, taught by 25 teachers, observing three lessons jointly with senior leaders. They also made shorter visits to classes to observe individual students and groups at work. Inspectors talked to students and looked at their work. They held meetings with groups of students, school leaders and representatives of the governing body. In addition, inspectors looked at school documentation, including safeguarding and attendance records, monitoring files and self-evaluation and planning documents. They analysed questionnaire responses from students and staff, as well as 283 questionnaires returned by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Addey and Stanhope is smaller than the average secondary school. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is well-above average. The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups, of which the largest are of Black Caribbean and Black African students, is also well-above average. An above average proportion of students speak English as an additional language. In 2009, the school opened a special unit which caters for a small number of students with additional speech and language needs. The proportion of students who are disabled, or who have special educational needs, is above the national average. Most of these students have speech, language and communication needs or specific learning difficulties. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress. It first gained technology college status in 2005. The school has gained a number of nationally

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Information about the school

accredited awards, including Healthy School status, which it achieved in 2010. Its premises are currently being substantially rebuilt: this programme is due to be completed in September 2012.

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Key findings

 This is a good school. Students behave exceptionally well and feel extremely safe. The school promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. Teaching and specialist support for students who have additional speech and language needs are excellent. The school’s overall effectiveness is good rather than outstanding because students’ achievement and the quality of teaching are not consistently excellent. Senior leaders have not yet extensively evaluated and refined their new procedures for monitoring and improving the quality of teaching, and middle leaders are not all fully involved in this process.  Students’ achievement is good in both Key Stages 3 and 4. Students, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points in reaching levels of attainment which, by the end of Year 11, are consistently above national averages. They make

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Key findings

slower progress when teachers do not match activities as well as they could to students’ individual needs.  Teaching is good overall and is sometimes outstanding. Teachers know their subjects well, and most plan lessons which include a good variety of activities. Their use of assessment overall is good, but the quality of marking is inconsistent.  Students’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding. They have very few concerns about bullying because they say it is extremely rare and is dealt with very effectively by staff and by students themselves when it does occur.  Leadership and management are good. Leaders have successfully addressed the areas for improvement from the school’s last inspection, and have raised students’ achievement and improved their behaviour. The leadership of teaching and the management of performance, including professional development for teachers, are good but have not yet resulted in teaching being

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Key findings

consistently excellent across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the level of students’ achievement throughout the school to consistently outstanding, by ensuring that all teachers:  plan activities that fully meet the needs of all the students in their classes  give students sufficiently detailed written feedback to enable them to build on their strengths and know the next steps they need to take to improve their work.  Ensure that all school leaders, including middle leaders, are more fully involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, and use the results of lesson observations more effectively to address relative weaknesses in teaching.

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Achievement of pupils

Students join the school with levels of attainment which are broadly in line with national averages. By the time they leave, their attainment, as represented by their success in GCSE examinations, is consistently above average. This represents good achievement. The percentage of students who gain five or more A*-C passes at GCSE including English and mathematics has risen substantially in recent years, and in 2011 was well above the national average. Passes already achieved and module results gained by current Year 11 students, as well as the school’s own reliable assessment data, indicate that this rising trend is being maintained. Students who are known to be eligible for free school meals make much better progress than similar students nationally. All groups of students, including those who belong to minority ethnic groups and those who are learning English as an additional language, achieve consistently well, as do those students who are disabled and those who have

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Achievement of pupils

Students show highly positive attitudes in class, and their excellent behaviour makes a strong contribution to their learning and progress. Their well-developed skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and information and communication technology (ICT) ensure that they are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for future employment. Students work extremely well together in group and whole-class activities, and listen closely to and learn from one another as well as from their teachers. They learn best when lessons include activities which are very closely matched to their interests and different levels of attainment. This was particularly the case in lessons aimed at improving students’ reading and writing skills, which inspectors observed in the special unit, where students with additional speech and language needs made excellent progress.

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Achievement of pupils

In an outstanding lesson on how the choices we make in buying food affect the environment, Year 9 students responded extremely well to the teacher’s lively and well-sequenced opening presentation. They worked enthusiastically in groups on a range of tasks. Students showed excellent verbal, written and graphic communication skills. The lesson successfully promoted their moral and cultural development by significantly enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the ethical issues related to the topic. In the small number of lessons where students made less than good or outstanding progress, this was because they were not given enough opportunities to learn independently, or because tasks were not sufficiently well matched to all groups of students. Students throughout the school say they enjoy their lessons, and a very large proportion of parents and carers agree that their children are making good progress.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching in both key stages is good. Most parents and carers agree that their children are well taught, and inspectors’ findings confirm this. The curriculum is well planned to ensure good provision for different groups of students, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs. Teachers promote students’ social development strongly by means of well-organised group activities that include lively and well-informed discussion and development of students’ own ideas. Teachers’ knowledge of their specialist subjects is strong. They succeed in communicating their expertise and enthusiasm, and enable students to benefit from their detailed knowledge of examination requirements and success criteria. Lessons proceed at a good pace because smooth transitions between activities and students’ high levels of cooperation ensure that little time is wasted. Teachers make good use of resources such as interactive whiteboards. They build

