Deptford Green School

Deptford Green School Edward Street, New Cross, London, SE14 6LU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Students’ attainment is low and has been declining over the last three years.  Achievement is inadequate because too many students do not make sufficient progress in mathematics. Their calculating skills are not good enough.  Too much teaching is inadequate or requires improvement. There is not enough good or better teaching to overcome students’ past underachievement in mathematics.  Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough and questioning skills are too often weak. Many teachers do not stretch the more able students and their marking does not always help students to do better in their work.  The new sixth form requires improvement because the progress of students is not yet securely good in the different courses.  The headteacher’s efforts to bring about school improvement have been severely held back because of difficulties in appointing some leaders in important subject areas and a big

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

turnover in the senior leadership team.  The school is not showing that it can improve. Students’ achievement and the quality of teaching have declined since the last inspection.  Governors have not been effective in holding the school to account for the quality of teaching and the progress that students make.

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The school has the following strengths

 Students make good progress in English through lively and often exciting teaching.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs are fully integrated into the school and make progress similar to their peers.  Students are courteous and polite around the school, feel proud of their new building and say they feel safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 37 lessons or parts of lessons, amounting to 20 hours in total. Twelve of these lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors listened to students read and visited classrooms with senior staff to look at how well disabled students and those who have special educational needs were learning. Inspectors also visited lessons with senior staff to look at students’ progress in mathematics and at learning in a wide range of other subjects.  Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body, three other governors and with groups of students.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at the school’s self-evaluation and planning documents, external evaluations of its work and examples of students’ work.  Inspectors took note of the 32 responses to the online Parent View survey and spoke to a group of parents and carers invited by the school. Inspectors also analysed 55 questionnaires returned

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Inspection team

Michael Merchant, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jalil Shaikh Additional Inspector Gill Walley Additional Inspector Anne Sydney Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized secondary school with a smaller than average sixth form.  Students come from a wide range of minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of students that are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding from the government for groups of students including those known to be eligible for free school meals) is high.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average, while the proportion of students supported through school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is above average.  A very small number of students attend Lewisham College as part of their programmes of study.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for students’ progress and attainment.

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Information about this school

 There has been an extensive rebuilding of the school through the building schools for the future programme, and the school moved into this new accommodation in September 2012.  The school is a Specialist Humanities College with English, drama and citizenship as specialist subjects.  It has gained International School status, Arts Mark and Healthy School awards and has recently become an International Baccalaureate ‘World School’.  There have been significant changes to the senior and middle leadership since the last inspection and large numbers of teachers have recently left the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is good or better throughout the school by:  making sure that the tasks teachers set in lessons are at the right level to get the best out of all students, especially the most able  developing the use of questions in lessons to check students’ understanding and involve them more in their learning  improving feedback to students so that they know how to improve their work and checking that students act upon teachers’ suggestions  making sure all teachers have high expectations of students’ behaviour in lessons, the amount of work they do and the presentation of their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ achievement in mathematics by:  eradicating weaknesses in mathematics teaching  improving their mathematics skills, especially in carrying out calculations and their ability to apply their skills to solving problems.  Improve students’ achievement in the sixth form by using information about their progress effectively to check how they are doing and ensure that all reach their challenging targets.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leaders, managers and the governing body by ensuring that:  systems for checking students’ progress and the quality of teaching are used effectively to bring about the required improvements  newly appointed school leaders have the sufficient skills and confidence to be able to take full responsibility for improving teaching and achievement in their respective areas  governors are more active in monitoring the school and checking that agreed actions have had the intended impact.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Students’ attainment at GCSE is significantly below average and has declined over the past three years. In 2012, 46% of students gained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics, compared with 54% in 2010.  Key skills in mathematics are weak and many students have difficulty with calculations and problem solving. Students’ confidence and skills in dealing with numbers are not consistently developed across the school.  When students join the school, many are working significantly below the nationally expected standards for their ages in most subjects. Nevertheless, too many students have not made sufficient progress given their starting points at the age of 11. Achievement is particularly low in mathematics and the 2012 GCSE results in this subject placed the school near the bottom of all schools nationally on a measure of how well the students had improved since Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Although school data indicate some improvement in students’ rates of progress in the current year, students’ learning in lessons is not fast enough to make up for the lost ground of previous years. A scrutiny of the work of students in mathematics across the school showed that their current progress is inadequate.  The school has used its pupil premium funding to provide individual support and reduce class sizes to give students eligible for this funding a boost. This has had some success. In 2012, the gap between the overall average points score for students known to be eligible for free school meals and that of other students in the school was narrower than it is nationally. There remains, however, a difference between the rates of progress of these groups, especially in mathematics. In 2012, just under half the students eligible for free school meals made the expected levels of progress in mathematics between Years 7 and 11, while nearly two thirds of those not eligible

