Harris Academy Greenwich

Harris Academy Greenwich Middle Park Avenue, Eltham, SE9 5EQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Students’ achievement is outstanding. All groups of students, including those who have special educational needs or are supported by additional funds, make rapid progress.  The quality of teaching is outstanding. Questions are probing and the tasks set are imaginative and challenging. As a result students are highly engaged in their learning.  Students’ behaviour is outstanding both in and out of lessons. Students feel safe, attitudes to learning are excellent and relationships are characterised by respect for all.  The sixth form is outstanding. Students make excellent progress at both AS and A level. Last year 90% of students progressed to university.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. It is a very strong feature in the school’s curriculum as well as in all other aspects of the school.  Leadership and management are outstanding, driven by the enthusiastic and inspirational

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

partnership between the principal and executive principal. They are supported by skilled and committed school leaders who help drive improvement relentlessly. Leaders are committed to ensuring all students achieve their highest potential.  The governing body is very effective. It is fully aware of its leadership and management role. Governors work closely with the school and have a very good knowledge and understanding of its priorities.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 41 lessons or part lessons, involving more than half of the teachers. A small number were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with groups of students and staff, including senior leaders and other managers. Inspectors met with members of the governing body, including the vice chair as well as the chief executive of the Harris Academy Federation.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, including what the school offers disabled students and those who have special educational needs.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including information about safeguarding, the school’s own evaluations, information on students’ current progress and parents’ and carers’ views. Records of monitoring in relation to teaching, students’ behaviour and attendance were also examined.  Inspectors observed students’ workbooks in order to help evaluate the progress made by

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Information about this inspection

students over time. A substantial number of exercise books from a range of teaching sets were tracked against students’ individual progress data, including the majority of students’ work in the sixth form.  Inspectors took account of the 29 responses to the online Parent View survey and considered the 85 responses made by staff in the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Haydn Evans, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Hugh Betterton Additional Inspector Nick Cross Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector Martin Marsh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized secondary school.  The Eltham Foundation School was inspected by Ofsted in February 2012. At that time it was judged to be satisfactory. It converted to an academy later that year.  A very small proportion of students are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The largest groups represented are of Black African heritage.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for looked after children and students known to be eligible for free school meals, is well above average.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium is well above average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is about average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  No students are educated off site.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to embed the school’s numeracy policy by:  ensuring that its implementation is consistent across all subjects.

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The achievement of students is outstanding

 Students make outstanding progress from significantly below average starting points so that by the end of Key Stage 4 attainment is very high. Attainment at GCSE has risen rapidly, far in excess of that seen nationally. Last year 85% of students secured five or more passes at grades A* to C, including in English and mathematics. The attainment of students in their best eight subjects and overall is much higher than average. Some of the more able students are entered early for GCSE examinations. However, their progress also exceeds that of similar groups of students nationally.  The proportion of students making and exceeding the progress expected in English and mathematics is very much higher than average, resulting in high attainment at grades A* to C.  Students are encouraged to read widely and as often as possible. Those in Year 7 who are eligible for the catch-up premium receive targeted literacy support from tutors. This enables

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The achievement of students is outstanding

them to make accelerated progress and keep up with their peers’ attainment.  Students are well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment. The proportion of students that continue their education or take up training or employment is significantly above average.  Students from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those of Black African heritage, achieve very well. This is partly because they are supported by the school’s commitment to very high expectations for all of its students.  The achievement of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is significantly above that of similar students nationally. The school is very effective in ensuring equality of opportunity for learning for all groups of students through its relentless and rigorous tracking of students’ progress.  The group of students who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium achieve very well. In

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The achievement of students is outstanding

2013 they achieved about a grade higher than the average for similar students nationally and in line with the rest of the school. This continues to be maintained by a relentless approach to targeted support.  Retention rates into and throughout the rapidly expanding sixth form are high and nearly all students make rapid progress over time. In excess of 90% went on to study at university last year. Current student progress data and a significantly large sample of students’ written work confirm that achievement in the sixth form has very substantially improved.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Much of the teaching is outstanding and never less than consistently good. It is characterised by very high levels of engagement and good pace and challenge. It is supported by the good subject knowledge of teachers, their excellent relationships with students and the high expectations they have of and for them.  Teachers make effective use of individual targets for students, especially throughout Key Stage 4, which helps to speed up the pace of learning. Students know and understand their targets and how to improve their work.  The high quality marking is consistent across all subjects, including in the sixth form. For example, Year 10 students enthusiastically explained the written feedback comments helped them to consolidate and better understand what they had learned.  Audio and visual technology is used very well to enrich teachers’ explanations and to support students’ learning. For example, in one English lesson a teacher used music to help engage

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

students in their learning and sustain their interest. The teacher used simple and complex sounds to animate her explanations of different types of sentences.  In many lessons teachers skilfully question and challenge students in order to elicit explanations that improve their learning and understanding. Students are encouraged to be active and develop their understanding by collaborating with each other as well as by working independently of the teacher.  For example, in a Year 10 chemistry lesson, students were challenged to explain simple observations using quite difficult chemical theory. Small groups were asked to construct plastic models to enable them to explain what they had observed. The teacher and some teaching assistants who circulated the laboratory then helped students to quickly arrive at an explanation.  Students are encouraged to find things out for themselves and to collaborate, for example,

