Ark Evelyn Grace Academy

School report Evelyn Grace Academy 255 Shakespeare Road, Lambeth, London, SE24 0QN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Students’ progress and achievement are not consistently good across the academy. In Year 9, for example, students are behind where they should be.  Not all teachers plan work to match the varied abilities of all the students in their classes. So the work is either too easy or too hard for some.  Learning in a small number of classes is slowed down by low-level disruptive behaviour which occurs where weaker teaching fails to engage some students who have poor attitudes to their learning.  Rapid turnover of staff and leaders means the academy has not established consistently good practice in teaching and learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new Principal has rapidly and accurately evaluated the academy’s strengths and areas for development. Senior and middle leaders are very clear about their roles and are beginning to drive improvement.  The academy tracks the students’ achievements accurately, which means that it can work well with students to ensure they meet their challenging targets, for example, with the current Year 11.  Work on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is having a positive impact on the attitudes and behaviour of the vast majority of students.  Students feel very safe in the academy and punctuality and attendance are good.

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Information about this inspection

 The four inspectors observed the academy’s work over two days. They scrutinised documents and students’ workbooks and held discussions with members of staff, representatives of the governing body and the ARK foundation about the students’ progress and achievements. They spoke with students about their work, learning and behaviour and heard some students read.  The inspectors observed 30 teachers teaching 31 lessons. Six were joint observations with senior leaders. Additionally the lead inspector observed some lessons jointly with the Principal.  Inspectors considered the views of 13 parents from the on-line Parent View survey and also met with a group of parents to discuss learning and behaviour at the academy.

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Inspection team

Peter Gale, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Karl Sampson Her Majesty’s Inspector Veronica Young Additional inspector Ray Lau Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The Evelyn Grace Academy opened in September 2008 as a new school and it currently caters for students in Years 7 to 11. It is smaller than the average secondary school.  The academy is one of a group of educational institutions sponsored by the ARK foundation.  The academy is a diverse community, which encompasses a wide range of different nationalities and cultures.  Around two thirds of students are from Black African or Black Caribbean heritages. Around one in five students speaks English as an additional language.  The proportions of disabled students and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action, or at school action plus or with a statement of special education needs is above average. The majority of these students have moderate learning difficulties or behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.  Around half the students are known to be eligible for free school meals (for whom the academy

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Information about this school

receives the pupil premium) and there are more boys than girls.  The Principal took up his post in September 2012 and 26 new teaching staff joined the academy this term.  The sixth form is due to open in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise students’ achievement across the academy through teaching that is always good or better by ensuring that all teachers:  plan lessons that meet the needs of students of different ability, and amend the plans based on students’ progress during lessons  provide students with regular opportunities to work actively, independently and in groups  improve students’ key literacy and mathematical skills through good and better teaching and make sure students improve the quality of their work when writing lengthy pieces of text  provide high-quality verbal and written feedback to students on how best to improve their learning and make sure students’ achievements improve as a result of sharper feedback.  Eradicate students’ poor behaviour and all low-level disruption in lessons by:  ensuring every lesson is interesting, stimulating and challenging  improving all students’ attitudes to learning.  Ensure leaders and managers at all levels build on the recent accurate evaluation of the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

academy to improve provision and outcomes for all students by:  sharpening development plans by establishing clear timelines and measurable success criteria to achieve the goals set by the Principal  sharing and embedding the best practice in teaching and learning that exists across the academy to ensure all students make at least good progress  making sure the curriculum provides students with options more closely matched to their abilities, needs and aspirations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 When students join the academy in Year 7 most of them are working below the level expected for their age, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Because of weaknesses in teaching students’ progress overall is inconsistent and too slow.  The current Year 8 students made good progress in their first year in the academy. In contrast, the current Year 9 group has made slower progress in their first two years at the academy and are not meeting their challenging targets.  The progress made by Year 10 students is uneven and dependent on the quality of teaching they receive. They have made faster progress in mathematics than in English and slower progress in science.  Year 11 students have a challenging GCSE target of reaching 65% A* to C grades including English and mathematics. In order to help students achieve well and meet or exceed their personal targets they receive extra tuition after school on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Different groups of students, including boys and girls, and students of different ability and/or heritage make similar rates of progress. However, those students for whom English is an additional language generally make faster progress than their peers as a result of the additional help they receive.  Students supported by the pupil premium make slightly more progress than their peers in all year groups. Some of the money provided by the pupil premium has been used to provide individual, targeted support for students in reading and because of this extra help most have made good progress. The teaching of literacy in subjects other than in English is beginning to raise standards but not quickly enough.  Disabled students and those identified with special educational needs typically make at least as much progress as other students. They are well supported within and outside lessons because teachers and teaching support staff work well together.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is not good enough and occasionally is inadequate. When over directed by teachers, students become restless and switch off in lessons because they are not given enough opportunities to develop independence through tackling challenging and meaningful tasks.  Where learning in lessons is too slow, teachers’ planning fails to take full account of the range of abilities in the classroom. As a result students are either not challenged enough, or their work is too difficult. In these lessons teachers fail to adapt their planning and do not make enough use of good quality feedback to help students know how to improve their work.  In lessons where teaching is good or better, teachers use on-going assessments to plan well for the full range of learners’ needs. Students enjoy different approaches to learning, such as active and challenging group sessions and teachers frequently check how well the students are doing,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

