Langley Park School for Girls

Age group 11–18 Inspection date(s) 25-26 April 2012 Inspection number 395330 Langley Park School for Girls Inspection report

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Unique reference number 137006 Inspection number 395330 Inspection dates 25-26 April 2012 Lead inspector Samantha Morgan-Price HMI

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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 Academy converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Girls Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1600 Of which, number on roll in the sixth form 405 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Diane Carrington Headteacher Dr Anne Hudson School address Hawksbrook Lane South Eden Park Road Beckenham BR3 3BE Telephone number 020 8663 4199 Fax number 020 8663 6578 Email address info@lpgs.bromley.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

Samantha Morgan-Price Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Introduction

Samuel Ofori-Kyereh Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Forty-four lessons were observed and forty-two teachers were seen. Telephone discussions were held with parents in additon to meetings that were held with groups of students, governors and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at, amongst other documents, the school's self-evaluation document, achievement data, the strategic plan and lesson observation records. A detailed work scrutiny was undertaken in English, mathematics and science. The inspection team scrutinised questionnaires completed by 625 parent and carers, 105 pupils and 86 staff.

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average school that is heavily oversubscribed. It admits boys into Year 12, and they make up a tenth of the sixth form. Approximately three quarters of student are White British. The remainder are from a range of ethnic heritages including Black Caribbean and Black African who make up just under a tenth of the school's population. A lower-than-average proportion of students are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is signficantly lower than the national average. The school meets the government's current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for students' attainment. The headteacher was appointed in January 2011. The school became an academy- converter school in September 2011. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Langley Park School for Girls is a good school where students, carers and parents alike are proud of the achievements that have been made, especially since the new headteacher was appointed. Prior to the school becoming an academy, middle-ability students were not achieving as well as other students at the end of Year 11. After decisive action by the school, the gap has closed considerably for these students and most are now making good progress. Students’ achievement in mathematics and English is very strong. The school is not outstanding as students’ achievement and the quality of teaching are good.

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Key findings

 The sixth form is good in every respect. Students in the sixth form achieve well and their levels of progress improved in 2011.

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Key findings

 Teaching over time is good across the school, especially in mathematics. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and develop very good relationships with students. These lessons encourage students to take risks when attempting tasks. In the few satisfactory lessons seen, teachers’ planning does not address students’ different needs as their performance data are not used effectively. As a result, learning activities in these lessons are not pitched appropriately. The level of challenge and variety of some tasks were limited. Some excellent marking was seen enabling students to understand the next steps in their learning. However, the quality of marking within subjects and across the school is variable.

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Key findings

 Students’ behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Students enjoy lessons and work well in pairs and in groups. Attendance is high and improving.

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Key findings

 Under the effective and passionate leadership of the headteacher, leaders, managers and governors have quickened the pace of improvements in students’ achievement. Effective, sustainable systems have been implemented that have improved teachers’ understanding of how well students are performing. The middle leadership team involvement in monitoring teaching is relatively new 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

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Key findings

and the impact of its actions is yet to be fully realised.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ achievement throughout the school so that all students make at least good progress in all subjects by:  ensuring all teaching is good or better by increasing the level of challenge for all students  ensuring student performance data are used to plan lessons so that work is pitched appropriately, and that a variety of suitable tasks are set for students  improve the standard of marked work so that all students have a clear understanding of what they are required to do to improve their performance  leaders and managers increasing the level of scrutiny and analysis of teaching and learning so that they can monitor the effectiveness of their strategies and act quickly to make improvements.

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Achievement of pupils

Students enter the school in Year 7 with above-average attainment. They make good progress to achieve standards in their GCSEs that are high, especially in mathematics and English. The achievement of middle-ability students has lagged behind other groups. From lesson observations, scrutiny of work and the school’s own tracking, most are now making progress in line with their peers. Disabled students and those with special educational needs make progress in line with their peers. Students in the sixth form also achieve well, making good progress to achieve standards in AS level that are above average. The proportion of high grades achieved in both A- and AS- level courses is above the national average. The school has become more inclusive enabling students to enter with lower grades at GCSE. Most parents and carers said their child is making good progress at the academy; inspectors found this to be the

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Achievement of pupils

The vast majority of students enjoy their learning and want to do well in their studies. When teachers have high expectations of what they are capable of, students rise to the challenge and make good progress. From the work scrutiny undertaken and evidence from lesson observations, students are making good and improving progress in English and mathematics. In these lessons, students are not afraid to suggest solutions even though they may sometimes be wrong. In a Year 11 mathematics lesson where the teaching was good, the teacher expertly supported students to resolve questions on vectors. Students worked extremely well with each other to resolve the tasks set, challenging each other’s answers. Working in groups is improving students’ levels of oracy and social interaction. The school is soundly 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

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Achievement of pupils

developing strategies to improve students’ levels of literacy across all subjects. Peer and self-evaluation is being used well to enable students to gain a good understanding of how they are performing compared to their National Curriculum attainment targets.

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Quality of teaching

Most parents and carers said that their child was taught well at school and inspectors agree. A very large majority of students also felt that the quality of teaching is good. In mathematics, where teaching is consistently good, students develop effective problem-solving techniques and are good independent learners. Teaching provides a good platform for students to learn well, including students who are disabled or have special educational needs. The teaching of literacy in English and across the school is sound and improving. Inspectors observed a lesson in English where students’ reading skills were being developed satisfactorily. In the strongest lessons seen, teachers gave students tasks that provided challenge and opportunities to discuss their views with others. Outstanding teaching was observed in a sixth form class where students extremely competently discussed the use of speech and language in

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Quality of teaching

the play Othello. Some teachers’ use of probing questions helped students to move quickly in their learning.