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

for this funding did so.  The school enters some students early for GCSE examinations in English and mathematics. The school has, correctly, decided to continue this practice as data show this approach fosters the greatest chance of success in these subjects, particularly for the low-attaining students.  Most students in the new sixth form are beginning to make the progress expected of them. Although most express enjoyment of their chosen courses and very few have dropped out since the beginning of the school year, the school’s tracking shows a wide variation in progress currently being made across the sixth form courses.  Within the overall picture of weak progress, there are some successes, notably in English where the school has used its specialist status well to raise standards. Achievement in English is accelerating and many students are making faster than expected progress.  Most students are making good gains in their communication and literacy skills. Regular reading

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

for pleasure is encouraged across the school and many students are eager readers by the age of 16.  Students learning English as an additional language are given effective support in class and in small groups and make similar progress to their peers.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make the progress expected of them. The gaps in achievement are getting smaller between students working at school action, school action plus, those with a statement of special educational needs and other students in the school.  The small number of students who follow more practical subjects off site gain experience in a range of subjects and this is helping them acquire the necessary skills to gain suitable employment or further training.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate because it is not helping students to make up for previous underachievement or to make sufficient progress in their subjects, particularly in mathematics. During the inspection, teaching in too few lessons was good or better and in far too many lessons it was inadequate.  Because of weaknesses in the teaching of mathematics, students’ understanding of number is not as well developed as it should be because there is too often an overemphasis on going over what has been learned already and not enough emphasis on new learning. Students’ presentation of work in this subject, and in science, is often untidy and the work itself too brief.  The pace of learning is too slow in many lessons and the work set does not challenge students or gain their attention. Sometimes, expectations of behaviour are too low and students are allowed to lose their concentration and stop working.  Teachers do not always make sure that the activities they set are at the right level. Often the

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

work set does not challenge students enough to gain the higher grades because it is too easy for them.  Teachers do not consistently ask students enough questions to involve them in lessons sufficiently or to check or extend their understanding of the work. Too few teachers encourage students to work independently and in some lessons students sit listening for too long without being actively involved. Teachers sometimes do the thinking and the problem-solving for the students.  Teachers’ marking across the school lacks consistency. Examples were seen in some mathematics lessons where exercise books had not been marked since the beginning of the year. Across many subjects, the teachers’ written comments do not always show students what they have to do to improve their work or follow up to make sure that students have acted on suggestions for improvement.  Where teaching is good, teachers have strong and very confident relationships with their class

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

and they use this effectively to provoke students to think for themselves and give clear and full responses. As a result of this lively teaching, students become interested in the lesson and work with energy and enthusiasm. This was clearly seen in an effective Year 10 English lesson where students confidently spoke with great feeling about the poem ‘Falling Leaves’ which they had been studying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school has worked hard to help students take responsibility for managing their own behaviour. Although there has been success in creating a more positive climate for encouraging learning across the school, not enough students are able to do so without the need for frequent monitoring.  Behaviour in some lessons is still not good enough because students lose concentration and become restless when the work does not engage them or when expectations of behaviour are too low.  The school has introduced new procedures in lessons, which are supporting the better management of behaviour but there is still some inconsistency in the ways some teachers implement them.  Students assert strongly that behaviour has improved, particularly since the move to the new building, of which students are extremely proud. They confirm that disruptions to lessons are now less common, although learning is still sometimes spoilt by silly and inappropriate

