Wallington County Grammar School

Wallington County Grammar School Croydon Road, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 7PH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Supported by the headteacher’s cheerful determination that all will achieve highly and develop into civilised and successful young adults, senior leaders are driving improvement in teaching and learning with energy and skill. A student justifiably summed up the academy’s strengths as ‘quality and good relationships’.  The sixth form is good. It offers a broad, well-taught, academic curriculum and fosters achievement, independence, leadership and enterprise. Girls settle in confidently and achieve highly.  Governors are well-informed, carefully review the performance of leaders and teachers and intervene if challenging targets are not met.  All groups make excellent progress, attaining very high standards, with particular strengths in English.  Teachers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and responsive to challenging targets and to opportunities to extend their skills.  Students are able and ambitious. They are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

responsible and courteous, accepting individual differences as a matter of course. All feel safe.  The spread of subjects and the variety in the ways subjects are taught offer exceptional scope for students to develop interests and skills, and successfully promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all marking combines praise with detailed guidance on how to improve.  Teachers do not always ensure that students learn from each other effectively during lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 33 lessons, looked at students’ books in each key stage, and discussed students’ work with them.  They met with leaders of core subjects to review how departments were responding to the needs of all students and supporting achievement.  Inspectors reviewed, with senior leaders, the setting of targets for teachers, the monitoring of teachers’ effectiveness in improving students’ attainment and progress in each subject, and the management of teachers’ continuing professional development.  They met with senior leaders responsible for pastoral care and for safeguarding procedures, including attendance.  They had discussions with teachers and with groups of students.  They reviewed a range of documents, including key policies and information about courses.  They met with the Chairman of the Governing Body, two parent governors and a community governor.  They took into account 155 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Patricia Metham Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Janet Pearce Her Majesty’s Inspector Haydn Evans Additional Inspector Jalil Shaikh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Wallington County Grammar School converted to academy status in June 2011.  It is an academically selective academy, of average size. It caters for boys in Years 7 to 11 and is coeducational in the sixth form.  In 2011 the academy became a Leading Edge Partnership School, working with other schools to raise achievement. It is also a member of the Challenge Partnership programme and of PiXL 6, which is a collaboration of school leaders with a focus on the sixth form.  The academy belongs to the Sutton Partnership of Secondary Schools.  Although leaders and teachers share good practice between the partnership schools, provision for the academy’s students is concentrated on-site and does not include alternative provision.  It has two specialisms: science and applied learning.  The school exceeds current government floor standards, which set the minimum standards for attainment and progress.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for Pupil Premium, which provides additional

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Information about this school

funding for students in local care and students known to be eligible for free school meals, is very small, as are the proportions of disabled students and students with special educational needs.  The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is high, as is the proportion of students whose first language is not English. Few, however, are in the early stages of English acquisition.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend and reinforce the excellent practice established in many departments, by ensuring that all teachers consistently:  when marking work, balance encouragement with specific advice on how to improve, and comment on the quality of students’ imagination, critical thinking and argument as well as on literacy skills such as spelling, punctuation and grammar  take full advantage of students’ responses in lessons to extend and deepen the knowledge and understanding of the group as a whole.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Students enter with higher than average attainment. They achieve consistently better than average results, gaining many more than five GCSE A* to C grades including English and mathematics. This represents excellent progress as well as outstanding attainment In 2011, results placed the academy in the top 1% of schools for English and science.  Those eligible for the pupil premium progress as well as others in the academy and achieve more highly than, on average, students do nationally. In 2011 and 2012 all gained many more than five A* to C GCSE grades, including English and mathematics. There is clear evidence that they have benefited from additional one-to-one tuition and additional small-group teaching in English, mathematics and science.  Similarly the small proportion of disabled students, students with special educational needs and the few at early stages of English language acquisition achieve more highly than students

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

nationally.  Students have been entered early for GCSE mathematics, achieving much better than average results. Last year, the most able completed one English unit in Year 10 and ‘banked’ good marks for inclusion in their overall result at the end of Year 11. GCSE specifications for courses to be examined in 2014 require all units to be entered for assessment at the end of the course, so early entry for one or more units will no longer be an option.  Students, particularly girls, enter the sixth form with high grades at GCSE or equivalent. They make excellent progress in most subjects in Year 12, reflected in far better than average AS results. Strong, high-entry subjects in 2012 were physics, history and English literature. At A level, too, the proportion gaining top grades is consistently well above average, with particular strengths in chemistry and physics – both linked to the academy’s specialism.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Sixth formers contribute enthusiastically and adeptly to younger students’ studying of GCSE texts and their development of skills, rightly seeing this as a way to refine their own communication and analytical skills. A Year 13 student working with a Year 10 group on Of Mice and Men commented that, not only did he derive great satisfaction from sharing his enjoyment of the text, he was also able to see how much his understanding and appreciation of literature had matured since his GCSE days.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is much outstanding teaching across departments, and the proportion has increased steadily over the past two years. Teaching is very seldom less than good. Conspicuous strengths of the teaching include: teachers’ confident and enthusiastically shared subject knowledge; planning that is regularly updated to reflect students’ pace and security of learning; teachers’ productive questioning skills to check and extend students’ understanding during lessons; encouragement for students to assess each other’s work; a positive rapport with students; and well-managed use of modern and varied resources.  These strengths were well demonstrated in a Year 8 history lesson, in which students’ interest and wish to succeed were immediately excited by a quiz based on a film, The Patriot, watched in an earlier lesson. Taking on roles as key figures in the American War of Independence, students then explored decisions and events in a lively and thoughtful way. The activities were extremely

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The quality of teaching is good

productive because of the skill and knowledge embedded in the teacher’s planning and management of the lesson.  Students needing particular support are identified on lesson plans and practical strategies are outlined. These may include pairing of a high ability student with one encountering difficulties, or tasks designed to strengthen areas of weakness in ways that build confidence by allowing students to feel a sense of achievement.  Teaching is less effective when teachers do not draw on the ideas and knowledge presented by some students in discussion. Opportunities are then missed to sharpen the thinking, develop the analytical skills and challenge the preconceptions of the group as a whole.  Although much marking is thorough and helpful, not all of it balances encouragement with specific guidance on how students can raise the level of their response and present their ideas more fluently and accurately.

