London Nautical School

Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders, well supported by the governing body, have acted quickly and effectively to address the weaknesses identified by the school’s last inspection. As a result, the quality of teaching, as well as other aspects of the school’s work, is now consistently good.  Leaders are strongly committed to improving students’ achievement and well-being still further. They know what needs to be done to bring this about.  Students throughout the school achieve well in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics. Examination results have improved significantly since the last inspection.  Students feel safe and are well looked after by the school. Parents agree that this is the case.  In lessons, outside and around the school, students behave well. They understand the importance of good behaviour and treat others with courtesy and consideration.  Teachers have high expectations of students in terms of both work and behaviour. They are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects.  The school’s curriculum, including the very wide range of out-of-school activities, helps pupils to achieve well academically. It also promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively.  The school’s unique expertise in nautical education and training makes a significant contribution to students’ preparation for further study and future employment.  The governing body carefully supervises the school’s work. Governors set senior leaders challenging targets for improvement and hold them firmly to account for achieving them.  Students in the sixth form benefit from courses that are well suited to their abilities and interests. Their behaviour is outstanding; they achieve well and they provide excellent role models for younger students.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all the measures introduced by school leaders to raise students’ achievement and improve the quality of teaching have had time to have their full effect.  Teachers do not always make full use of information about students’ prior attainment and progress to plan activities for students that precisely match their different levels of ability.  Leaders have not yet ensured that all members of staff consistently implement the school’s policies for managing students’ behaviour.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 31 part-lessons, taught by the same number of teachers. They observed six of these lessons jointly with the deputy headmaster and other senior leaders. Inspectors also made shorter visits to a number of other lessons and activities, including two assemblies.  Inspectors held discussions with groups of students, the Chair of The Governing Body and six other members, as well as with staff. The lead inspector met a representative from the local authority and a parent.  The inspectors observed many aspects of the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s information on students’ attainment and progress and records of attendance. They examined safeguarding procedures, as well as self-evaluation, performance management and planning documents.  In planning and carrying out the inspection, inspectors took account of 29 responses to the Ofsted online

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Information about this inspection

survey, Parent View, as well as the school’s own most recent survey of parents’ views. They also considered two messages from parents and 40 questionnaires completed by members of the teaching and support staff.

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Inspection team

Robin Gaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  A small number of girls join the school in the sixth form.  The proportions of students from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are well above the national average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is above average.  An above-average proportion of students are eligible for the pupil premium. This is additional government funding provided for disadvantaged children who are looked after or known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of students who are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium is broadly average. This extra money is provided to schools to support pupils who have not reached the expected levels in English and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  A small number of students in Key Stage 4 attend full or part-time courses provided by 12 other organisations. These are: The Prince’s Trust, Kennington; Lambeth Early Intervention; Southwark Inclusive Learning Service; the Park Centre, Lambeth; Fitzroy Lodge Amateur Boxing Club; North Middlesex and Surrey cricket clubs and Arsenal, Brentford, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea and Crystal Palace football clubs.  There have been several changes in staffing since the school’s last inspection. These include some that have affected the composition of the senior leadership team and staff who have responsibility for particular areas of the school’s work.  The governing body has reorganised its committee structure since the last inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement to outstanding by ensuring that all teachers make full use of information about students’ attainment and progress to plan activities that precisely match students’ abilities.  Ensure that all members of staff consistently implement the school’s policies with regard to managing students’ behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under the calm, principled and purposeful leadership of the headmaster, the school has addressed the weaknesses identified by its last inspection. Leaders’ judgements about teaching are accurate. Plans show that they know what needs to be done to improve the school still further.  Senior leaders have acted decisively to eradicate inadequate teaching and encourage the sharing of existing good practice. As a result, students’ achievement has improved significantly.  School leaders have established strong values and beliefs, based firmly on its nautical tradition. Students from different backgrounds work cooperatively. They understand the importance of teamwork and of responding promptly to instructions. This, together with the strong management of teaching, creates an environment in which good teaching and behaviour are standard.  Leaders have improved the accuracy and increased the frequency of checks on students’ attainment and

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The leadership and management are good

progress throughout the school. They have not yet ensured that all teachers make the best possible use of the information that they receive.  Senior leaders set clear and demanding targets for teachers and insist on any pay rises being linked explicitly to teachers’ success in raising students’ achievement and promoting their well-being.  Teachers, including those who are new to the profession or to the school, speak very positively about the support they receive and how relevant training courses have helped them to improve their practice.  Staff who are responsible for specific areas of the school’s work, some of whom are new to their posts, are ambitious to improve the school’s effectiveness still further. They have introduced initiatives that have already had a positive impact on students’ achievement and personal development by, for example, extending the range of courses available to them. Not all these measures have yet had time to have the

