Haberdashers' Knights Academy

Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knights Academy Launcelot Road, Bromley, BR1 5EB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that has serious weaknesses.  The behaviour of a significant minority of pupils disrupts teaching and slows down or prevents others from learning.  The careless and rough behaviour of a few pupils in the secondary phase is a concern, because not all pupils feel safe all of the time.  More can be done to narrow the attainment gap between pupils eligible for pupil premium funding in Key Stage 4 and their peers.  The sixth form requires improvement because too many students make limited progress in Year 12.  Teaching is not consistently good enough. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils and do not structure activities to bring out the best in them.  There is inconsistency in the way some teachers manage the behaviour of pupils firmly or effectively enough.  Leaders and governors have not focussed on behaviour with the same sharp precision as they have concentrated on pupils’

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The school has the following strengths

 The Principal, with the support of other senior leaders, provides clear direction and has taken decisive action to drive improvement in achievement since her appointment.  Better systems and procedures are in place to hold staff to account.  The academy is on an upward path of improvement and this can be seen in pupils’ achievement across all key stages.  Children in Reception make good progress.  Leaders and governors work very well within the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation and with other partners to bring about improvement in the academy.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 37 lessons, some of which were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. In addition, the inspectors made a number of shorter visits to lessons to look at specific aspects of teaching.  Meetings were held with five groups of pupils from primary through to the sixth form, senior leaders and middle leaders, a group of newly qualified teachers, support staff, the Chief Executive Officer of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation, representatives of the governing body, the local authority, and a partner school.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents which included 86 responses to the online Parent View survey, the academy’s own surveys, and other views expressed by a small number of parents.  Inspectors considered the responses of 78 staff who completed the staff questionnaire.  The inspection team observed the work of the academy, spoke informally with pupils, looked at

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Information about this inspection

a number of documents including: information on the quality of teaching, performance management and pay, the academy’s evaluation of its performance, improvement plans, and minutes and other papers from some of the governing body meetings. They looked at summary information on exclusions and the equalities incidents log, and documents relating to attendance, safeguarding and pupils’ well-being.  Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors visited the academy on 6 February 2014 to gather additional evidence relating to behaviour and safety, and leadership and management.

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Inspection team

Carmen Rodney, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Rosemarie McCarthy Additional Inspector Brian Netto Additional Inspector Susan Sutton Additional Inspector Kathy Twin Additional Inspector John Kennedy Her Majesty’s Inspector Sue Morris-King Her Majesty’s 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 significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this school

 The academy is a much larger than the average all-through school, serving children from Reception to Year 13. The proportion of girls to boys is lower than the national average.  Pupils are drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds. The largest groups are from White British heritage, Black African and Black Caribbean descent.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in care of a local authority, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with parents in the armed forces, is high.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is in line with the national average, while the proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school works with a number of local and neighbouring schools and colleges to provide

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Information about this school

alternative provision for a few pupils. These include New Woodlands School, Abbey Manor College and Lewisham College.  Since the previous inspection, the academy leadership teams have changed. The new Principal was appointed in September 2012. There have been six key appointments to the senior team including two new Vice Principals and a new head of the primary phase. Changes have involved half of the middle leadership team and a quarter of the teaching staff. Staff turnover has been high since the previous inspection.  The academy works is part of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation. This is led by the Federation Executive Team which includes the Chief Executive Officer, the Principals of three academies and three other senior staff. The federation has recently reorganised its governance. The academy now has a local governing body which reports to the Federation Trust Board. Previously, the academy was directly accountable to the federation governing body and its committees.