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Quality of teaching

In a few lessons, teachers tended to talk for too long before students started their activities, limiting the time they had to complete their tasks. Effective implementation by teachers of the planned curriculum promotes students’ development of social, moral, spiritual and cultural skills well. In a religious studies lesson, where the teaching was good, directed discussion led the students to reflect in a purposeful way. There were many opportunities for students to exchange views on animal and human rights. Teachers generally make very good use of opportunities to develop students’ social skills in lessons and the curriculum helps to promote peer and group discussions highly effectively.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students’ behaviour over time in lessons and around the school is good. Almost all parents and carers said the school keeps their child safe. Students were mostly of the opinion that this was the case. Pupils are courteous and polite to each other and to adults in the school. The large majority of parents, carers and students said behaviour is good in lessons and around the academy. A few parents, carers and students did comment that lessons were occasionally disrupted by low-level disruption especially when teaching is not challenging students. The school takes a hard-line approach to bullying and students know that their concerns will be taken seriously and treated fairly. They have a sound understanding of the different types of bullying. As a result of this, incidents of bullying are extremely rare with only one case of bullying reported since September 2011. There is good support and awareness training for students to deal with cyber bullying. Students’ attendance is

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

high and improving. Contributing to this are the effective strategies to reduce persistent absence. Students are appreciative of the many roles and responsibilities 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

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

that have been introduced. Student leadership roles include student councillors, learning consultants, e-learning advisers and students who write the school bulletins. They are beginning to make a strong contribution especially in assessing the quality of teaching and supporting teachers to use information and communication technology more effectively.

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Leadership and management

The senior leadership team and the governing body have embedded an ambition of high expectations for students. Target setting is ambitious. The level of students’ attendance is high, and improving, with good procedures in place to monitor it. The good performance of the sixth form has been maintained since the previous inspection. Self-evaluation, including the headteacher’s reports to the governing body, is realistic. Governors are knowledgeable of the school’s priorities and have increased their level of scrutiny of the school’s work. Governors’ skills are now well matched to the needs of the school. These actions, coupled with the significant improvement in the achievement of middle-ability students, enable senior leaders to demonstrate a strong capacity to improve. The drive to secure accountability at middle leadership level is evident from recent initiatives to improve middle leaders’ ability to self-evaluate the performance of their areas of responsibility. The school

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Leadership and management

has recently undertaken the challenging, but essential, task of staff re-structuring. Significant actions to improve the quality of teaching have been identified and professional development themes are mapped to the priorities set to improve students’ outcomes. However, the impact of these actions is yet to be fully realised. The professional development for teachers to improve their understanding of how well students are performing in relation to their targets has been effective.

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Leadership and management

The new curriculum design across the school better meets the needs of all students with a more balanced curriculum at Key Stage 3, and a broader curriculum offer at both Key Stage 4 and the sixth form. The curriculum in the sixth form has been significantly enhanced. Improvements include an increased range of personalised and vocational programmes more suited to some students’ needs. Steps have been implemented to strengthen students’ levels of literacy. The curriculum effectively promotes students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development especially their social skills. However, the assessment of the impact of initiatives is not robust.

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Leadership and management

The arrangements to safeguard students’ well-being fulfil statutory requirements. The closing of the gap for middle-ability students, the performance of disabled students and those who have special educational needs, along with the good actions for tackling discrimination, demonstrates that the school promotes equality and tackles discrimination well.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Langley Park School for Girls, Beckenham BR3 3BE

We would like to thank you for helping us when we came to find out how well you are getting on. We particularly enjoyed visiting your lessons and talking to you. I am writing to let you know what we thought about the school. We judged that your school is good in all respects and that the headteacher, the senior teachers, governing body and other staff are working hard to improve the quality of education that you receive.

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Inspection of Langley Park School for Girls, Beckenham BR3 3BE

You achieve well throughout the school including those of you in the sixth form. Attainment in the GCSE examinations last year was high, especially in English and mathematics, and is set to improve further this summer. Your behaviour is good and your attendance is high. A large majority of you agreed that behaviour was good most of the time in lessons and around the academy. We know that you are proud of the responsibilities you undertake such as learning consultants and e-learning advisers. We also know that you have a strong voice through the student council which senior teachers take very seriously.

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Inspection of Langley Park School for Girls, Beckenham BR3 3BE

There are some things that the school can improve upon to help all of you achieve well. These are things we have asked leaders and managers in the school to do. Raise your achievement so that all of you are making above expected progress in all subjects by:  making sure everyone is challenged in all lessons. This is achieved by teachers using the information they hold about your performance to plan lessons so that your work is pitched appropriately and you have a variety of suitable tasks set for you  improve the standard of marked work so that in all subjects you have a clear understanding of what you are required to do to improve your performance  senior teachers looking more closely at teaching and how well you are learning, so that they understand whether their actions are working and to ensure improvements can be made quickly.

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Inspection of Langley Park School for Girls, Beckenham BR3 3BE

You can help by contributing to your lessons at all times.

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Inspection of Langley Park School for Girls, Beckenham BR3 3BE

Samantha Morgan-Price Her Majesty's 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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