Corelli College

Age group 11–19 Inspection date(s) 19−20 March 2012 Inspection number 386079 Corelli College Inspection report

p.1

Unique reference number 137473 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 386079 Inspection dates 19−20 March 2012 Lead inspector Glynis Bradley-Peat

p.1

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

p.1

Type of school Academy School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1222 Of which, number on roll in the sixth form 300 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Angela Sweeney Headteacher Trisha Jaffe Date of previous school inspection 30 September 2008 School address Corelli Road London SE3 8EP Telephone number 020 8516 7977 Fax number 020 8516 7980 Email address admin@corellicollege.org.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

p.1

other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked 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’.

p.2

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.

p.2

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

p.2

Introduction

Glynis Bradley-Peat Additional inspector

p.3

Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors visited 45 lessons taught by 44 teachers and talked with groups of students, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the academy’s work, and looked at documents associated with safeguarding procedures and self- evaluation. They examined data and other information about students’ progress, listened to students read and looked at samples of their work. Inspectors scrutinised the academy’s improvement plans as well as the curriculum and teachers’ planning for lessons. Inspectors analysed the questionnaires returned by 145 parents and carers during the inspection.

p.3

Information about the school

The college was formerly Kidbrooke School and converted to academy status in September 2011 when it became Corelli College. The students, who attend this larger than average-sized secondary academy, come from a wide variety of heritages. The majority speak English as an additional language. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is high and rising year on year. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs is above average. Most of these have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The academy has a specially resourced provision for students with autistic spectrum disorder. The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress. A few students in Years 10 and 11 follow a parallel curriculum and attend either off-site placements in nearby alternative education establishments or take alternative qualifications which

p.3

Information about the school

are not GCSE equivalent. Following some restructuring and the result of staff moving on, a number of leaders are new to post, including the mathematics subject leader. The academy has gained the Artsmark gold award. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.3

Key findings

 In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to the proportion of students who gain grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, in GCSE examinations and the amount of progress students make, particularly in mathematics.

p.4

Key findings

 The academy is not satisfactory because pupils make inadequate progress in mathematics across the school and, consequently, not enough students gain five or more grades A* to C including English and mathematics. However, students make satisfactory progress in English between Year 7 and Year 11. Achievement is weaker in Key Stage 3 than in Key Stage 4. In Year 8, too few students are on track to make the progress expected of them in mathematics.

p.4

Key findings

 The sixth form is satisfactory. Students’ attainment at A2 level is average by Year 13 but too many students do not continue to Year 13 because of their below average results at AS level. As a result, they make satisfactory progress overall considering their starting points. The academy offers a wide range of vocational and short courses which meet the needs of students well.

p.4

Key findings

 Teaching is satisfactory. Students’ improving progress in English is helped by the opportunities they have to extend their literacy skills in a range of subjects. They do not have similar opportunities to extend their numeracy skills. Leaders have focused on improving mathematics teaching, with some success. However, teachers’ questioning skills, the promotion of independent learning and the more effective use of assessment information to challenge all learners are insufficiently developed.

p.4

Key findings

 Behaviour, safety and students’ personal development are satisfactory. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.4

Key findings

Attendance has improved and is now average. Occasionally, where behaviour interrupts learning, this is often linked to the quality of teaching. Disabled students and those with special educational needs are supported well.

p.5

Key findings

 Improvements in teaching are raising achievement. Senior leaders use performance management effectively to improve the quality of teaching. Leaders at all levels are having an impact on improving the quality of teaching, although with less success in mathematics to date than in other subjects.

p.5

What does the school need to do to improve further?

  Raise attainment and accelerate progress, especially in mathematics, by:  ensuring greater consistency in using assessment information to plan lessons that match work more closely to students’ next steps in learning  ensuring that students make consistently good progress in all year groups  providing more opportunities for students to extend their numeracy skills in a range of subjects across the curriculum.

p.5

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good and eliminate inadequate teaching by:  ensuring the good and outstanding practice is shared more effectively  building upon the coaching approach already in place to promote better targeted questioning of students  increasing the opportunities for students to take more responsibility for their own learning and progress  broadening the range of learning activities offered to students to develop their mathematical thinking skills.