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Information about this school

 The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by: – developing the quality of pupils’ writing and reading skills in the primary phase, particularly boys – focussing on the quality of learning and degree of challenge for the most able pupils – narrowing the achievement gaps in the secondary phase between pupil groups and their peers, particularly those eligible for the pupil premium, White British, and pupils who have special educational needs – improving the consistency with which pupils are guided through teachers’ marking and feedback – raising students’ achievement further in Year 12.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour and safety by: – providing pupils with a better understanding of how their behaviour can impact on the safety and learning of others – strengthening the way in which information is gathered and analysed about disruption in lessons, bullying and other forms of poor behaviour, including the use of internal and external exclusion – reducing even further the incidence of lateness to school and persistent absenteeism.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure governors work closely with senior and middle leaders at all levels to improve the standard of behaviour and safety in the academy by: – having a detailed understanding of trends and patterns around incidents of poor behaviour so that they check that the actions being taken are making a difference – making sure that staff consistently and rigorously apply the academy’s behaviour policy – ensuring that all staff have the skills in how to manage difficult behaviour especially that which prevents the learning of others.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment has not been consistently good enough over time in different key stages and for different groups of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is improving but is low, particularly in writing. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is also improving and is now broadly average. However, weaknesses remain in reading and aspects of writing, particularly spelling. Pupils achieved the best results in mathematics for the last three years with most reaching or exceeding national expectations by the end of Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The academy’s tracking information and evidence from lessons and pupils’ books confirm that current pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are making progress in line with expectations. In Reception, children make rapid progress and outcomes are good. The strong emphasis on equipping staff with appropriate skills to develop pupils’ early reading skills is having a positive impact. For example, the 2013 reading test in Year 1 showed that most pupils exceeded the required standard despite their low starting points on entry to the academy.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Boys in Key Stage 2 made less progress in reading and writing than girls in 2013. The academy is tackling this through an effective range of strategies and interventions including a spelling scheme, focussed writing sessions and more opportunities for boys to read.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils gaining five or more A*-C grades at GCSE, which included English and mathematics, rose significantly in 2013 to levels which were broadly average. This reversed the dip in 2012. The average point score of pupils across the best eight subjects also rose considerably. The early entry policy for GCSE mathematics was a contributory factor to better results in this subject in 2013. Nevertheless, this improvement masks variation between subjects and for some groups. For instance, standards reached by more-able pupils remain below expectations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, the proportions of Year 11 pupils making progress in line with national expectations rose in English and in mathematics. Progress in mathematics was stronger and above the national average. It was below average in English. Current information provided by the academy shows that overall, pupils in the secondary phase are making progress in line with expectations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The academy rightly recognises that there is more to do Key Stage 4 to accelerate the progress of some groups such as White British pupils who do not achieve as well as their Black African or Black Caribbean peers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Year 11 pupils eligible for pupil premium funding are not making enough progress to catch up with their peers in the academy. In 2013, their results showed a difference of about one grade lower overall than their peers in English and mathematics. In contrast, the attainment gap in Key Stage 2 is narrowing for pupils eligible for pupil premium funding. In 2013, these pupils made far better progress than their peers in both English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The academy is employing strategies that are having an impact in different year groups. Targeted literacy support through the pupil premium funding, increased tracking, the creation of nurture groups, flexible pupil groupings including streaming and gender-based groups are helping to remove the barriers to pupils’ learning. This reflects the emphasis given to ensuring equality of opportunity.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There is variability in the achievement of pupils who have special educational needs. For instance, in 2013, Year 6 pupils made better progress in writing and mathematics than in reading. In Year 11, pupils made better progress in mathematics than in English.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement in the sixth form is improving. However, students’ achievement at AS level is below average. The academy is taking positive action to tackle this. This includes a review of the curriculum, better tracking and the provision of information and guidance to ensure students are matched to the right courses. Students’ achievement is better in Year 13, and the number going on to university, including the Russell Group, is increasing each year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Staff check on and monitor carefully the progress of pupils who attend off-site provision, such as the New Woodlands School. Well-organised, multi-agency and specialist support for particular pupils has a positive impact on their achievement and well-being.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because pupils’ progress has been too variable over time in subjects and across key stages. Pupils’ rates of progress are mostly steady rather than good or rapid. Some teachers do not use their skills to bring out the best learning in pupils, irrespective of their different abilities and needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons where low-level disruption occurs, teaching time is lost because some pupils do not readily cooperate with teachers and are too often pre-occupied with personal or social activities. As a result, they disrupt the learning of others. In a minority of lessons or tutor time teachers have to work too hard to gain the attention of some pupils so that learning can begin. Sometimes teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour firmly or effectively enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Relationships are generally constructive between pupils, and most pupils show respect for their teachers. This facilitates group work which many learn from and enjoy. However, some pupils are inattentive and do not use the time productively.