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

through assessing the quality of their own and one another’s work.  Learning is very well planned, including the use of seating maps to ensure that groups of students are properly located and therefore suitably supported. Approaches used by teachers are carefully crafted to what students know, understand and can do. This ensures all groups of students make excellent progress relative to their starting points. Teaching assistants are very well used to support the less able.  Teachers’ expectations about students’ progress are very high as illustrated by classroom discussions. Students are confident in holding a dialogue with their teachers. The effect is that in all of the lessons observed, including key subjects like mathematics, modern languages and English, the discussion enabled students to learn independently and to make at least good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students typically have exemplary attitudes to learning, both in and out of lessons. There is a very positive attitude displayed by students throughout the school. Relationships are respectful and courteous. In this context, students are very clear about the rapid improvement in behaviour over time throughout the school.  Behaviour is outstanding in lessons and around the school. Students are polite to adults, helpful to visitors and very respectful of one another. In corridors and recreational areas behaviour is orderly and respectful even when free from explicit supervision by senior leaders.  The vast majority of parents, carers, staff and students agree that children are safe and behaviour is well managed. Leaders enthusiastically greet the children at the school gate at the beginning of the day and bid them a friendly goodbye at the end.  The enrichment programme, including students’ personal, social and health education, helps to

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

promote equal opportunities. It develops a cohesive community with a tolerance, sensitivity and respect of others. The school promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well. This is at the heart of the school’s behaviour policy and curriculum. There is a strong emphasis on respect for all in much that the school does.  Bullying is almost non-existent; students know how to keep safe, including while using the internet. They feel confident to ask for support should the occasion arise. School records confirm these views are accurate.  The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. For example students’ safety is overseen in the recreational areas on arrival before school until they leave when the school closes.  Students are punctual to school and to their lessons. Their high rate of attendance is illustrative of how much they enjoy school. They are rightly proud of their school. The attendance of groups

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

of students considered at risk of not doing well and those who have special educational needs and disabilities is also well above average.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Both the principal and executive principal provide outstanding and inspirational leadership. Their vision and energy are shared among the wider leadership team. They and their colleagues ensure students have excellent opportunities for personal and academic development. Consequently students thrive, have a real commitment to their community and achieve at the highest levels.  The principal, executive principal and senior leadership team have an accurate view of how well the school is meeting its targets. They are resolutely focused on improving the achievement and personal development of all. This is illustrated by the school’s monitoring of the marking of students’ work across subjects. It has ensured that it is consistently of the highest quality. Students understand what they need to improve in their work as a result.  Leaders carry out systematic observations of learning, scrutiny of students’ work and hold

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The leadership and management are outstanding

teachers to account. The principal and executive principal, together with senior and middle leaders, focus relentlessly on teaching and learning. They provide regular very high quality training that is closely linked to how well teachers are meeting their targets. For example, programme leaders frequently provide model practice that has contributed substantially to improvements. The school also benefits from the exemplary practice and support of the Harris Federation of schools.  Excellent policies underpin practices that are generating rapid progress through literacy levels. The school’s monitoring of student data illustrates this very well.  The range of subjects the school teaches inspires a love of learning and is reviewed annually to meet the needs of all groups of students. This is having a positive effect, including on the enhanced rates of progress in the sixth form. Students with moderate learning difficulties and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

disabled students and those who have special educational needs are prioritised.  The school makes a substantial funding allocation for extra sports activities. In this respect it offers a large range of clubs and aerobic activities.  There is an exceptional range of opportunities for students to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills both in lessons and after-school activities. This includes a broad range of out-of-hours activities, visits and community-based projects. The promotion of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is evident in many aspects of school life and is very well considered and planned.  The school’s success in promoting equality of opportunity is seen in the increasing progress made by all groups of students. This is illustrated by the sustained, very high attainment of those eligible for pupil premium or extra funding and those who have special educational needs.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

Both are in line with the rest of the school.  All statutory requirements relating to safeguarding arrangements are met. Appropriate measures are in place and there are rigorous procedures to ensure the safety of all students and staff.  The school works very well with parents and carers, as indicated by the positive response from Parent View. Almost all of the parents and carers thought the school was well led and managed and would recommend it to others.  The governance of the school  Governors have an excellent understanding of the quality of teaching in the school and of the school’s analysis of students’ progress. They have a clear understanding of how the school compares to others nationally and this enables them to hold senior leaders to account. Governors are fully aware of how well the performance of teachers is managed, including the use of the Teachers’ Standards They ensure there is a clear link between students’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

performance and teachers’ rewards and promotion. They support the principal and executive principal effectively in improving the quality of teaching. They ensure the efficient management of financial and other resources. They support the principal and executive principal well in determining priorities within financial constraints. They check carefully the use of additional funding received and monitor the impact on the achievement of those students supported through it. The governing body fulfils all of its statutory requirements, including those relating to safeguarding and child protection.

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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 138449 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 425473

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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 convertor School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 908 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Annette Smith Headteacher George McMillan Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8859 0133 Fax number 020 8294 1890 Email address g.mcmillan@harrisgreenwich.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 and 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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