Kingsmead School

Kingsmead School Southbury Road, Enfield, London, EN1 1YQ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Students, including those with special educational needs, make good progress and achieve well in their learning because effective action is taken to address any underachievement.  Teaching is good. Lessons include a range of interesting activities, encouraging students to work both individually and in groups. Questioning and regular reviews of learning ensure that students make good progress.  Students behave well, attend regularly and are ready and eager to learn. They are polite and respectful of themselves, each other, staff and visitors.  The school is well led. All leaders are determined to give every student the opportunity to succeed. Governors know the school well and are highly supportive.  Checks on teaching and learning by leaders and managers are robust and accurate and any weaknesses are identified and dealt with quickly. The school’s specialist arts focus promotes the students’ spiritual, moral, social

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and cultural development well through performances and display.  The sixth form is good. Students are well supported and make good progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Sometimes information provided to teachers by managers on students’ progress is too complex. Teachers do not always use this information effectively to make sure work set is demanding enough for the more able students. Therefore, not all these students gain the highest levels in public examinations.  Teachers’ marking does not always explain how students can make improvements and reach the next level.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 47 lessons, of which the majority were joint observations with senior staff.  In addition, inspectors dropped in to other lessons for a shorter period of time to get a full picture of the whole school.  Inspectors also observed an assembly, visited tutor periods and listened to students read.  Inspectors talked to many students about their learning and experiences at school both informally and formally. They held meetings with five groups of students across the age and ability range.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders and representatives of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of 29 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 73 staff questionnaires.  A range of documents, including the school’s own self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, review of the school by outside consultants, minutes from governing body meetings and tracking

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Information about this inspection

data of students’ progress, was looked at during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Kevin Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Raminder Arora Additional Inspector Beverly Dobson Additional Inspector Cliff Mainey Additional Inspector Alastair McMeckan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger than average secondary school, with a sixth form.  The school became an academy in 2010. When its predecessor school, Kingsmead School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is over three times the national average. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is almost five times the national average. The school population is drawn from a wide variety of ethnic heritages and nationalities.  The percentage of students for whom the school receives additional funding (the pupil premium) is almost double the national average. This is funding provided for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, pupils looked after by the local authority, and those with a parent or carer in the armed forces.  The proportion of students supported by the school who are disabled or with special educational

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Information about this school

needs is above average, although the number with a statement of special educational needs or supported at school action plus is just below average.  The academy enters some students early for mathematics GCSE.  The school has specialist status in visual and performing arts.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  Some students attend specialist courses at Additional Educational Solutions and Fresh Steps.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching further to increase the proportion of students gaining the highest possible grades at both GCSE and A level by ensuring that:  leaders prepare and present information on students’ abilities and progress more simply so that it is useful to teachers and can be used more easily by governors to hold the school more robustly to account  all teachers use information about students’ progress and abilities to set work at the right level of difficulty, particularly for the most able  teachers’ marking explains clearly how to improve and they check that students understand and follow the advice given.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students make good progress from below average starting points when they join the school in Year 7. The pace of progress is improving in all year groups and in all subjects.  Year 7 catch-up funding is used well for underachieving students entering the academy, providing good support via the accelerated reading programme. This is helping them to make good progress.  In 2012, students made more progress in English than in mathematics. The school has put in place decisive actions which have already improved progress in mathematics. This is seen in lessons, the school’s tracking of progress and in the number of students in Year 11 who have already achieved their final GCSE grade. Students are entered early for mathematics GCSE where appropriate. These students make good gains in their grades and this enables higher attaining students to study additional qualifications such as statistics.  Students’ achievement in the sixth form is good, and particularly strong in those subjects where

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The achievement of pupils is good

the topics studied are taught in a real-life practical way.  Progress for disabled students and those with special educational needs is in line with other students in the school and significantly better than nationally because they are provided with additional support materials to help them learn and strong care and guidance by staff.  Students who speak English as an additional language make good progress because staff provide clear guidance to ensure that these students fully understand exactly what needs to be done to make progress. In addition some students study extra qualifications in their first language.  The school makes effective use of the pupil premium funding to provide additional staff and intervention to help students to make progress. In 2012, Year 11 students who were in receipt of the pupil premium had attained the equivalent of a grade less than other students in English and mathematics. However, the school’s own records show that these gaps are now narrowing

