Lantern of Knowledge Secondary School

Lantern of Knowledge Secondary School 30−36 Lindley Road, Leyton, London E10 6QT

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not been prompt or effective enough in tackling weaknesses in teaching. Their self-evaluation is overgenerous.  Pupils’ current progress across the curriculum is inconsistent. Standards of work in some subjects require improvement.  Teachers do not typically identify pupils’ mistakes and misconceptions promptly enough.  Leaders have not reversed a decline in standards in some subjects, particularly geography.  Pupils in key stage 3 do not have a wide enough range of reading materials to enable them to develop a broad and rich knowledge across the curriculum.  Staff do not support pupils to write effectively for different audiences and purposes.  Leaders do not ensure that training about risk assessments and procedures to support pupils’ welfare are applied consistently enough during some routine activities.  Leaders’ recent work to help pupils understand the protected characteristics is yet to have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

enough impact.  The delivery of the curriculum does not give pupils the opportunity to study a range of different subjects in sufficient depth.  Governors have not held school leaders to account for the decline in standards.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities to extend their spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning.  Pupils receive effective careers guidance.  Leaders and governors have ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  A high proportion of Year 11 pupils achieve good-quality GCSE examination results in English and mathematics.  Pupils are well behaved and generally work hard. They enjoy school and the majority attend regularly.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency with which staff apply risk assessments when pupils engage in routine activities such as outdoor breaks.  Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that consistent and accurate use of assessment promotes and sustains pupils’ progress across the whole curriculum.  Ensure that the stock of books and reading resources available encourages pupils to broaden the range and depth of their reading, particularly at key stage 3 and for the most able readers.  Provide pupils with opportunities across subjects to write effectively for different audiences and purposes.  Ensure that leaders tackle the weaknesses in teaching so that outcomes in subjects other than English and mathematics improve, particularly geography.  Ensure that leaders check that recent changes to the curriculum allow pupils opportunities to explore subjects in enough depth.  Leaders continue to support pupils through the personal, social, health and economic

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

programme of study, to challenge stereotypes, particularly around the protected characteristics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have inaccurately evaluated the quality of teaching over time and its impact on outcomes for pupils. As a result, the quality of teaching and the implementation of the curriculum are not consistently good.  Recent appointments to the senior leadership team are beginning to strengthen the monitoring of teaching. However, much of this work is at a very early stage of development. Not all staff are following the agreed policy on assessment. Leaders’ decisions on priorities for improvement have not been effective in reversing a declining trend in outcomes in some subjects, such as geography.  Leaders have extensive plans to develop and expand the school library. However, in the meantime, pupils say that access to the current library is restricted. They say that they have been told that the library is ‘under development’.  Although the curriculum covers all required areas of learning, leaders have not ensured

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

that it enables pupils to explore some subjects in sufficient depth. As a result, standards in these subjects are not improving rapidly enough.  The personal, social, health and economic programme of study is in place and includes encouraging pupils to pay regard to the protected characteristics. However, leaders acknowledge that they have not used recent work to effectively challenge stereotypes.  Leaders have provided training for staff on implementing the risk assessment policy. However, they do not ensure that staff apply this training consistently in promoting pupils’ welfare in all routine activities. Leaders have not considered the impact of current limitations of indoor facilities for physical education on pupils’ progress.  Parents and carers and staff have a positive view of the impact of leadership on preparing pupils for their future lives. Leaders ensure that pupils participate in a wide range of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

activities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education well. For example, all Year 7 pupils visit a local church and have done so for several years. Pupils are currently rehearsing for a second performance of Macbeth at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Leaders and governors have ensured that all the independent school standards are met. They have responded promptly to the findings of a recent emergency inspection.

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Governance

 Over time, governors have not sufficiently held school leaders to account for the decline in standards. They have too readily accepted information from school leaders without insisting that it is rigorously analysed. They have now rightly identified the need to strengthen the leadership of the senior team so teaching can be monitored more effectively and appraisal of staff becomes more effective.  Governors did hold leaders closely to account to ensure that an urgent and effective response addressed the findings of the most recent emergency inspection.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Staff have a secure understanding of statutory guidance and the school’s own policies. Pupils, staff and parents express confidence in the school’s safeguarding arrangements.  Procedures to check and record the suitability of staff prior to employment have improved and meet statutory requirements.  Leaders have strengthened their understanding and knowledge of prevalent risks to pupils outside of school. They use this well to decide on training and activities for pupils. For example, older pupils recently received a talk to help them resist being drawn into gang culture.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers do not routinely use their knowledge of what pupils can do to reorganise their lessons so that pupils can work at sufficient depth. Some teachers are not following the school’s assessment and marking policies. The accuracy of teachers’ assessment is variable. Pupils complete too much work at a superficial level because teachers do not typically challenge them effectively enough to probe more deeply into topics.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, the use of assessment is less well developed. Though leaders have plans to tackle this, they have not been prioritised despite outcomes in subjects such as geography being in decline.  The variable quality of teaching means that pupils’ progress is inconsistent and standards of work seen in some subjects taught, such as art, require improvement. In physical education, teaching is disjointed because lessons are postponed when the weather is

