Kings International College

Kings International College Watchetts Drive, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 2PQ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Although the college has built well on the improvements reported at the time of the previous inspection and students’ attainment has risen steadily, it is only over the last year that students have made the progress of which they are capable by the time they leave in Year 11.  Good teaching has steadily accelerated students’ progress through the school, but it has taken time to fully address the legacy of underachievement.  Although improving rapidly, students have not made as much progress in English and science as they have in mathematics.  Students are not always actively engaged in responding to open-ended tasks to encourage them to think and learn for themselves.  Teachers’ marking is not consistent across the college so that sometimes students are not given enough written guidance about how to improve their work.  Occasionally opportunities are missed in lessons to deepen students’ thinking by responding to challenging questions.

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The school has the following strengths:

 The leadership of the new team is leading to rapid improvement. The executive headteacher and head of school have developed a shared confidence across staff, students and parents and carers about what students can achieve, and shown in improving academic attainment and progress.  Better teaching improved progress rates across most subjects last year.  Students’ behaviour is good so that they feel safe because they know that inconsiderate behaviour is not tolerated.  Students want to do well in their studies, work hard and find their teachers approachable and helpful.  Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the college.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 31 lessons involving 30 staff, some of which were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with three student groups, school leaders and staff, and representatives of the governing body. An inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and attended an assembly. They scrutinised students’ work, progress data, evaluation and development documents, information about how the school cares for and protects students and staff, and records relating to behaviour and attendance.  The inspection took account of 93 responses to the online Parent View survey submitted prior to and during the inspection, together with questionnaires completed by 45 staff.

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Inspection team

Helen Hutchings, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christopher Anders Additional Inspector Janice Howkins Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Kings International College is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  Around a third of students are from minority ethnic backgrounds, with the largest group from Nepalese backgrounds. Approximately a quarter of students speak English as an additional language, which is above average.  The proportion of students for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for students known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and others) is above that of schools nationally.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is above that found in most schools, and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is high.  A higher than average proportion of students join the college after the beginning of Year 7, with a few students joining during Years 10 and 11.

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Information about this school

 The college meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  The college works in a soft federation with Tomlinscote School. The schools share an executive headteacher and the college is led by a head of school. The federation enables sharing of staff development and some staffing. A few students attend courses at the partner school.  When the college was last inspected in July 2011, it was removed from special measures imposed in the January 2010 inspection. The college sixth form closed at that time.  In September 2011, a new executive headteacher and head of college took up their posts. A shadow governing body took over from an interim executive board established to oversee college development, and was fully in place in November 2011.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the improvements in students’ progress in English and science are built upon securely, so that students make consistently good or better progress in these subjects, by:  making sure that students are given greater challenge through more open-ended tasks which actively engage them in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching, by making sure that all teachers:  use challenging and probing questions to deepen students’ understanding  mark students’ work regularly so that students have good written guidance about what they have to do to improve.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There is some variation in students’ attainment when they join the college. In recent years, students have started their secondary education with attainment below that of their peers nationally, and with greater weaknesses in English than in mathematics.  Partly because of underachievement over a number of years, including when the college was in special measures, students did not make the progress of which they were capable across all their subjects until last year. Consequently, the college is not yet able to demonstrate that students’ achievement is good over a sustained period of time.  Over the last five years, results, including the proportion of students gaining five good GCSE grades including English and mathematics, have improved steadily year-on-year and are now in line with those found nationally. However, achievement requires improvement because, until last year, students’ progress was not consistently good across all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The inconsistency was largely caused by weaknesses in English and science in 2011 and 2012. However, this situation has been addressed successfully and the school’s 2013 results are significantly better in these subjects. The proportions making and exceeding the progress expected nationally have increased substantially, particularly for those who had attained higher levels at the end of Year 6.  Attainment and progress in mathematics have been stronger than in many other subjects. In 2012, the last year for which there is national comparative data, students made progress in line with that found nationally and this improved further in 2013.  Last year, students’ attainment was more consistent across other subjects than previously. The school’s tracking data and the progress seen in lessons and students’ books show that the improvements are being sustained. Attainment rose, particularly in the proportions of students

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

gaining the highest A*/A grades in English, science subjects, modern foreign languages, humanities subjects, art and design, and statistics.  In 2012, boys outperformed girls. However, the emphasis given to achieving greater consistency across all groups resulted in no significant difference in the achievement of boys and girls in 2013.  College data show that students who are disabled or who have special educational needs are making good progress. Students report that they are given good support, particularly over the last two years. They value the one-to-one support they receive and there has been an improvement in their attainment and progress.  Students who speak English as an additional language make consistently good progress, better than their peers. This is only one example of the college’s commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling any possible discrimination.  Students across the school supported through the pupil premium funding made much better

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

progress in English and mathematics in 2013 than in 2012. In 2012 at the end of Year 11, there was a gap of over a grade between this group and their peers in both English and mathematics, which was greater than found nationally. In 2013, the gap had been reduced to half a grade difference in mathematics and a sixth of a grade in English.  The college has used the additional funding for ‘catch-up’ programmes for literacy and numeracy well. Last year, Year 7 students who had not reached nationally expected levels when they joined the school made almost two term’s more progress than expected over their first year in the college.  The college actively promotes a love of reading through the tutor reading scheme and additional support is given for those who have weaker reading skills on entry. Reading and literacy skills are promoted across the college and is reflected in improving attainment in English; for example,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

teachers regularly use key words to develop specific subject understanding and to strengthen basic reading skills and general vocabulary.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because most students currently on the school roll are now making stronger progress. The college has built well on the good teaching reported in the last inspection, making it more consistent year-on-year. Consequently, teaching is typically good and, over time has been a key contributor to the more consistent and rapid progress that students make through the college. However, there has not been enough outstanding teaching to fully eradicate earlier underachievement and boost progress further by the end of Year 11 without a full programme of interventions and additional lessons to close gaps in Key Stage 4.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this effectively to plan a series of activities that engage students and promote good progress, often by using real-life examples to make learning relevant to students’ experience. Teachers ensure that learning is challenging, for example,

