King Harold Business & Enterprise Academy

King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy Broomstick Hall Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1LF

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Leaders and governors are instilling an ethos founded on high expectations for all pupils and their teachers. This has secured improved outcomes and behaviour for pupils since the last inspection.  The governing body is strategic in ensuring that the school is building long-term capacity to improve.  Leaders work closely with other schools, especially their partner school, so that they can check judgements about the quality of teaching and assessment with other professionals.  The quality of teaching is improving. Expert leadership of teaching by the head of school results in a consistent approach by most teachers. Pupils benefit from this and most achieve well.  The most able pupils and those who are disadvantaged now make better progress in English and mathematics.  Attendance is improving. Pupils enjoy, and are proud of, going to King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy.  Pupils’ behaviour around school and in the majority

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This is a good school

of lessons is good. Most pupils are eager to learn and contribute well to lessons, especially when teachers encourage them to talk about what they are learning.  This school’s curriculum offers a good range of opportunities which meet pupils’ needs well.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. There are effective systems in place to protect pupils and keep them safe. Staff are well trained in child protection procedures.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils is does not adhere to the school’s marking policy. This hinders the progress of some pupils.  In Years 8 to 11, boys achieve less well than girls in English and mathematics.  Teaching assistants and teachers do not plan together routinely to support pupils at risk of falling behind.  The persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils is higher than the national average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: all teachers implement the school’s assessment policy consistently so that all pupils know what they have to do to improve in order to make good progress teachers and teaching assistants communicate better so that they complement each other more effectively in the classroom teaching assistants develop their use of questioning when working with pupils they support so that these pupils are able to solve tasks on their own teachers raise the aspirations of boys so that their progress matches that of girls, particularly in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Reduce the persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The executive headteacher’s and head of school’s vision that all pupils should have high aspirations permeates the school. There is a sense of community evolving in the school and this creates a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Leaders are committed to continuous improvement. They are developing effective systems to monitor, evaluate and review the work of the school so that improvements are sustainable.  School leaders’ evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the school is accurate. Leaders plan how to make improvements based on evidence and check progress towards meeting their priorities. Leaders use monitoring and evaluation activities such as lesson observation, learning walks and work scrutinies to identify where there is good practice in teaching and where it needs to improve. This helps leaders to identify a systematic programme of professional development to develop staff skills.  Leaders have taken effective action to ensure that the quality of teaching has improved. When required,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

they have enlisted additional support from their partner school to develop teachers’ skills and knowledge. Leaders have also used their findings from lesson observations to prioritise staff training. For example, when their visits to lessons identified weaknesses in teachers’ use of questioning, they arranged training to tackle this. Subsequent monitoring showed a positive impact.  Subject departments are improving the accuracy of their examination marking by working collaboratively with other schools and subject experts. Middle leaders model good practice for their departments.  Appropriate and effective safeguarding policies and processes are in place to ensure that pupils are safe. Staff are aware of how to identify and report any safeguarding concerns they may have. Pupils are confident to speak to members of staff if they are worried about anything.  The curriculum is designed to build on the knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils bring to the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school at the start of Year 7. Leaders have increased curriculum time in core subjects so that all pupils make good progress in mathematics, English and science. The curriculum is broad and balanced; it offers pupils different types of accredited examinations. Pupils and parents are well informed about option choices and how their children’s work is assessed.  Since September 2015, the head of school has made effective links with local primary schools. As a result, she has introduced literacy programmes which build on learning at key stage 2 so that pupils continue to make progress from the early stages of Year 7.  Communication with parents has improved. The majority now attend meetings with teachers, which has helped to improve the school’s partnership work with parents. The large number of responses to the Ofsted questionnaire as well as to the school’s own surveys confirm that parents are supportive of what the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

is trying to achieve.  The trust has supported the school well. The executive headteacher provides an appropriate degree of support and challenge to the head of school. Good use has been made of the expertise at another of the trust’s schools to improve the quality of teaching and to help the school to ensure the accuracy of its assessments of pupils’ progress.  The governance of the school There is a single governing body for the school and its partner school. This has aided governors to adopt a more strategic approach towards school leadership. Governors have ensured that senior leaders receive good support from Debden Park High School. They have a strong commitment to recruiting and retaining teachers who put pupils’ learning at the heart of all that they do. This has had a direct impact in improving teachers’ practice. Governors’ understanding of how well groups of pupils are learning is developing; they seek support to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