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Learning activities do not always reflect the starting points of pupils to ensure they are always challenged and can apply their skills to more complex work. In some lessons, pupils finish the work quickly and become disengaged. The most able pupils say that they are challenged more in English and mathematics than in some other subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the lessons observed during the inspection, there were a number of factors which underpin better teaching and learning. In these lessons teachers are skilful in the way they structure the lesson and ensure that the activities are at the right pace. They keep a close eye on how well pupils are learning and ask skilful questions to check their understanding and correct any misconceptions.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers generally have good subject knowledge, which is enriched by professional development provided by the academy, the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation and external partners.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils with special educational needs are provided with good quality additional support in lessons and in withdrawal groups.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The academy has a small referral room which pupils attend when there are concerns about their behaviour. Not enough attention is paid to providing these pupils with appropriate work in a timely way and so they do not lose valuable learning time.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of marking varies considerably across subjects and within departments. In the best marking and assessment seen, pupils respond to the running commentary and detailed pointers on how they can improve their work. Too many books are either unmarked for long periods or adequate guidance is not given.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Poor behaviour in a minority of lessons and around the academy show that a small but significant minority of pupils, mostly in the secondary phase, have negative attitudes to learning and slow down or prevent the learning of others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Pupils are generally respectful to others and to staff; they work hard and want to learn. However, a minority of pupils do not demonstrate good listening skills, call out in lessons and are disrespectful and argumentative when spoken to by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 A new behaviour policy has been introduced and tighter systems are in place. This sets out clear and appropriate expectations and processes for managing behaviour. However, it is not applied consistently by all staff. A number of pupils indicated that behaviour is improving. Nevertheless, they also said that the way it is managed can very much depend on who the teacher is and that sometimes the behaviour of a few is allowed to disrupt learning. Inspectors agree.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Most pupils move sensibly around the academy and during lesson changeovers and in the dining area. However, in the secondary phase, a few pupils show a poor understanding of safety when they do not see the possible consequences of their actions, for instance, when rushing down a corridor or engaging in rough or careless behaviour. As a result, some pupils indicate that they do not feel safe.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 When bullying occurs, its most prevalent forms include physical and verbal intimidation. While pupils understand that racist behaviour is wrong, hurtful names and homophobic language are used casually to cause offence by some pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Some pupils in the primary phase voiced concerns about bringing incidents to the attention of staff as they were of the view that they would be picked on by pupils or insufficient action would be taken by staff. However, evidence shows that the academy has clearly set out actions which staff take when concerns are brought to their attention.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Incidents of poor behaviour and the use of the academy’s referral room are recorded but not enough attention has been paid to analysing and acting on the trend and patterns. The number of incidents have reduced significantly in the past year, although the number of exclusions remains too high.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Teaching in personal and social health education aims to help pupils understand issues around prejudice-based bullying. Despite this and the generally positive relationships between pupils, a small number do not demonstrate a mature understanding of the importance of respecting different groups regardless of their characteristics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The many examples of positive behaviour show that the pupils model what can be achieved by all. For instance, students taking part in the debating society showed excellent examples of leadership, sensible listening and the mature sharing of ideas when they debated the issues of sex education for young children.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 The academy’s 2012 parental survey and the partially completed 2013 survey indicate that while a large majority of parents feel that their children are safe at the school, a minority have concerns. A similar level of worry was expressed in the online Parent View survey with around one in every three respondents disagreeing that pupils are well behaved and one in every five feeling that bullying is not dealt with effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 A large majority of parents, about 84%, who completed the Parent View survey expressed the view that their children feel safe in the academy. All the staff who completed the inspection questionnaire agreed with the statement that pupils are safe there. A few staff expressed concerns about some aspects of behaviour, for instance, when pupils show lack of respect or misbehave when being taught by particular teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 Attendance is slightly below average in the primary phase and slightly above average in the secondary phase. This represents an improvement, particularly in the secondary phase. However, in some years groups attendance is lower than for comparative year groups nationally, and a number of pupils arrive late to school. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has fallen, but it is still too high.