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Quality of teaching

successfully on students’ prior learning to plan activities which are usually very well matched to their abilities and interests. Teachers have high expectations of students in terms of work and behaviour, and deploy teaching assistants appropriately to ensure that all groups make equally good progress. They use questioning effectively at the start of lessons to ensure that students understand the learning objectives, and during lessons to check and to develop their understanding, and to adapt activities when appropriate. In the small minority of lessons in which students made slower progress, teachers provided tasks which were either too easy or too difficult for some of the students, or spent too long in introducing and explaining the topic and activities before enabling students to start learning for themselves.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers give their students helpful oral and written feedback which enables them to reinforce their strengths and address their weaknesses. There is some inconsistency, however, in the quality of teachers’ marking, because they do not all include sufficiently detailed written comments to enable students to know what they have done well or what they need to do next to achieve even better.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

A very large majority of parents and carers feel that behaviour at the school is good and that their children are safe there. Although a small number of them expressed concerns about bullying or behaviour in class, inspectors found very little evidence to support these concerns and found behaviour to be outstanding. The school can point to examples of students whose behaviour has improved considerably owing to its firm and consistent application of its policies.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students are extremely courteous and helpful to visitors, are attentive and respectful to staff, and listen to and value each other’s views. The school is an exceptionally harmonious community in which students from a variety of backgrounds and with different abilities relate extremely well to one another and learn to appreciate their different cultures and traditions. Students say that they are happy to come to school, and all groups confirm that they feel very safe there. Students show that they understand very clearly how to keep themselves safe, for example, by their unfailing observance of site safety rules relating to the building programme. They have an excellent understanding of different types of bullying, including those that are based on prejudices related to sexual orientation or race, and on the misuse of ICT, and are themselves active in preventing it, for example through the peer mentoring scheme.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students report, and school records confirm, that incidences of bullying are extremely rare, and students are confident that the school will help them to resolve quickly and effectively any that do occur. Attendance is well-above average and is continuing to rise, and students are consistently punctual.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students behave extremely safely and sensibly, with minimal adult supervision, in corridors and the playground, despite the very limited space available to them owing to the current building work. In class, their high levels of focus and engagement help to enable lessons to proceed smoothly. In assemblies, they listen very attentively to adults and to fellow students, who often play a leading role, and are keen to celebrate others’ achievements.

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Leadership and management

School leaders have successfully addressed areas for improvement, including levels of attainment in Key Stage 3, highlighted by the last inspection, as well as relative weaknesses, for example in particular subject areas, which they themselves have identified. Their evaluation of the quality of provision is accurate. Leaders’ strong focus on improving teaching has resulted in a substantial and sustained rise in students’ levels of attainment. They have strengthened the school’s systems for providing staff with appropriate training and support to enable them to develop their practice, but this has not yet had time to have a full impact on students’ achievement. They have also ensured that staff consistently promote high expectations of behaviour, attendance and punctuality, and consistently apply school policies, with the result that students’ behaviour is now outstanding. Middle leaders are not all, as yet, fully involved in evaluating and improving the quality of provision

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Leadership and management

in their own areas. The governing body includes a wide range of expertise and experience. Members closely monitor all aspects of the school’s performance, and are prepared to challenge as well as support its leaders. The school’s effective promotion of equality of opportunity is demonstrated by its success in closing gaps in performance between different groups of students, especially those who are known to be eligible for free school meals. There is no evidence of any discrimination. The school’s procedures for safeguarding pupils, including the vetting of staff appointments, are robust. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school, and confirm that it helps them to support their children’s learning, keeps them well informed and responds effectively to their concerns.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum includes a good range of courses which are well tailored to meet the needs of individuals and of groups, including students who are disabled and those who have special educational needs. The school has developed a varied programme of enrichment events which enable students to gain high levels of success, especially in athletics and football. Essay and public speaking competitions enable students to develop strongly their social, moral and cultural awareness. The positive impact of the school’s technology specialism is reflected in its success in developing students’ creative and problem-solving skills. Staff in the special unit have established effective partnerships with a range of outside bodies to make sure that students’ individual needs are met. They do not always ensure, however, that teachers receive sufficient information and advice to enable them to provide the most effective support for

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Leadership and management

The school’s success in building on it strengths and addressing its weaknesses, the improvement in students’ achievement and behaviour since the last inspection, together with the strong commitment shared by all staff and the governing body to make the quality of provision and outcomes for students even better, demonstrate its good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

I am writing on behalf of the inspection team to thank you all for being so very welcoming and helpful to us when we recently visited your school. The purpose of this letter is to tell you about what we found.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

Yours is a good and improving school. Your achievement is good, and you make good progress in reaching above-average standards by the end of Year 11. Most of your teachers consistently plan lessons that give you a variety of things to do and help you to learn successfully. Some teachers do not always give you enough detailed written advice about how to improve your work.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

You told us you feel extremely safe in school and that you are not worried about bullying because it hardly ever happens, and the school deals with it quickly and effectively if it does. Your behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent, and your attendance is well-above average. You get on very well with each other and with your teachers, and you agree that teaching is good.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

The curriculum gives you plenty of opportunities to learn, and the school provides you with a good range of out-of-school activities. The Lexis unit gives very good support to those of you who have additional speech and language needs.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

The headteacher, all the staff and the governing body want to make the school even better. To help them do this, we have asked them to make sure all the teachers include activities in their lessons which fully meet your different needs, and to give you enough information about what you need to do to improve your work. We also want the school to make better use of lesson observations to make teaching even stronger.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

All of you can help by continuing to behave extremely well and by telling teachers what you think would help to make lessons even more interesting.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

We all wish you all the very best for the future.

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Inspection of Addey and Stanhope School, London, SE14 6TJ

Robin Gaff Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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