The Langley Academy

The Langley Academy Langley Road, Langley, Slough, SL3 7EF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The majority of students learn well and make good progress in most subjects, particularly mathematics.  Students who find reading difficult are very well supported so that they make good and sometimes rapid progress.  The main reason why achievement is good is because the majority of teaching is typically good and sometimes outstanding, and it is well matched to the needs of most students.  Students have outstanding attitudes to learning. Behaviour is excellent. Relationships throughout the academy are extremely positive and this ensures that the academy is a calm, purposeful environment in which to learn.  The sponsors’ vision permeates all aspects of academy life and the Principal, leadership team and those who lead subjects and house groups are relentless in driving improvement.  Leaders and managers are well placed to secure further improvement as they have successfully improved achievement, behaviour,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attendance and teaching in recent years.  Governors have a strong understanding of the academy’s strengths and further areas for development and they provide appropriately high levels of support and challenge.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always ensure that students act on the advice given through marking.  Some teachers do not always ensure that students’ work is regularly marked.  More-able students do not always achieve their full potential because teaching is not always matched to their needs.  Teaching does not consistently help students to develop their English and mathematical skills in all subjects.  The targets which are set for teachers do not always relate to improving teaching.  The sixth form requires improvement because students studying A-level subjects have not made good progress in recent years, although this is improving.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 40 lessons, of which nine were joint observations with senior leaders. The inspection team also made short visits to lessons with senior leaders as part of themed learning walks.  Meetings were held with four groups of students and discussions were held with students throughout the inspection. Other meetings were held with members of the governing body and school staff, including those responsible for subjects and senior leaders. The lead inspector met with a representative of the academy sponsor.  Inspectors analysed the 52 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View) during the inspection.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a number of documents, including those relating to the monitoring of teaching and the targets set for teachers to improve their work. They also looked at records relating to attendance, behaviour, bullying and safeguarding,

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Information about this inspection

the school improvement plan, data on students’ progress and samples of students’ work.  One inspector listened to students read.

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Inspection team

Richard Sutton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jalil Shaikh Additional Inspector Lesley Leak Additional Inspector Carol Worthington Additional Inspector Terence Cook Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  Three-quarters of students are from minority ethnic heritages and a quarter are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is higher than average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is above average.  A higher than average proportion of students are supported through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for students in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  The academy provides specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs

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Information about this school

