Lilian Baylis Technology School

Lilian Baylis Technology School 323 Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5QY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This is an outstanding school

 The headteacher is determined and relentless in his focus on improvement. This is driven by his passionate belief that all students, irrespective of their circumstances, are entitled to the best possible education.  Since the last inspection, the proportion of students achieving five good GCSE passes, including English and mathematics has risen strongly. Attainment is now broadly average and students make outstanding progress from significantly low starting points.  A very high proportion of students are eligible for the pupil premium and these students make excellent progress because of timely and carefully targeted support.  Teaching is outstanding. Teachers are highly skilled in their planning and in the way they ask questions. Very occasionally, teachers miss the chance to help students develop their own initiative as learners.  The teaching of reading, writing and communication across all subjects is a

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This is an outstanding school

particular strength.  Students display excellent attitudes to learning and behave very well around the school. Students thrive because the school is a very caring and inclusive community and excellent support systems are in place.  The sixth form is outstanding. Students make great strides in their learning in the newly established sixth form because they benefit from excellent teaching, individualised support and a very relevant and meaningful curriculum.  The highly effective leadership team and governing body have transformed the school. At the heart of this success is their shared belief that consistently high quality teaching and tailored support for each student is essential.  Leaders and governors continually review the performance of staff and students. It is a school where there is no hiding place for underperformance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 34 lessons, and made a number of briefer visits to other lessons.  They held meetings with students, staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  They observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan, its analysis of how well it does, an external review and current assessment information.  They discussed professional development and the quality of teaching and learning with teachers and school leaders. They also considered support for students who need additional help, and the use of the pupil premium, which provides additional government funding for students in local authority care, students from service families and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  Inspectors took account of 13 responses on Parent View, the on-line questionnaire for parents,

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Information about this inspection

and 24 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Russell Bennett, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector Dr Ramesh Kapadia Additional Inspector Clifford Walker Additional Inspector Lisa Gorman Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Lilian Baylis Technology School is a smaller than average secondary school serving a culturally diverse community. A higher than average proportion, 58%, of the student population, are boys. In Year 7, the proportion is closer to a 50% balance of boys to girls.  The school opened a new sixth form on the same site in September 2012.  Over 90% of the students at the school are eligible for the pupil premium.  In 2012, 8% of the students in Years 8 to 11 were admitted to the school outside the normal admission time. This is a similar pattern to previous years.  An above average proportion of the student population are disabled or have special educational needs. This includes students with a statement of special educational needs, as well as those supported at school action plus or school action.  Most students are from minority ethnic groups. The largest group, at around 30%, is Black African. Over half the school’s population speaks English as an additional language.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  A small proportion of students follow some courses with other educational providers. Alternative provision includes: Lambeth College, Roots and Shoots, Vox and Kids’ Company.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enable a higher proportion of students to make consistently outstanding progress across all subjects by ensuring that:  teachers’ marking always gives precise guidance on how students can improve their work  students are given further opportunities to use their own initiative in lessons and develop their independence as learners.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Students enter the school with levels of attainment which are significantly below the national average. A very high proportion are eligible for the pupil premium and many students have a range of complex social and emotional needs. The school’s highly effective support systems, careful monitoring of progress and high quality teaching enable students to make outstanding progress from their starting points.  Students are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment.  Students’ attainment by the end of Year 11 has risen steadily since the last inspection and is now in line with national averages. Some key indicators in 2012 exceeded national averages, such as standards achieved in GCSE mathematics. The school has also successfully narrowed the gap between the attainment of boys and girls. Precisely targeted interventions, including individual student mentoring, have been instrumental in bringing these improvements.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 A slight dip in GCSE Humanities results in 2012 has been decisively checked and students are now making much more rapid progress towards challenging targets.  Almost all the students who completed Year 11 in 2012 were eligible for pupil premium funding. As a result of a range of the school’s successful intervention strategies, these students made exceptional progress. Their GCSE average points scores were significantly higher than others in the school, and also higher than for all students nationally.  The school enters some students for examinations early. This is done when the school carefully assesses that it is in the students’ best interests and does not depress their achievement.  Students make excellent progress in English and mathematics, because they benefit from highly effective teaching and carefully tailored support. Many students enter the school with very low reading and writing abilities. The school’s whole-school approach to improving literacy enables

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

them to make rapid and sustained progress.  The high proportion of students who speak English as an additional language make outstanding progress. Students with special educational needs or disabilities make similar progress to others, taking into account their individual starting points. Staff identify the needs of every individual student and ensure that effective support is put in place to help them do well. This reflects the school’s clear focus on achievement for all students.  The new sixth form provides courses which are extremely well suited to the needs of learners. Students speak highly of the quality of teaching. The school’s rigorous and accurate tracking indicates that students are making excellent progress in their first year.  Whilst there has been some variability in the achievement of different groups in the past, the school has rigorously tackled this by taking decisive steps based on accurate monitoring of

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

students’ progress. The very small numbers of students from White British and Black Caribbean backgrounds who hitherto have achieved slightly less well than others are now making more rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching across the school is outstanding. Teachers’ planning is detailed and focuses on helping students of all abilities to succeed. Teachers carefully match tasks to the needs of individuals, and as a result, students make secure and sustained progress over time. Additional support staff are deployed very effectively and make excellent contributions to supporting students’ progress, using targeted questioning and regularly checking their understanding.  A clear whole-school approach to making sure that all students participate in learning is very effective. Teachers make use of a range of strategies to engage all students actively in lessons; an example of this is the use of the ‘go-around cup’. In addition, they give students regular opportunities to reflect on their learning, using ‘red, amber, green’ cards. Teachers skilfully adapt their lessons in response to feedback from these, by correcting misconceptions and reinforcing

