Bishop Stopford's School

Bishop Stopford’s School Brick Lane, Enfield, EN1 3PU

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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 Require improvement 3 Leadership and management Require improvement 3

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

 There is not enough good teaching to ensure that students make rapid gains in their learning. Marking is ineffective in some subjects and work is not always set at the right level of difficulty for all students. If students are finding the work too easy or too hard, teachers do not always adjust the work.  Results in national examinations have remained static and not enough students gain five or more A* to C grades including English and mathematics.  Although rates of progress are improving, groups of students such as those of average ability make less progress than that made by the same group nationally. This is more marked in mathematics.  The sixth form requires improvement. Although better than at the time of the previous inspection, results and rates of progress in the sixth form are not yet good enough.  All staff do not apply the behaviour policy consistently.  Until recently, the quality of teaching has not

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

been rigorously monitored by leaders at all levels. There has not been a good enough focus on how much progress students make. Leaders do not always have the highest expectations of students.  Subject action plans do not always reflect the priorities of the school.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher has already galvanised the enthusiasm of staff. Teachers praise his work highly and are well motivated. They clearly want the school to do well.  Teachers have good subject knowledge.  There has been a good improvement since the previous inspection in science. A well- above-average proportion of students gain good GCSE grades.  Students generally behave well in lessons. They are keen, interested and want to achieve. They get on well with each other and their teachers. Students feel safe in school.  The work of the governing body has improved. Governors ask probing questions based on their secure knowledge of the performance data to hold the school increasingly to account.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 32 lessons or part-lessons taught by teachers. The headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team accompanied the inspectors on visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the online Parent View survey. They also took into account the 28 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a range of documents, including the school’s own records of pupils’ progress and attainment, monitoring documents, records relating to the performance management of staff and those relating to behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.

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Inspection team

Glynis Bradley-Peat, Lead inspector Additional inspector Jamie Clarke Additional inspector Neil McLeod Additional inspector Raminder Arora Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of pupils receiving pupil premium, which is additional funding given for looked- after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families, is higher than the national average.  A smaller proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported through school action than found nationally. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is much higher than average but the proportion who speak English as an additional language is similar to the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for its pupils.

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Information about this school

 The new headteacher has been in post since the beginning of this term. The deputy headteacher was acting headteacher during the autumn term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, including that in the sixth form, so that more teaching is good or outstanding by:  improving marking so that students know what they need to do to produce high quality work  improving teachers’ questioning skills so that students are encouraged to think through answers for themselves and deepen their understanding  providing more frequent opportunities for students to work independently through reducing the amount of time teachers talk in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and accelerate progress, particularly in mathematics, by ensuring that:  all staff use the data available to match work more effectively to the needs of all students  teachers keep a close check on the progress of students during lessons and adjust work accordingly  all staff consistently apply the behaviour policy and tackle inappropriate behaviour firmly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:  senior and middle leaders work more closely together in partnership to monitor the quality of teaching across all subjects  all leaders have sufficiently high expectations of what students can achieve  whole-school and departmental improvement plans and the school’s self-evaluation document all reflect common priorities.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement, including that of pupils from minority ethnic groups, requires improvement. The proportion of students gaining five or more GCSE A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, is just below average. This is not improving quickly enough. In English, more students are beginning to make better-than-expected progress but in mathematics this is not the case. Although the most able students achieve well in mathematics, students of average ability in particular, but also some of the least able students, do not make the progress they could. This is because teaching requires improvement.  Results in the sixth form are improving and the proportion of students attaining A* to E and A* to B at A level is above average. Students make the progress that is expected but overall, not enough students are making good progress. Where teaching is good, some do make better progress than this, particularly in science.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s own reliable attainment and progress information shows that students are on track to achieve higher results this year in English and mathematics. This is because they are currently making better rates of progress, particularly in English. Progress in mathematics is not yet as good because teaching does not meet the needs of students well enough.  The school has recently revised its policy on early entry in English to give priority to English language to ensure that the least able students have the best chance to achieve their target grade. In mathematics, careful consideration is given to which sets take their examination early and which courses they follow. Early entry does not limit the potential of the most able students as careful consideration is given to individual students’ circumstances.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs receive support in class from

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

teaching assistants. In science, this is particularly effective. Groups of targeted students benefit from a special literacy reading programme and, as a result, make better-than-expected progress, enabling them to catch up with their classmates.  The average point scores attained by students eligible for the pupil premium show that they achieve similarly to their peers. Their attainment in English is significantly better than the national average and is also better in mathematics. This is because the school provides effective support to meet their needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet consistently good across different subjects.  Although interesting activities are planned in many lessons, students spend too long listening to teachers talking, which results in them not being involved actively in their learning. Students do not always have enough opportunity to develop independence. Time provided for them to reflect on their own learning and to evaluate that of others is not a regular feature of lessons.  While the majority of teachers mark students’ work diligently, providing helpful advice about what they need to do to improve their work, this is inconsistent. A considerable minority of teachers mark relatively little and therefore students do not understand what they need to do to produce high quality work. There is a clear link between the lack of marking and students’ deteriorating work.  Some teachers do not ask questions which challenge students to think hard or to develop their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