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The quality of teaching is good

through extended questioning. In a few lessons, while teachers’ questioning clarifies what students understand, it is not sufficiently probing to deepen students’ understanding by listening to the views of others.  In the most effective lessons, students are very actively engaged in tasks which challenge them and require them to work things out for themselves, for example by working in groups and then sharing their findings. This effectively strengthens students’ communication skills and promotes confidence. For example, in a Year 9 English lesson, students made outstanding progress when groups discussed which texts should be in chronological order before sharing their thinking with the whole class.  Teachers have positive relationships with students who value that teachers are approachable and give additional help when it is needed. As a result, an atmosphere ofshared learning pervades the college. Teachers encourage students well and build their confidence so that as

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The quality of teaching is good

students’ targets are raised, they have the belief that they can be achieved.  Teachers know their students well and regularly use this information to monitor the progress of individuals in lessons, and to give helpful verbal feedback. For example, this has a significant impact on the learning of students where changes of school have led to disruption and gaps in their learning or those who have recently arrived in Britain.  Students know the level of their work and how to improve, often through self- and peer- assessment about the work undertaken in lessons. There is much detailed teacher marking, although its frequency is uneven across the college so that students do not always have up-to- date written comments about what they have to do next to reach a higher grade. There is much good practice where students respond to their teachers’ advice and show that they have understood the advice given, but this is not fully consistent across the college.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework makes a good contribution to learning. For example, younger students respond well to mathematics homework using computer programs, which gives them choice to identify for themselves where they need to focus their greatest efforts.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Discussions with students show that they believe that behaviour is good and that they feel very safe in the college. This is confirmed by most parents and carers responding to the Parent View survey and shown by a sharp reduction in exclusions since the last inspection.  Students’ positive attitudes to their learning are seen in the pride they take in their work, with well-kept books and carefully recorded work showing well-developed presentation skills.  Students are keen to do well and show good levels of concentration in lessons. Although they take responsibility and are confident to seek help if there is anything they do not understand, they do not always show the thirst for knowledge necessary to improve their progress further.  Younger students comment on how much they enjoy school and that teachers make learning interesting. This enthusiasm was seen in a Year 7 history lesson when students worked together

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

to investigate how water could be moved from one side of a town to the other in Roman times.  The college effectively fosters good relationships. Students show respect for each other and have a good understanding of how to stay safe. They are aware of different types of bullying, including cyber bullying, saying that their study of designing safe websites is particularly useful.  Students attend regularly and are punctual to lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher and head of college give a very strong strategic lead to college development. They ensured that there was no loss of momentum during changes in senior leadership and that students steadily improved their progress through the school. They have built leadership capacity for ongoing improvement by developing significant strengths across middle managers and the leadership team.  Teaching and learning are led well; there are high expectations and an increasingly skilled team of teachers. Middle leaders and other outstanding practitioners have been given key roles in further raising standards in the classroom. The joint observations carried out by inspectors and senior leaders show that they have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching across the college, and are using the outstanding teaching already in place as the basis for others to improve teaching further.  Systems to monitor students’ progress and college development are rigorously applied. For

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The leadership and management are good

example, the progress of students attending courses in the partner school is monitored regularly, and the governing body checks on progress against the college development plan.  The leadership team has strategically developed the curriculum taking into account the very best interests of students to boost progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The replacement of humanities with discrete history and geography has promoted these subjects at Key Stage 4, and the introduction of a full GCSE religious studies course has increased students’ commitment to their learning.  Careers guidance is integrated well within the curriculum and provides opportunity for work experience so that students are prepared well for further education or employment.  Curriculum changes have contributed well to the significant increase in rates of progress in the last year and to students’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through an

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The leadership and management are good

extensive range of clubs and enrichment activities.  The local authority has given strong, continued support for the school since its last inspection, mainly in providing consultancy which has been effective in improving provision across a wide range of subjects.  The governance of the school:  Governors are committed to the college and passionate about its future development. There is a balance of experienced and new governors, and all have been trained in asking searching questions about college performance. They are very well informed about teachers’ performance management and ensure the link between performance and pay progression, and know what support has been provided to eradicate underperformance in the past. They know how well the college is performing compared to other schools, and use this knowledge to prioritise spending where it will have the greatest impact. The governing body is proactive in

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The leadership and management are good

managing its resources, taking difficult decisions because of decreasing year-on-year funding. The use of pupil premium funding on a range of interventions, including one-to-one teaching, mentoring and smaller class teaching, has secured improvement in the achievement of this group of students. Links between the two partnership schools are on the basis of mutual support, giving opportunities to learn from one another and to share resources, such as extending the range of courses available for students. Governors fulfil their statutory duties, including those for safeguarding students and recruiting staff, and give a strong strategic lead for the excellent climate of safety across the school where staff care for each and every student.

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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 132268 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 400144

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 492 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Hoggins

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Head of college

Ian Hylan Judith Langley Date of previous school inspection 12–13 July 2011 Telephone number 01276 683539 Fax number 01276 709503 Email address info@kings-international.co.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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Head of college

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 whenand as part of the inspection.

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Head of college

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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Head of college

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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Head of college

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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Head of college

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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