p.5

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the quality of subject leadership in mathematics to ensure teachers are held to account more effectively for the progress students make, and that this is monitored robustly.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Most parents and carers who returned questionnaires consider that their children are making good progress. Overall, inspection findings show that progress is variable and inadequate in mathematics, with the result that students’ progress and their achievement overall are inadequate. Most students start in Year 7 with significantly below average levels of attainment in English and mathematics. By the time they reach the end of Year 11, the proportion who attain five or more grades A* to C including English and mathematics is significantly below average. The gap between the academy’s performance and the national average widened in 2011. In the current Year 11, students are attaining at higher levels but the rate of progress in mathematics remains too slow. In English, however, students now make satisfactory Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.5

Achievement of pupils

progress. Progress in Key Stage 3 is generally weaker than in Key Stage 4 across key subjects, but particularly in mathematics.

p.6

Achievement of pupils

Disabled students and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress although those students with a statement of special educational needs in the designated special provision make better progress because they receive effective support in a caring, secure environment. In the sixth form, students’ achievement is satisfactory. The results at A2 level are average but below average at AS level. The academy has put in place robust measures to address the weaker performance in Year 12, which are having a good impact on raising attainment. Retention rates are below average between Years 12 and 13 because many students complete one-year courses in Year 12. Some then continue to different courses or gain employment.

p.6

Achievement of pupils

Students’ learning and progress is accelerating because teaching has improved and continues to do so. As a result, students are now making up for past underachievement. A considerable proportion of students have lower than expected levels of literacy which act as a barrier to progress. Consequently, the academy is focusing successfully on raising levels of literacy through ensuring it has a high profile across all subjects. This has had a positive impact on the progress of boys in particular. However, those students whose numeracy skills are weak do not enjoy the same focus and struggle to apply their learning in different contexts.

p.6

Achievement of pupils

In lessons where better progress is made, students engage well in a variety of enjoyable activities and have good opportunities to learn independently. In a good history lesson, for example, the teacher facilitated learning well through collaborative group work where students discussed ‘the cold war’ and compiled evidence from original sources. Teamwork and the lesson theme contributed well to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In some lessons, students made less progress because teaching was dull and uninteresting, particularly in mathematics. Occasionally, this resulted in off-task, low-level disruption which was not dealt with effectively and inhibited students’ progress.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Most parents and carers believe their children are taught well. However, inspection evidence shows that the quality of teaching is satisfactory over time. There has been a considerable improvement in the quality of teaching because the academy has successfully tackled most of the inadequate teaching through a combination of coaching, support and staff changes, although a small amount still remains. As a result, students are making better progress. However, best practice is not always shared effectively across the departments that need it most.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Where teaching is more effective, it is characterised by good subject knowledge, good relationships and effective behaviour management. In a mathematics lesson in Year 11, for example, students benefitted from clear ‘modelling’ of tasks, which ensured the teacher’s subject knowledge had a good impact on learning. In addition, the application of the skills they had learned to real-life situations kept them engaged Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.6

Quality of teaching

and interested. In a few mathematics lessons, however, students become bored and restless because the range of activities is too narrow and there is insufficient opportunity for them to develop their mathematical thinking skills or to take responsibility for their own learning. In these lessons, low-level disruption goes unchecked and adversely affects the progress of others in the class. Not all teachers use information about students’ progress and ability to ensure that tasks meet their individual needs; neither do they use targeted questioning to explore students’ understanding or to extend and deepen their thinking. The quality of teaching in the sixth form is more consistent than in Years 7 to 11 because teachers have higher expectations, not only for what students will learn, but also for how they will manage their own learning.

p.7

Quality of teaching

Teaching contributes well to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. As part of the planned curriculum, there has been a real focus on developing literacy in other subjects, which has resulted in better quality writing. Students in Year 7, for example, spoke positively about their learning in a history lesson where they worked busily on an assessment about the ‘Black Death’ and its social implications. They were all keen to learn and, as a result, produced some good pieces of writing.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