ideas. This sometimes means that further learning opportunities are lost.  Where teaching is good, teachers use the school’s progress data to design tasks which are effectively matched to the needs of pupils. In some instances, success criteria linked to National Curriculum levels ensure students of different abilities are challenged well. In a Year 11 English lesson about literary devices, boys in particular were motivated to achieve well because the teacher linked their performance to clearly levelled statements. However, this practice is not yet common and some teachers do not adjust work in response to students’ progress in lessons.  When teachers use a variety of resources to stimulate and engage students, the pace of learning is swift. High expectations of what students can achieve promote good progress and behaviour. Some teachers focus well on developing students’ literacy skills across different subjects, but this

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

is not consistent.  Teaching in the sixth form is now generally good. However, evidence shows that there has been too little in the past that has been good or better and consequently, students have not made the progress of which they are capable. Physics teaching in one lesson was outstanding and students were reluctant to leave the classroom at the end of the lesson. Practical activities promoted excellent progress and the complete unwavering attention of all students.  Some teachers do not always apply the behaviour policy rigorously enough and allow learning to be interrupted. As a result, there are isolated incidents of disruptive behaviour.  Where homework is set, it is appropriate and makes a positive contribution to pupils’ progress. It is not consistently set across all subjects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 In a very few lessons, a small minority of students disturb the learning of others. This is generally where teaching fails to excite and enthuse them or where the behaviour policy is not applied consistently. However, occasionally students employ time-wasting tactics to avoid work.  Just over a third of the small number of parents who responded to the online questionnaire felt that behaviour was not good enough. This was also supported by the views of a third of the staff.  Generally, the school is well ordered and safe. All staff, most students and the vast majority of parents say the school is a safe place. Students who have been in the school for a long period say that behaviour and safety have improved. They say that they know who to go to if they are worried about anything and know that the support is readily available, for example from ‘peer mentors’. The school is also aware of which students are most vulnerable and put extra support

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

in place.  Bullying is rare and students themselves say that there is none, but if it did happen ‘we know how to report and get help’. The school deals effectively with all kinds of bullying, including homophobic and that related to sex, religion, race or disability. Students understand the different forms bullying can take.  Students’ attitudes to learning are generally positive and most want to do well and work hard to reach their targets.  The school’s exclusion rates in the past were high but have improved because more appropriate systems are now in place. The support and involvement of a variety of outside agencies are very effective.  Attendance is broadly average and punctuality has greatly improved since the previous inspection. The school rigorously pursues absence.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because not enough teaching is consistently good, especially in mathematics. Until recently, systems in place to monitor the quality of teaching were not rigorous enough and teachers were not held sufficiently responsible for the progress their students made. Senior and middle leaders do not work closely enough together to bring about improvements to teaching, and the monitoring skills of some subject leaders are not strong enough.  The systems in place for monitoring and analysing students’ performance are fit for purpose. Recently, they have improved and focus more closely on students’ progress. However, teachers do not make sufficient use of this information when planning lessons to ensure that all students receive work that matches their needs.  Senior leaders, including the governing body, have identified the strengths and weaknesses of the school and their judgements about how well the school is doing are accurate. However,

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The leadership and management require improvement

development plans for the different subjects do not reflect the school development plan well enough and in some cases, priorities are different.  A few leaders do not have high enough expectations of what students can achieve.  Since the last inspection, there has been good improvement in the school’s science results and rates of progress have accelerated. Students arrive more promptly to school, are generally punctual to lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. The quality of governance has improved.  Systems for reviewing teachers’ performance have improved and teachers are only rewarded following a rigorous appraisal of their work.  Pupil premium money has been suitably spent. A residential visit for Year 11 students, which provided intensive support in English and mathematics, was particularly successful in improving results. School leaders work hard to ensure all students are treated equally and that there is no

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The leadership and management require improvement

discrimination.  Most parents who responded to the questionnaire believe the school to be well led and managed. Staff comment very positively about the leadership of the new headteacher.  The local authority believes the school is improving. Good support has been provided for the governing body and for the science department.  The curriculum is improving and a range of academic and vocational courses are available for students to follow. Students are able to participate in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good grasp of pupils’ achievement and how well the school is doing compared to other schools both locally and nationally. Following training, they are better equipped to hold the school to account for its work and ask pertinent questions about its performance. Governors clearly understand the performance management of teachers and

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The leadership and management require improvement

how pay links to pupils’ achievement. The governing body knows how the pupil premium money is spent but is not fully aware of the impact this has on achievement.

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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 102052 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 404804

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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 Secondary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11−18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 992 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Edward Dowler Headteacher Paul Woods Date of previous school inspection 5−6 October 2010 Telephone number 020 8804 1906 Fax number 020 8805 9434 Email address pwoods@bishopstopfords.enfield.sch.uk 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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