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

behaviour. They also say that any misbehaviour is appropriately dealt with by teachers and other adults more frequently than in the past.  Parents and carers who completed the on-line parent view survey and those spoken to by inspectors spoke positively about the improvements in behaviour at the school. This is confirmed by school records, which show fewer reported cases of misbehaviour and fixed-term exclusions (those that are not permanent) than for the same period last year.  Bullying of all kinds is rare and students say that offensive behaviour, such as name-calling, cyber bullying or bullying based on gender or sexual orientation, is dealt with quickly and effectively.  The school’s positive and supportive ethos promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. A good range of trips, visits and other enrichment activities helps to build confidence and self-esteem. During the inspection, older students were eagerly taking part in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

their ‘Big Issue’ debate on whether religion is a good thing.  Students understand about how to deal with risks they might face and understand issues relating to substance abuse and the dangers associated with using the internet.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate because the school’s leaders have not done enough to make sure that improvements to teaching and the progress of students, particularly in mathematics, have been fast enough.  Over half the teaching staff who returned questionnaires did not agree that the school was well led and managed.  Despite the great determination of the headteacher and his strong commitment to make the school successful, students’ achievement is too low, mainly due to their inadequate progress in mathematics.  A very high turnover of teachers, including senior and subject leaders, and a lack of adequate challenge from governors have meant that the headteacher, for much of the past few years, has been working without the support of a consistently effective senior and middle leadership team.  The headteacher has established appropriate formal checking of teachers’ performance, ensuring

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The leadership and management are inadequate

that promotions and increases to salaries are linked to better teaching.  The new leadership team undertakes regular observations that are increasingly focused on improving students’ progress through accurate feedback, which informs teachers of the most significant weaknesses in teaching. Their judgements, however, have sometimes been generous and the delay in appointing key subject leaders has prevented this monitoring having a greater impact on raising the quality of teaching.  The local authority has been quick to identify these difficulties and has provided additional support to bolster the management of a number of key subject areas, notably mathematics and science. Difficulties in recruiting leaders to these areas have seriously impeded the impact of this support.  Recently appointed subject leaders show an acute understanding of the problems their subjects face and there are signs that aspects of teaching and of students’ progress are starting to

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The leadership and management are inadequate

improve. However, some are inexperienced or not fully confident and it is too early to judge whether this improvement is being sustained.  Because significant numbers of students are not making the progress of which they are capable, the school is not demonstrating its commitment to equality of opportunity. Not all subject leaders monitor the progress of different groups in order to be sure there are no significant differences.  Teaching programmes do not meet the needs of many students because they do not promote high enough achievement in the basic skills.  The school has declined from its satisfactory outcomes of the last inspection and this, together with weak progress in addressing the key issues from the last inspection, means the school leaders have not demonstrated the capacity to improve. Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed to the school.  Students say that this is a fair school and all are treated equally. Inspectors found the school to

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The leadership and management are inadequate

be free of any form of discrimination and relationships with parents, carers and agencies from outside the school are strong.  Arrangements for ensuring that students stay safe meet requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors are fully aware of the areas for improvement for the school and have been active in ensuring the development of the new buildings. Although they have attended training, they have been too ready to accept information on teaching and students’ progress presented to them by school leaders without sufficiently questioning this data. Governors know what the pupil premium funding is being spent on, but have not been assertive enough in questioning school leaders about the impact this spending has had on the progress of such students. Governors have received detailed information from the school about the quality of teaching and the arrangements to manage teachers’ performance but have a limited understanding of

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The leadership and management are inadequate

how well the school is doing compared to others nationally. This means that they have not always asked the searching questions of leaders as to why the school’s performance has not been better.

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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 100740 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 400426

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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 Comprehensive School category Community Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 920 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 60 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ms Ros Chesher Headteacher Peter Campling Date of previous school inspection 13–14 January 2010 Telephone number 020 8691 3286 Fax number 020 8649 4899 Email address info@deptfordgreen.lewisham.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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