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

students’ knowledge and understanding.  In the very best lessons, teachers ask questions that are progressively more challenging; this helps students to think more deeply about their responses. They challenge students to work things out for themselves. On very rare occasions, students do not have enough opportunities to put forward their own questions and take more responsibility for their own learning.  In an outstanding English lesson, the teacher used a range of excellent resources to lead students into a thoughtful analysis of the poem, ‘Nettles’. Students were highly engaged by the enthusiastic approach of the teacher; they enjoyed carefully structured discussion opportunities and were able to apply knowledge from previous lessons to a variety of tasks. The teacher’s skilful questioning encouraged lively debate and discussion. Students were able to deepen their understanding quickly and they made decisive gains in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers’ excellent subject knowledge and enthusiasm provides a highly motivating learning environment. They are dedicated to providing the best educational experience for the students and give very generously of their time. Students value this highly.  Teachers provide very regular feedback to students about their learning and progress. Most marking is helpful to students and provides opportunities for them to reflect on their own performance. Students are very responsive and appreciate the dialogue about their learning. Occasionally, teachers’ written comments are not focused sharply enough on the precise areas in which students need to improve.  The assessments which take place across all subjects every half-term provide excellent opportunities to identify students’ progress accurately. Students and teachers are very clear about whether or not this progress is fast enough and what to do to if it is not.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school is a calm and purposeful place in which to learn. It provides a welcoming and respectful environment. Students say that they are proud to be members of the school community, and this is reflected in the excellent contribution they make.  Students have excellent attitudes to education. They show commitment to learning and value the high-quality teaching they receive. They enjoy taking an active role in lessons and regularly take up the additional opportunities to attend ‘Saturday School’ and enrichment activities.  Students feel very safe in the school. The ‘Bullywatch’ system is highly effective. Students say that bullying is rare and when incidents occur, they are confident that school staff will act swiftly to resolve the situation.  Teachers are highly effective at managing behaviour. The whole-school behaviour policy is applied consistently. There is a shared belief among staff and students that only the highest

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

expectations of student conduct will do. Students are very clear about the school’s sanctions and rewards policies. The school has taken very effective action to reduce the number of fixed-term exclusions and these are now below national averages.  The school is a highly cohesive community and students get on well together. Recently, a House system was introduced after discussion with the student council. This has quickly gained ground and students enjoy the competitive element it provides. They are keen to achieve house points.  Attendance levels are high; students enjoy coming to school and appreciate the education it provides. Systems for monitoring student attendance are rigorous and staff act quickly if any student’s absence gives cause for concern.  The school has a strong and very effective pastoral support system. There are valuable and well- established links with external specialist services to support the most vulnerable students.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher focuses relentlessly and successfully on improving the school. His energy, vision and passionate commitment to the needs of students, his staff and the local community set the tone. The school’s motto, ‘Transforming the life chances of all students’ resonates at every level. Members of staff feel proud to be associated with the school and students value the difference it makes to their lives.  Responses from the small number of parents to the online questionnaire indicate that they are very pleased with their children’s progress; their views are in line with the school’s own survey of parental views.  The excellent progress that students make and the sustained increase in attainment since the last inspection demonstrate an impressive upward trend. The impact of the school’s actions to improve the achievement of students eligible for pupil premium funding has enabled them to make progress well above others nationally. Small-group tuition in English and mathematics has

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The leadership and management are outstanding

been particularly successful in bringing about this improvement, as well as targeted mentoring for individual students.  The school’s middle and senior leaders have a clear understanding of what makes outstanding teaching and learning. The school has a clear focus on ensuring that teaching is of the highest quality, and this is underpinned by excellent training opportunities for all staff, including the school’s ‘Outstanding Teacher Programme’.  There is an absolute expectation that all teachers maintain, and are held to account for rigorously, high standards. Financial rewards are only given on the basis of performance. Regular monitoring of teaching across the school by senior and middle leaders ensures that any weaknesses are quickly identified and acted upon. Appropriate targets are set for teachers and are clearly linked to the achievement of students.  The school makes detailed, accurate and precise analysis of its performance at every level.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

Students are set challenging targets. Information about how they are doing in particular subjects is regularly collated and reviewed by senior and middle leaders. Leaders make very good use of this information to identify where extra help and support is needed to improve the progress of particular students.  The school provides an excellent range of courses that are well suited to the needs of students, including those in the sixth form. The students who attend off-site provision are carefully and regularly monitored and supported. As a result, they attend and make the best of these opportunities.  Students benefit from a wide range of additional enrichment activities which contribute extremely well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. These include sports, music and academic opportunities. There are strong links with the local business community, which provide excellent opportunities for work-related learning and mentoring for sixth form

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The leadership and management are outstanding

students.  The local authority’s involvement with the school is light touch and appropriate. It has provided valuable and accurate external validation which has helped the school with its self-evaluation and its assessment of the headteacher’s performance.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors are wholly committed to the vision that the school provides the best educational experience for the community it serves. They bring to bear an impressive range of skills and experience from the world of education and business. They know the school’s strengths and areas for development exceptionally well. They have a very clear and accurate knowledge about the quality of teaching across the school. This is because they ask incisive questions and are provided with detailed information about the school’s performance by the headteacher. They are tenacious in holding the headteacher and other leaders to account, and ensure that performance and reward are closely aligned. The governing body ensures that the resources are extremely well used for the benefit of students, including the high proportion eligible for the pupil premium. They regularly review statutory policies and ensure that all requirements

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The leadership and management are outstanding

are met, including those relating to safety of students.

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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 100625 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 402828

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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 Community Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 724 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Teresa Clay Headteacher Gary Phillips Date of previous school inspection 16 January 2008 Telephone number 020 7091 5000 Fax number 020 7091 9555 Email address school@lilianbaylis.com 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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