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The quality of teaching is good

 As students themselves are keen to point out, in the sixth form teachers place considerable responsibility on students to investigate topics and to present independent lines of thought and interpretation. For example, students vigorously presented contrasting views, organised as a formal debate, as to whether or not Achilles is presented as a tragic hero in the Iliad. They structured their arguments with great skill, using telling examples from the text. They challenged each other’s interpretations with liveliness and confidence and put the debating topic into the wider context of classical Greek culture and philosophy. All this bore witness to the quality of the teaching that had motivated, informed and monitored their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students are emphatic that they feel safe and well-supported. They are extremely well-informed about the forms bullying can take, including cyber-bullying, and play a key role in creating a culture of mutual tolerance and respect. In every year, including Year 7, student volunteers are trained as anti-bullying ambassadors and cyber mentors.  The concern reflected in a minority of the responses seen on Parent View about the effectiveness of the academy’s handling of bullying was not matched by other inspection evidence. Behaviour observed in lessons and around the site was excellent.  The recently reinvigorated House system is highly valued by staff and students, with good reason. It encourages leadership and team-building skills, builds positive links between year groups, promotes healthy competition that adds spice to students’ wish to achieve, and extends students’ learning and personal development beyond the curriculum. Inter-House competitions

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

include sports, drama and debating.  Attendance is already above average and still improving. It is supported by clear and brisk procedures to follow up absence promptly and to establish effective home−school links. Students and their families are proud to be part of the academy, so motivation to attend is strong.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors and senior leaders communicate a clear and ambitious vision that grows out of a very accurate and regularly updated understanding of the academy’s strengths and areas for development. Their commitment to high achievement and all-round personal development is shared by leaders and managers at all levels, by staff, students, parents and carers. The headteacher speaks of fostering ‘a life-long passion for learning’. This is well understood by students. Nods of agreement accompanied a Year 11 boy’s comment: ‘The school strives to enrich you, to help you mature.’  Senior leaders closely monitor the achievement of individual students and groups, using it as the benchmark against which the quality and impact of teaching are judged. They have a very precise picture of strengths and areas for development and this sets priorities for whole-staff training and carefully targeted support for individuals. The proportion of outstanding teaching is

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The leadership and management are outstanding

increasing steadily. Where it is clear that aspects of subject leadership are not strong, senior leaders intervene to ensure that teaching and learning do not lose momentum and to provide appropriate professional development, combining support with challenging targets.  The academy’s largely academic curriculum is entirely appropriate. Students are confident that their choices are well-judged and well-supported. Virtually all students successfully cover the subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate. Sixth formers’ progression onto competitive degree courses at prestigious universities indicates how well their subject choices equip them for the next stage in their education.  Good use is made of the expertise and experience of other schools and of professionals working in areas including the arts and service industries; for example, in judging the effectiveness of staff, and in the deployment of modern technology.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The range and quality of activities offered to students beyond their mainstream programme are exceptional. Options include: academic enrichment, such as philosophy and classics, mathematics, science and engineering; booster and revision sessions to reinforce mainstream subjects; activities to develop useful skills, such as debating; individual and team sports; and the arts. Students value these opportunities. As one observed: ‘It’s not only things that are enjoyable that people want to go to but sometimes those that stretch people who are doing well.’  Students’ genuine acceptance of different cultures, ambitions and personal choices reflects the academy’s values. Governors, leaders and managers and staff present excellent role models. Policies promoting equality of esteem and setting out sanctions for any instances of negative discrimination are clear, consistently applied and regularly reviewed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Exploration of complex topics and texts, both in and beyond the classroom, and the development of personal and community responsibility − seen in action, for example, through the academy’s House system and mentoring programmes − promote students’ spiritual, cultural, social and moral development extremely effectively.  Safeguarding procedures are thorough, including training for all staff in child protection issues.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is strongly led and represents a useful range of professional experience. Governors have given steady support to the newly shaped senior leadership team as Wallington has been establishing itself as an academy. Many governors are either former students or parents of students and know the academy well. They are clear about what should be preserved and what must change to meet new expectations and opportunities, summed up by the comment: ‘Not a hot house – we want boys to enjoy their education.’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors routinely review reports on students’ progress and on the quality of teaching. The relationship between teachers’ salaries and students’ achievement is closely scrutinised. When appropriate, governors call for further monitoring and intervention. Observation of lessons and discussion with senior leaders are key elements of governors’ effectiveness as ‘critical friends’, providing challenge as well as support.  Although the number of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium is small, governors closely scrutinise decisions about how the government funding is spent and how its impact is judged. To date, there has been persuasive evidence that the decisions have been sound and the impact on these students’ progress clearly very positive, helping them to match the progress of their academy contemporaries and to outperform students nationally.

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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 136798 Local authority Not applicable Inspection number 403683

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School details

Type of school Academy converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Boys Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 934 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 306 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Paul Huitson Headteacher Mr Peter Smart Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 020 8647 2235 Fax number 020 8254 7921 Email address psmart@suttonmail.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, please

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School details

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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