The majority of parents and carers say that there is a good standard of behaviour in the academy, although a significant minority also say that sometimes their children’s lessons are disrupted by bad behaviour. Inspection findings show that behaviour is typically satisfactory. The academy is an inclusive community and its efforts over time with those students with behavioural difficulties have been effective. Behaviour in classrooms, around the academy and in the grounds is generally positive. Students are willing to work and most respond positively to teachers. A few engage in low- level disruption. Although students in the main have satisfactory attitudes to learning, a few sometimes do not cooperate well in lessons, particularly when the learning does not engage them.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most parents and carers believe that the academy keeps their children safe and are happy about the academy’s response to any bullying. Students also say that incidents of bullying are rare but when they do occur they are dealt with effectively. They say they feel safe in the academy. Students understand what constitutes different types of bullying and clearly understand how to deal with things, for example cyber-bullying. Students are confident that they can approach adults for help if necessary. Attendance has improved since the previous inspection and is now average.

p.7

Leadership and management

The academy’s vision is based firmly on raising achievement and ensuring that students reach their potential. The actions taken to bring about improvements in teaching are having a demonstrable impact on accelerating students’ progress, which is gathering momentum, but these actions have been less successful in mathematics. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.7

Leadership and management

As a result of accurate self-evaluation, the academy is focusing on driving improvement in the leadership and teaching of mathematics.

p.8

Leadership and management

The areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection have been largely addressed. The quality of teaching is improving and attendance is now broadly average. The use of good teachers to coach those whose performance is satisfactory is contributing to raising standards, resulting in some impact on students’ attainment. The dip in 2011 has been rectified for the current Year 11, who are attaining at higher levels. Leaders at all levels, including governors, promote equality and tackle discrimination effectively. The new subject leader for mathematics has already improved the quality of teaching and planning but this has yet to have a noticeable impact on the progress students make in the subject. The subject leader is well aware of the issues to be resolved in the department and has put together an effective action plan which is regularly reviewed for its impact. As a result, teachers are held increasingly accountable for the progress their students make. However, the

p.8

Leadership and management

data from the tracking system are not yet used well enough by all teachers to accelerate the progress of every learner. Students with disabilities and those with special educational needs have equal access to the curriculum. The steady progress made in recent months indicates that the academy has the capacity to improve further.

p.8

Leadership and management

Most staff believe that their training needs are met; professional development for teachers links clearly with the priorities for improvement. Key governors are trained in safeguarding and safer recruitment, and the governing body ensures that safeguarding requirements are met. Governors make a satisfactory contribution to the academy’s improvement.

p.8

Leadership and management

The curriculum provides an appropriate range of courses to meet students’ needs, with a wide range of vocational programmes including those offered in the sixth form. A few students who wish to follow courses not offered by the academy are able to pursue these off site. Opportunities provided through the curriculum to develop students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding are used well. As a result, the academy’s diverse community is a harmonious one.

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its students’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its students well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its students. 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 students. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

p.9

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

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

p.9

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

p.11

Inspection of Corelli College, London SE3 8EP

Thank you very much for giving us your views about the academy when we came to visit you recently. We enjoyed looking at your books, reading your questionnaires and watching you in your lessons. This helped us to get to know your academy. Although improvements are being made, for example in the quality of teaching, the college does not yet provide you with an adequate education. We judged that it requires a ‘notice to improve’ because the standards you reach are not high enough and you have not made enough progress in recent years, particularly in mathematics.

p.11

Inspection of Corelli College, London SE3 8EP

We found your behaviour and safety to be satisfactory although there are a few occasions when poor behaviour interferes with your learning. You told us that bullying is rare and when it does occur you know what to do. Most of you and your parents and carers say you are safe in school. It is good to see that your attendance has improved. We have asked the academy to do three things to ensure that the standard of education improves.

p.11

Inspection of Corelli College, London SE3 8EP

 Ensure that you all achieve better results in English and mathematics, particularly in Year 11, and that you make better progress in all year groups, especially in mathematics. We have asked teachers to use information about your progress to provide you with work to match your ability as well as opportunities to practice in other subjects the skills you learn in mathematics.  Ensure that teaching becomes consistently good through coaching and by teachers demonstrating good elements of teaching to others, for example how to develop their questioning. We have also asked teachers to give you enough time to work independently and to provide chances for you to take responsibility for your own learning.  Ensure that academy leaders take steps to accelerate the progress you all make in mathematics.

p.11

Inspection of Corelli College, London SE3 8EP

You all can play your part in helping your academy become even better by always working hard, especially in mathematics, and by trying things out for yourselves.

p.11

Inspection of Corelli College, London SE3 8EP

Glynis Bradley-Peat 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 .

p.11