ensure that the achievement information they receive from the school’s leaders is accurate and timely. Governors ensure that pupil premium funding is used to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and they receive regular updates on its impact. Governors only authorise teachers’ progression up the pay scale if they achieve their targets. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Governors commissioned an external review of the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures. Governors therefore have a good understanding of safeguarding and have also ensured that the school site is safe.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Where teaching is typically most effective, teachers have high expectations and use their strong subject knowledge to stretch pupils in their learning. Pupils are challenged to think for themselves and explain their learning in a range of activities. A good example was a Year 10 science revision lesson where pupils explained complex ideas and advanced concepts to classmates using key scientific vocabulary.  Learning is effective when teachers ask challenging questions of pupils and receive detailed explanations. In a Year 10 English lesson, pupils became more confident in giving helpful feedback to a classmate about their work because the teacher used high-quality questioning to help pupils extend the quality and quantity of their responses.  The school has developed a system of good-quality written feedback to enable pupils to develop their learning. Detailed feedback to pupils about their work is exemplary in subjects such as mathematics, French

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and history. In these subjects, teachers make regular and detailed comments for pupils to consider. Work in books and discussions with pupils indicate that this helps them to improve their work. This is not yet consistently used in all subjects, and where practice is less well developed, pupils are not in a position to improve their work because teachers do not explain clearly enough what pupils have to do.  In all subjects, pupils are expected to review their work following class tests. Pupils find this helpful because it means they focus on gaps in their understanding and can strengthen their learning.  The teaching of science enables more-able pupils to make good progress. For example, in Year 8 pupils consider evidence for possible causes of extinction of animals and then use this evidence to build well- rounded arguments to support their point of view.  The school emphasises literacy, and the head of school has led initiatives in this area with marked success.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

In history, pupils use source materials to write their own imaginative responses. Teachers’ routine use of subject-specific terminology helps pupils learn quickly in science, languages and geography.  The school deploys additional support for pupils at risk of falling behind and those who have special educational needs or disability. A new special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) was appointed in September 2015, and provision plans are now in place for all pupils requiring additional support. However, teaching assistants do not consistently enable the pupils they support to learn for themselves, and inspectors saw some teaching assistants completing the tasks for them.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils understand how to stay safe, including online. They are well informed about the dangers associated with the use of social networking sites and the importance of adjusting their privacy settings.  The school provides helpful information for pupils about their next steps in education, training or employment. As a result, almost all pupils take their learning further after the age of 16.  The school’s well-being team works closely with a range of stakeholders to offer additional support for pupils. Pupils and parents are appreciative of this support.  Pupils have a good understanding of British values. They can, for example, explain the difference between democracy and dictatorship and value their right to free speech.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Consistent and high-quality staff supervision has helped to establish a calm, orderly and well-disciplined environment. For example, staff stand at the classroom door to greet pupils and monitor the corridors during lesson changes. Consequently, pupils arrive promptly to lessons and settle quickly to their learning.  Pupils commented positively on the improvements in teaching. They told inspectors this makes them want to come to school and behave well in lessons. Teachers model respectful behaviour for pupils and, as a result, pupils reciprocate in lessons by demonstrating positive attitudes towards their learning.  Bullying is rare at King Harold. This is because pupils have a good sense of how to look after each other and ask for help if they need it. Teachers and leaders respond quickly when required, to ensure that any incidents do not re-occur.  School records confirm that pupils’ behaviour over time has improved. Detentions and isolations are used