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The achievement of pupils is good

in both subjects for current students as a result of effective use of the additional resources. Current tracking shows that the gap between pupil premium students and other students is narrowing further.  Students are keen to learn and respond enthusiastically to good and better teaching. For example, in a drama lesson, students reviewed their progress against personal targets and identified what further they could do to meet and exceed their target.  Those students who attend alternative provision make good progress and benefit from the wider experiences they are given, for instance, in enhancing their behaviour for learning and social skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The consistently good teaching leads to the good progress students make throughout the school. Most teaching seen during the inspection was good or better, in line with the school’s own records of teaching over time. Outstanding teaching was seen in all three key stages in a range of subjects including history, mathematics, drama, religious education and health and social care.  Many teachers, but not all, are increasingly making good use of information about students’ earlier learning to plan lessons that accurately match their precise learning needs.  In most lessons, teachers are enthusiastic and highly skilled in developing students’ interest and understanding of the topic being studied. In one typical lesson in history, the teacher used a range of resources to stimulate discussion and challenging questions to check understanding, moving students on quickly to make rapid progress.  Teachers give clear, regular feedback on students’ current progress and how to further improve

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The quality of teaching is good

their work, both during lessons and in writing. However there are some classes where this is not happening frequently enough and teachers do not ensure that students understand the advice given or respond to it, to accelerate improvements.  Teachers’ questioning is often probing, not accepting simple brief answers, but expecting students to fully explain what they mean. For example in a mathematics lesson, the teacher individually tailored the follow-up questions asked in response to a student’s first answer, which ensured that the student fully understood the process and made good progress, despite their initial misunderstanding. However in some lessons teachers tend to only question those students who volunteer the answers.  Additional staff are well directed by the teacher and are used very well to support those students that need extra help with their learning. This ensures these students do not fall behind.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the sixth form is good and students fully engage through their positive attitudes to learning.  In a few lessons, teachers do not make enough use of the available information they have to make sure the work set matches the individual needs of the student.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students throughout the school behave well, attend regularly and are ready and eager to learn. They listen attentively, work effectively both independently and with others, enjoy a challenge and respond confidently to questioning.  The school is a harmonious community, where students, whatever their background, mix well together. They are proud of their school and feel that they are treated as individuals and that their all-round needs are met.  Most students are polite, well mannered and show a sense of maturity in the way they conduct themselves in lessons and around the school. Only in the weaker lessons does their attention occasionally wander and their concentration is lost.  Attendance is above average because students enjoy coming to school.  School data show that behaviour continues to improve. Records show that internal exclusions are reducing because students clearly understand the expectations for good behaviour and the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

majority of students are keen to do well.  Fixed-term exclusions are below national average and there have been no permanent exclusions in the last two years.  The year, sports and school councils provide good opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills. These councils are respected by both students and staff and help ensure that senior leaders take account of students’ views.  Students say that they feel safe and that bullying is rare. Most parents and carers agree that their child is safe and happy at school.  Students are encouraged to develop their social and cultural skills through a wide range of activities including inter-form competitions and musical and drama productions.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders, including in the sixth form, have high expectations reflecting an ambition that all students can achieve well and are focused on providing a high-quality of education for all students.  The headteacher is passionate about the school’s vision of ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’, and is fully committed to improving students’ opportunities to be successful.  Leaders successfully provide structures and policies to support behaviour for learning and to ensure students behave well and are kept safe.  Leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Processes to check on the effectiveness of teaching are well established and have improved teaching. However, the recording and tracking of students’ progress, while thorough, are too complex for governors and some staff to use effectively.  Teachers’ performance is managed well. Teachers have targets to help them improve their work.

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The leadership and management are good

These are linked closely to students’ achievement and progress.  A broad range of courses at both Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form provides good choice for students and enables good achievement. In addition, an excellent range of extra-curricular activities makes a strong contribution to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Promotion of the academy’s specialist status for visual and performing arts is strong. This has led to results above the national average and in drama many students achieving the highest possible grade. Throughout the school there are stimulating displays of both students’ work and subject-related murals, which inspire the students to do well.  Leaders and managers have created a strong community in which students are respectful and tolerant of each other, regardless of their background.  The academy uses external consultants and a support partner to promote better teaching and in

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The leadership and management are good

turn improve students’ achievement. It is outward looking in sharing its own best practice and learning from others. The headteacher is a National Leader of Education and the school is a National Support School, welcoming visitors from other schools to come and see its work and learn from the way things are done at Kingsmead.  The school is actively involved in teacher training, which in turn brings development and training opportunities to its more experienced staff.  Safeguarding arrangements are well organised and meet requirements.  The governance of the school.  Governors fulfil the statutory duties and fully understand their key role in an independent academy. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are able to challenge the school; however, this is not yet fully systematic because information provided by the school about students’ progress is too complex. The governing body

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The leadership and management are good

understands the arrangements for improving teachers’ performance and rewarding good teaching.  The governing body has a good understanding of financial arrangements, including the pupil premium funding. Governors are beginning to analyse the impact it is having in raising 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 136327 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 411996

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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 School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,454 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 256 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Nicholas Headteacher Yvonne Barry Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8351 5000 Fax number 0208 366 3709 Email address enquiries@kingsmead.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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