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders’ plans and actions aimed at improving the behaviour and safety of pupils have not yet had enough impact. Further work is needed to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning so that they are consistently good.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since her appointment, the Principal has successfully injected a no-nonsense approach to improving the academy. The senior and middle leaders have worked well to bring about improvement in achievement, teaching and behaviour. In some areas improvements have been rapid, particularly in relation to pupils’ achievement. However, leaders have not focussed on the area of behaviour with the same rigour as they have with other aspects of the academy’s performance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 ‘Behaviour and learning’ is one of the priorities in the academy’s development plan and there are clearly set out and well-understood actions to bring about improvements in behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. However, there is insufficient depth and precision in the way leaders analyse the impact of these on behaviour incidents and patterns. For instance there is insufficient focus on the use and impact of the referral room. This means that leaders and governors are not keeping behaviour under a sufficient spotlight.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have rightly focussed on the raising pupils’ achievement through quality teaching, staff training and improving pupils’ literacy skills. This is bringing about improvement, and the academy is steadily moving in the right direction. Staff, pupils and several parents comment positively on this improvement. The commitment and drive to improving standards has been possible because the Principal has provided a clear vision and direction and a culture of high expectations.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy now has a wider range of systems to check on and evaluate the quality of teaching and provide support and training for staff to make further improvement. Leaders have introduced better and more accurate systems to challenge and hold staff to account for pupils’ progress; these methods are well thought out. Underperforming staff have been moved on quickly. The appointment of key managers with clear roles and a culture of shared leadership are contributory factors to the improvements in achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy is well focused on providing continuous training and developing future leaders. It supports newly qualified teachers, and their personal testimonies affirm the benefits derived from good training. For example, these teachers said that the quality of their planning and teaching had improved. The federation has been instrumental in ensuring that formal performance management is structured and managed effectively. Training is carefully linked to quality teaching and increase in pay is not given unless targets are achieved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There is a strong focus on tackling literacy skills early across the academy to enable pupils to make better progress. The curriculum continues to offer a range of pathways for pupils at Key Stages 4 and 5. A decision to extend Key Stage 3 to three years has been made to better prepare pupils for success at Key Stage 4. A more extensive review of the curriculum is underway.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The impact of academy leaders and governors in bringing about improvement points to the capacity to continue in the same vein. Leaders have an accurate understanding of what is needed to improve teaching and learning. The academy is working closely with external partners to use information on pupils’ achievement so that those at risk of underachievement can be identified more quickly and then supported.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy sees its work as an integral part of raising aspirations in the local community. However, while there are ample opportunities for parents and the community to work with the academy, a small minority of parents believe that the academy does not respond well to concerns raised and would not recommend it to other parents.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development through subjects, enrichment activities and its developing links within the wider community.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Primary sport funding is targeted at activities to improve the health and well-being of pupils. As this funding arrived only recently, it is too early to evaluate the impact of the work undertaken.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority works closely with the academy and has provided training for middle leaders and newly qualified teachers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors bring a wealth of expertise, including in education, business and legal service. They ensure that the academy derives many benefits from the federation: training, sharing resources widely and maintaining close links with federation’s Chief Executive Officer. Governors show a determination and strong focus on bringing about improvement. They receive regular reports on the impact of the academy’s work and compare it with the performance of other academies in the federation. There is rich detail about key aspects such as achievement and attendance, and evidence that governors are asking searching questions about performance. While there is a regular focus on behaviour, there is less detail about it. Consequently, there is not the same level of questioning about behaviour and safety as there is for other key performance areas. Nonetheless, governors consider evidence from the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

surveys of staff, parents and pupils, including responses which relate to behaviour and safety. The governing body ensures that statutory safeguarding requirements are met in relation to the vetting of staff. Governors place considerable emphasis on the professional development of staff. They work closely with senior leaders to apply the performance management criteria and ensure that staff are held to account for pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. They compare the achievement of pupils against national benchmarks and similar schools. They set high expectations for the academy and expect top performance from its leaders and other staff.

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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 135070 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 427803

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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 All-through School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1529 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 172 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mary Wetherell Headteacher Tesca Bennett Date of previous school inspection 30 March 2011 Telephone number 020 7652 9500 Fax number 020 7652 9520 Email address k.reception@haaf.org.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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