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Behaviour

effectively when behaviour occasionally falls below leaders’ expectations. As a result, no pupils have been permanently excluded this year.  Pupils’ overall attendance is broadly in line with national averages. Absence is followed up swiftly. Leaders are now focused on a small number of pupils whose attendance or punctuality is not as high as it should be. The persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils remains too high.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils enter the school with prior levels of attainment which are significantly below the national average. Public examination results in 2015 were below the national average for the proportion of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics. However, there is now an improving picture because the quality of teaching has improved, linked with pupils’ improved attitudes towards their learning.  The school has tested its predictions for the proportion of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics in 2016 by having other schools validate their assessments. Leaders shared convincing assessment information with inspectors to support their view that GCSE results in 2016 will be broadly in line with other schools nationally, including for disadvantaged pupils.  The school has made use of early examination entry in English this year for pupils who have been identified

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Outcomes for pupils are good

as making the most progress. At the time of the inspection, 42% of the Year 11 cohort had already achieved an A* to C grade in English.  School data shows that the progress and attainment of the most able pupils is improving in English and mathematics in most year groups. Inspectors’ scrutiny of pupils’ books supports this view.  Inspectors used information gathered from their and senior leaders’ observations of teaching as well as their scrutiny of pupils’ books to test out the accuracy of the school’s information on pupils’ progress. Pupils’ progress is clearly improving across all year groups and in most subjects. However, girls continue to make better progress than boys, particularly in English and mathematics in Years 8 to 11. The gap in progress made between boys and girls has closed significantly in Year 7.  Disadvantaged pupils’ progress is also improving across the school and the gaps in attainment and progress

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Outcomes for pupils are good

between these pupils and others in the school are narrowing. This is also the case when comparing disadvantaged pupils in the school to non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. This is because teachers are targeting these pupils with well-thought-out tasks in lessons and keep a close eye on the progress they make compared to their classmates. The school provides a range of appropriate activities to ensure that disadvantaged pupils have the best chance of success. This includes additional English and mathematics sessions, a breakfast club and support for enrichment activities. Year 7 catch-up funding supports some of these activities and has had a marked impact on improving literacy.  The progress of the few children looked after is at or above the national picture for English and mathematics. These pupils have individual action plans with targets that are suitably challenging.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress over time. Indeed, for some of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

these pupils in some subjects, progress is rapid. Not all teachers liaise with allocated teaching assistants closely enough to ensure that these additional adults fully understand their role and maximise their impact in the classroom.

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School details

Unique reference number 136342 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10011772

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Sponsored academy Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 580 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair James Lillingston Head of school Kim Thackray Telephone number 01992 714 800 Website www.kha-tkat.org Email address office@kha-tkat.org Date of previous inspection 23 June 2014

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Information about this school

 King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy opened as a sponsored academy in February 2012. The school is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust.  The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The school is located in the premises of the predecessor school and is currently being redecorated and updated.  The school takes pupils from a range of ethnic backgrounds including White and Black Caribbean, Caribbean, White British, other White and other mixed ethnicities. Over 80% of pupils speak English as their first language.  Almost 40% of pupils at the school are eligible for pupil premium funding (additional funding to support pupils who receive free school meals and pupils who are looked after). This is higher than that seen nationally.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is broadly in line with other schools nationally.  The school is supported by an executive headteacher who is also the executive headteacher at Debden

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Information about this school

Park High School. He is also a national leader of education (NLE).  No pupils currently attend alternative provision.  The school enters some pupils early for GCSE examinations in English.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 40 lessons or parts of lessons to observe teaching and learning, seven of which were observed jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also scrutinised pupils’ work and talked to pupils.  Meetings were held with the head of school, the executive headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders, and teachers.  Inspectors held formal meetings with groups of pupils and had informal discussions with other pupils around the school.  Inspectors met with two members of the governing body, the academy’s regional director and the local authority’s standards and excellence commissioner who works with the school.  Inspectors considered the views of 215 parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. They also considered the views of parents surveyed by the school.  Inspectors considered the views of 30 staff who responded to the staff questionnaire.  The school’s improvement plans, self-evaluation records and the minutes of governing body meetings

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Information about this inspection

were evaluated.  Inspectors looked at information about pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance and considered records of teachers’ performance management and professional development.  The inspection team scrutinised the school’s arrangements for safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

Jennifer Carpenter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Katrina Lambert Ofsted Inspector Paul O’Shea Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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