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The leadership and management are good

intended impact on students’ achievement.  The local authority supports the school well, particularly with robust reviews of performance, such as lesson observations and examinations of students’ work. This has enabled the local authority’s representatives to provide effective help and advice on specific areas for development. The local authority has reduced its level of support because it recognises that leaders now have the capacity to bring about further improvement themselves.  Leaders make effective use of the additional funding the school receives for disadvantaged students and for those who have not reached the expected levels in English and mathematics when they begin Year 7. This support includes extra tuition as well as the removal of financial barriers to participation in out-of-school events. The school’s success in enabling these students to keep up with their classmates demonstrates its

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The leadership and management are good

strong commitment to promoting equality of opportunity.  The school has developed its curriculum well by ensuring that courses, including in the sixth form, are at the right level. This enables students to achieve well and prepares them appropriately for future employment. The school has increased the range and take-up of courses in nautical education. These courses have received national recognition for their contribution to enhancing the United Kingdom’s ability to develop its sea-based commerce and industries.  The school provides all its students with an extremely wide variety of special events and out-of-school activities. As a result, students benefit from many opportunities to broaden their horizons and to develop their cultural and sporting talents. In particular, students have had great success in competing against other, often much larger, schools.  Students’ participation in the school’s Equality and Diversity group enables them to play an active part in

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The leadership and management are good

tackling any potential discrimination. Detailed and effective policies discourage extremist behaviour and promote the fundamental British values of democracy, fair play and tolerance. Students appreciate and celebrate the different languages and cultures to be found in the school. These factors contribute strongly to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare them well for life in modern Britain.  Students confirm that they benefit from good-quality, impartial advice and guidance about careers and their options for further and higher education. This has helped them to make well-informed choices about what they will do when they leave school.  The school has established close and productive links with the various organisations that provide courses for a small number of the school’s students. This enables leaders to make sure that these students attend regularly, behave well, are safe and make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. Leaders ensure that staff receive regularly updated training in safeguarding students and that newly appointed staff are suitably vetted before they take up their posts.  A very large majority of parents agree that the school responds well to any concerns they may have and that it provides them with valuable information about their children’s progress.  The governance of the school:  Governors ensure the school’s nautical traditions are respected, maintained and enhanced. The governing body’s revised committee structure has enabled members to focus sharply and effectively on assessing the school’s performance. It has also increased their ability to hold leaders firmly to account for raising students’ achievement and improving the quality of teaching. Governors have a clear and accurate view of students’ attainment and progress compared with other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors give school leaders demanding targets for raising achievement and check that they are met. Governors know what leaders have done to improve the quality of teaching and fully support leaders’ actions to ensure that weak teaching is appropriately challenged. They exercise their right to approve pay awards for teachers only if they meet their own and the school’s targets, including for raising achievement.  The governing body takes good care of the school’s finances and has increased the school’s resources through its many contacts with local companies and organisations. Governors fully understand the school’s responsibilities for safeguarding students. They ensure that the school’s policies and procedures are effective and that all requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is good.  Most students behave sensibly and maturely in lessons. They show respect for and are courteous towards their teachers and one another. Students respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and requests, and work cooperatively and productively together.  Students wear their distinctive uniform with pride and make sure their written work is well presented.  Students are punctual to school and to lessons. Their attendance has risen in recent years and is now above the national average.  Students move around the school in an orderly fashion. In the playground, they make good use of the limited space available. They enjoy taking part in a ball game that has been passed down through generations of students.  The school has improved the behaviour of the few students whose conduct has been a serious cause for concern. Consequently, the number of exclusions has fallen significantly.

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Behaviour

 The ability of students, including younger students, to identify the causes of good and bad behaviour demonstrates their understanding of its importance and their good moral and social development. Students say lessons are rarely disrupted. On the few occasions when behaviour is not good, students say that this is because not all staff apply the school’s rules consistently.  The attendance and behaviour of those students who follow courses provided by other organisations are good.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good.  Students of all ages say they feel safe in school and that staff look after them well. A very large majority of those parents who responded to the Parent View and the school’s own survey agree that this is so.  A very small number of parents indicated that they had concerns about their children’s safety. Inspectors found no evidence to suggest that these concerns were well founded.  Students know how to keep themselves and others safe, including when they are on or in the water. They learn to assess and to minimise risks. Students are very much aware of the potential dangers posed by use of the internet and of how to avoid them.  Students have a good awareness of different types of bullying, such as prejudice-related and cyber bullying. Bullying, although they say it does happen, does not cause them great concern. This is because bullying is

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Safety

rare and the school deals with it promptly and thoroughly if students are unable to resolve issues themselves.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding students meet government requirements. School leaders make sure that students attending courses elsewhere are kept safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ secure knowledge of and their enthusiasm for their different subjects enable them to explain topics clearly and accurately and to inspire. Students benefit from learning in classrooms that are attractive and stimulating environments.  Teachers have high expectations. Most teachers plan activities that are at the right level of challenge. However, this is not always the case as information about students’ previous attainment is not always used to inform teachers’ planning.  Teachers use questioning well, both to check and to extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding. They adapt activities during the course of lessons if they discover that pupils are making faster or slower progress than they had anticipated.  Teachers’ marking of students’ work is regular, accurate and detailed. Students say that teachers’ comments help them to improve their work.  The school successfully encourages in students a love of reading and, as a result, they read widely and