making sure activities are changed to reflect individuals’ different rates of progress.  In one outstanding religious education lesson, for example, students made rapid progress due to the teacher’s use of assessments to plan tasks that very carefully matched the needs of each individual. Key to the success of the lesson was the teacher’s very high expectations of each student’s ability to work independently.  Written feedback from teacher to students about their work usually gives students an understanding of what went well and what needs improvement. However, this feedback isn’t making enough difference because students are not always required to follow up the recommendations for improvement.  The team of learning support assistants has recently worked with teachers to plan lessons together. This has helped them to provide good quality support for students, particularly focusing on disabled students and those with special educational needs and/or those supported

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

by the pupil premium.  Improving students’ literacy and mathematical skills across the curriculum has only recently become a priority for development. While most lessons include a focus on raising standards in literacy and numeracy, the impact of this work is limited. For example, students’ ability to construct an argument when writing at length is a weakness.  Students’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural understanding was developed well in assemblies and tutor time, when students responded very well to opportunities to think about and reflect on their personal opinions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Students’ behaviour is not good because in a small number of classes learning is slowed down by low-level disruption which occurs where weaker teaching fails to engage some students who have poor attitudes to their learning, particularly in lower-ability classes. The proportion of fixed term exclusions is static.  Students say the new Principal’s unwaveringly positive approach to them is improving the atmosphere in the academy and that behaviour has improved; they say that where teaching is good, students behave well. Assemblies and tutor time encourage positive behaviour.  Students generally behave well around the academy site, which is an orderly and pleasant environment. Occasionally, behaviour can become over-boisterous, but this is usually well managed by a high-staff presence at lesson changeover and during breaks.  Students say that they feel safe and secure in the academy. This view was echoed by parents’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

responses to the online questionnaire Parent View and when inspectors spoke with parents. Students are well cared for and those who face particular challenges are provided with effective extra support.  The academy helps students to have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying and the different kinds that may occur, such as homophobic or cyber bullying. Students and parents feel that the academy deals effectively with any bullying incidents.  Systems to ensure that students get to school on time at the beginning of the day are very tight with staff entering local shops to encourage students into school; this is very effective. Punctuality to lessons is less consistent with some students taking too long to get to lessons. Attendance levels have fallen over the last three years but are in line with the national average. The new Principal’s meetings with parents and better communication with pastoral staff have

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

been very effective in reversing this decline and as a result, students’ attendance is high this term.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The Principal has restructured the senior leadership team, evaluated its effectiveness and introduced a rigorous system of performance management. He has also raised expectations for all senior and middle leaders and placed the academy in a good position to bring about the improvements required.  This term the academy’s leaders have carried out a thorough review of what works well and what is less effective. Their findings are very similar to those of inspectors.  The academy’s leaders have a generally accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning and what needs to be improved although the inspection team’s views of the proportions of good teaching were not as positive as the academy’s.  The specific roles of senior and middle leaders are very clear. Most middle leaders were seen teaching good lessons and modelling the high expectations of senior leaders who are jointly accountable for improving the quality of teaching and learning. Due to the relatively recent

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The leadership and management require improvement

appointment of many middle and senior leaders they have had limited time to work with their teams to eliminate inconsistent and weak teaching.  The academy is introducing a range of specific training and development opportunities for teachers. Weekly early evening sessions are running this term led by expert teachers and the academy’s link consultant from the ARK Foundation. These opportunities have been sharply targeted to tackle and eradicate weaknesses in teaching.  Staff questionnaires show that, despite significant turnover at the academy in both leadership and staffing, morale is high. Many staff spoke to inspectors about the positive impact of the new Principal.  The curriculum does not meet the needs of all students and the provision for literacy and numeracy across subjects other than English and mathematics is weak. The new curriculum leader is looking to tackle these weaknesses and further develop the curriculum in Key Stage 3

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The leadership and management require improvement

to provide more breadth and also to better meet the needs and aspiration of all students at Key Stage 4, particularly the most able.  Good work has been done over time to improve the academy’s engagement with parents, for example, by extending the opportunities for communication. The majority of parents who responded to Parent View were positive about the academy. Systems and processes that keep pupils safe meet government requirements.  The academy’s development plans are not sharp enough because they do not establish clear timelines for improvement and there are no measurable success criteria to help the academy know if it has achieved its aims.  Leadership and management are not good because students’ progress is too slow and teaching is not having sufficient impact on raising achievement for all groups.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The governance of the school:  provides valuable support to the academy and is acutely aware that lack of both stability in staffing and permanent leadership has hindered progress over time  has a good understanding of the academy’s key strengths and weaknesses, for example it moved swiftly to secure a temporary Principal with a good track record of improvement from January 2012  has recently secured a permanent Principal from within the academy chain, also with a strong track record of school improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 135389 Inspection number 406598

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Academy School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 811 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 0 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anthony Williams Headteacher Devon Hanson (Principal) Date of previous school inspection 9 February 2011 Telephone number 020 77379520 Fax number 020 77379525 Email address info@evelyngraceacademy.org guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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,

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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