which supports five students who have hearing impairment and two students with visual impairment.  The academy works in partnership with Haybrook and East Berkshire College and some students are able to study vocational courses at the college.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching in the main school and the sixth form so that it is always good and better in all subjects by:  making sure that the marking of students’ work is appropriately frequent and includes the setting of targets which are always followed up by teachers and students  ensuring that all lessons are consistently well matched to the needs of all students, particularly more-able students.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement by ensuring that all students have opportunities to develop their reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills in all subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by making sure that targets which are set for teachers are specifically related to improving teaching and that they are measurable.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most students typically join the academy with levels of achievement well below average. Most students make good progress, even though the proportion attaining five or more A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, was below average in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students who speak English as an additional language, those from ethnic minority heritages and disabled students and those who have special educational needs make good progress in all year groups across most subjects. Students from White British backgrounds have not consistently made the same good progress in recent years. However, teaching is beginning to better meet the needs of these students and their achievement is now improving.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The gap between the progress that students known to be eligible for free school meals make and the progress made by other students in English and mathematics is closing. The progress that this group of students make in mathematics is above average. The gap in the proportion of students achieving five or more A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, widened in 2012 when compared to the national average but it narrowed when compared to the results of other students in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The vocational courses studied by some students at Haybrook and East Berkshire College meet the needs of the students well and this has led to improved achievement and attendance for these students.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Mathematics is a strength of the academy and an above-average proportion of students are making better progress than usually expected.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students who are supported through the specially resourced unit make good progress as a result of very effective teaching and support which fully meets their needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students who join the academy with high levels of achievement have not always achieved their full potential. However, this is now improving, particularly in mathematics and these students are increasingly having work more closely matched to their needs. However, it remains inconsistent across year groups and subjects, particularly English and in the sixth form.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students who study vocational courses in the sixth form make good progress. However, in the past few years, the progress made by students who study A-level courses has required improvement as not enough students made good progress. In addition, too many students have left during their first year of study. However, improvements are now resulting in better achievement for students studying A-level courses because the subjects available are more suited to the needs of students. It is, however, too early to see the full impact of this.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is typically good. Some is outstanding. This high-quality teaching is characterised by activities which are well matched to the needs of students and where teachers have appropriately high expectations.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is good, both in lessons and when students work individually or in small groups outside of normal lessons. This is because teachers and teaching assistants make sure work is always pitched at the right level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of students who are supported by the pupil premium is good and this extends beyond the classroom for these and other students. For example, the academy uses part of its pupil premium funding to facilitate a wide range of support, including Saturday morning classes and educational trips and visits. The academy has also used its funding to appoint an English teacher to support these and other students.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading for students who find this difficult is good because teachers and teaching assistants use student progress information very well to set challenging but realistic targets.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students have good skills in mathematics and English but teaching does not always take every opportunity to help students to develop and apply these important skills in all subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers in the main school and sixth form do not always provide high-quality marking and feedback. This means that students do not always know precisely what they need to do to improve their work further. When students are set targets for improvement, teachers do not regularly provide opportunities for students to act on this advice. Some teachers do not mark work frequently enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of more-able students in the main school and the sixth form is not always as good as it should be across all subjects and year groups because activities are not sufficiently challenging.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students have outstanding attitudes to learning, which is primarily as a result of good teaching and very positive relationships across the whole academy. Students behave very well, show high levels of cooperation, respect and courtesy and work highly effectively with each other and their teachers. This creates a very positive learning environment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour is outstanding, both in lessons and at break times. Students told inspectors that behaviour has improved considerably in recent years and they also say that behaviour is outstanding. Students have welcomed the new behaviour policy and they are clear that it is one of the reasons why behaviour has improved.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students attend school regularly and overall their attendance is above average. This has improved substantially in recent years.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students say they feel safe in the academy and they have a good understanding of safety matters. They also have a good understanding of the various types of bullying and say that it is rare. Academy records confirm this. Students are confident that if a bullying incident does occur that their teachers will deal with matters quickly and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students are actively involved in supporting each other if a bullying incident does occur. For example, some students provide online support for others who may be experiencing bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students have many opportunities to engage in positions of responsibility. For example, older students act as prefects. As well as empowering students to make decisions and take responsibility, this also allows students to model positive behaviour for each other.  On the rare occasions when behaviour falls below the high standard expected, teachers manage this very well and consistently. This is one reason why exclusions have decreased, and there are very few exclusions.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Principal, well supported by senior leaders, is leading a relentless drive to ensure that teaching is consistently good and better through the rigorous monitoring of teaching and student achievement. This approach to continuously improving teaching and achievement is mirrored in the work of subject and house leaders.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy improvement plan is appropriately focused on the main priorities to improve achievement further and it is based on accurate self-evaluation. This plan ensures that staff who are responsible for leading on areas of improvement are held accountable at key points throughout the year. This means that leaders and managers are able to promptly tackle any underachievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The setting of targets for teachers to improve their teaching over the past three years has been appropriately linked to teachers’ pay rises. However, targets do not focus sufficiently on supporting teachers to improve their teaching as they are not specific enough and are not always linked to measurable success criteria.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have good plans to effectively spend the Year 7 catch-up premium, which is new additional funding to support students who have not made the expected attainment in English and mathematics in Year 6.

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The leadership and management are good

 The subjects that students study in the main school are well matched to their needs and this has improved recently in the sixth form. Subjects are enriched by a variety of enrichment activities every Wednesday afternoon and trips, visits and partnerships with independent schools which students enjoy and which enable them to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding very well. For example, a group of students told an inspector how they valued opportunities to work with students from different backgrounds and from different parts of the country.

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The leadership and management are good

 Students take their GCSE mathematics examinations at various points in Years 10 and 11. This results in most students achieving the highest grade that they are capable of and so it is an effective strategy.

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The leadership and management are good

 The sponsor provides good support to the academy by funding a range of developments and initiatives which support governance and leadership, as well as staff training and development. The sponsor provides an appropriate level of challenge through membership of the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have an accurate understanding of the academy’s strengths and areas for development. They have appropriate skills which enable them to support and challenge the Principal with respect to the quality of teaching and student achievement. Governors are fully aware of how the pupil premium is spent and the impact that this has on achievement. The governing body receives appropriate information with respect to the management of teacher performance and so they are able to monitor the extent to which teachers are rewarded and underperformance is tackled. Governors ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities regarding safeguarding; all staff have been checked as required and are trained appropriately to keep students safe and free from harm.

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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 135631 Local authority N/A Inspection number 406614

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Academy sponsor-led 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 1110 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 211 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Valerie Bragg Headteacher Rhodri Bryant Date of previous school inspection 22 June 2011 Telephone number 01753 214440 Fax number 01753 596323 Email address info@langleyacademy.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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