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The quality of teaching is good

often. Students’ writing, as well as their improved GCSE results in English, shows that they can write well in a range of styles and for different purposes.  Students gain a good grasp of mathematical principles and problem-solving techniques because teachers give them activities that enable them to apply their understanding and practise their skills.  Teachers make sure that teaching assistants understand the work being done by disabled students, those with special educational needs, and those who are learning English as an additional language. This enables teaching assistants to give these students the support they need to play a full part in classroom activities and to achieve well.  Most parents, especially those who responded to the school’s own most recent survey, believe that their children are taught well, enabling them to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of students gaining five or more A* to C passes including in English and mathematics rose significantly between 2012 and 2014. This demonstrates more rapid progress and better levels of achievement. Accurate information about current students’ attainment and progress indicates that this upward trend is being accelerated.  The performance of current students shows that the school has succeeded in reducing the variability of the standards reached by students in particular subjects, including science and modern foreign languages. Attainment in reading and writing has improved markedly as a result of better teaching. Achievement in mathematics has also risen. The school does not enter students early for GCSE in this or in any other subject.  Most-able students achieve well because teachers give them demanding work. As a result, an increasing number qualify to follow demanding academic courses when they complete their studies in Key Stage 4.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Those students who follow vocational courses, including nautical studies, make good progress and develop skills and attributes, such as resilience and team work, which prepare them well for life beyond school.  Students’ learning and progress in lessons, in a range of different subjects, are good. This is shown by the quality of their written and practical work and their responses in classes. When, occasionally, students make slower progress, it is because the work is not pitched at the right level.  There are no significant differences in the achievement of different ethnic groups. Students who speak English as an additional language, including those who are at an early stage of learning the language, receive the support they need to achieve well.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make good and sometimes outstanding progress because staff help them to overcome any difficulties.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s records of disadvantaged students’ attainment and progress, as well as their examination results, show that these students throughout the school make good progress and achieve well.  In 2014, the progress of disadvantaged students in both English and mathematics was in line with that of other students nationally. This represents an improvement from the previous year. Gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged students and that of other students across the country have narrowed. In 2014, disadvantaged students’ GCSE results showed that they were less than a third of a grade behind other students nationally in both English and mathematics. In 2011, however, the gap had been over two thirds of a grade in English and a third of a grade in mathematics.  The gap between disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and that of other students in the school, about two thirds of a grade, narrowed slightly between 2011 and 2014 in English. This gap widened in mathematics,

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The achievement of pupils is good

from less than a third of a grade to just over a grade. Detailed information about current Year 11 students’ performance, however, indicates that this gap is now closing rapidly.  The school’s records of pupils’ attainment show that those pupils who are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium make good progress in closing gaps in their attainment in English and mathematics.  The regular reports which the school receives about the progress made by those students taught by other organisations indicate these students benefit from their courses and achieve well.

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The sixth form provision is good

 Good teaching and choice of programmes ensure that students make good progress in the range of academic and vocational courses which they follow. Girls settle quickly into their new environment. They make a good contribution to sixth form life and achieve as well as the boys.  The newly established sixth form leadership team has a thorough understanding of the needs of this age group. Leaders quickly identify students whose attendance or progress may be causing concern and provide the encouragement and support needed to improve their performance.  Leaders carefully check the effectiveness of sixth form teaching. They are quick to tackle any inconsistencies in practice.  The behaviour of sixth form students is outstanding. They show extremely positive attitudes to learning and they use private study time very well. Students give staff valuable support in helping to organise and run activities, including sport and outdoor pursuits, for younger students.

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The sixth form provision is good

 Sixth form students provide excellent role models for students lower down the school. Their maturity and self-awareness ensure that they understand how to keep themselves and others safe in and outside the school.  Teachers are often experts in their fields. They successfully communicate their enthusiasm for their subjects but do not always use students’ previous results to the best effect.  Students confirm how much they appreciate the feedback, advice and extra help teachers give them. Students are also grateful for the help and advice they are given in making choices and preparing applications for university, college or employment.  A and AS-level results improved in 2014. Leaders’ accurate information about all groups of current students’ performance, as well as the quality of their work, indicates that this rising trend is continuing. The qualifications they gain, as well as the skills and self-confidence which they develop, ensure that they are

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The sixth form provision is good

very well prepared to meet the demands of further and higher education and of employment.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 100642 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 462145

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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 Secondary School category Foundation Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Boys Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 641 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 89 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rodney Lenthall Headmaster Hyder Dastagir Date of previous school inspection 2–3 May 2013 Telephone number 020 792 86801 Fax number 020 726 19408 Email address admin@nautical.lambeth.sch.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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