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

inclement.  Pupils develop their writing skills over time as a result of opportunities to learn different aspects of spelling, grammar and punctuation systematically. ‘Develop and respond time’ is being used to help pupils apply their skills to different genres but this is at an early stage of development.  Teachers of mathematics demonstrate good subject knowledge and ensure that the most able pupils are given tasks which match their level of understanding and skill. However, they do not always check pupils’ understanding to see when they are ready to apply their skills to different contexts or attempt more-challenging problems.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. Leaders have not tackled some pupils’ stereotypical views of people with protected characteristics skilfully enough. Recent initiatives to tackle these views are in the early stages.  Welfare arrangements for some routine aspects of school life, such as outdoor play, are not implemented by staff with sufficient consistency. The training that leaders have provided for staff has had a limited impact.  Parents and staff hold positive views about pupils’ personal development. Pupils are confident about how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.  Pupils are expected to make a positive contribution to the community, participating in organised activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and raising money for charity.  Leaders provide careers guidance which offers information on a wide range of options.

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Personal development and welfare

For example, pupils recently received a visit from representatives of a creative media company.  Improvements in the role of the school council since the last inspection and the rich range of memorable cultural activities on offer are making a strong contribution to preparing pupils for their future lives.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Their attitudes to learning are typically positive. However, a minority of pupils lose motivation and focus when the quality of teaching dips. This reduces the amount of progress they make.  Leaders rely on the use of sanctions such as detention as a means of motivating some pupils to adhere to the school’s homework policy.  Pupils behave well around the school and are courteous to visitors.  Community members who spoke to inspectors said that pupils have a good reputation for behaviour when outside of school. Parents and staff agree that pupils behave well.  Pupils say that they appreciate recent work to help them learn about protected characteristics. They say that discriminatory behaviour is rare. Those who arrive mid-year feel welcome.  The majority of pupils attend school well. Persistent absence has risen slightly in the current year. Actions to encourage all pupils to attend regularly are beginning to have an

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils do not make enough progress over time across all areas of the curriculum. Pupils’ work requires improvement in some subjects, such as art. There has been a pattern of decline in achievement in geography which leaders have yet to reverse. The work of current pupils indicates that the progress they are making in English, in key stage 3, is also too inconsistent.  At key stage 4, pupils make better progress in mathematics and English so that almost all gain good GCSE examination results.  In mathematics, current pupils sustain good progress from strong starting points. However, some of the most able pupils are not always challenged to deepen understanding of how to apply skills as soon as they are ready.  The progress of the most able pupils in reading is restricted due to the narrow range of reading materials in some lessons, particularly in key stage 3. Pupils say that the library is rarely used and the breadth of literature to develop reading experiences is better

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

established in key stage 4 than in other parts of the school. Work in pupils’ books indicates that they are able to answer complex comprehension questions about their reading.  Pupils’ work does not demonstrate sufficient ability to write for different audiences and purposes when writing in different subjects. Their work does not typically demonstrate the impact of what they have previously learned.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Proprietor Lantern of Knowledge Educational Ltd

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School details

Email address info@lanternofknowledge.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24–26 November 2015

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Information about this school

 Lantern of Knowledge Secondary School is located in a single building in Leyton, east London. It has been open since 2006 and caters for boys aged 11 to 16 years. The school does not use additional provision for any of its pupils. However, it does use the nearby Leyton Sports Ground for outdoor breaks and physical education.  The trustees of Lantern of Knowledge Education Ltd are also the proprietors. There is only one school in the trust.  Nearly all pupils are of a Black African or Asian heritage. There are no pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. The school receives no additional funding for disadvantaged pupils.  The last full inspection of the school took place in November 2015. The school’s overall effectiveness at this inspection was judged to be outstanding. Since then, there have been two emergency inspections. At the most recent of these in June 2017, a number of

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Information about this school

the independent school standards were found not to be met.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was conducted with no notice on the advice of the Department of Education.  Inspectors carried out observations across all year groups, some jointly with senior leaders. They looked at pupils’ work and asked them about their views of the school.  Inspectors attended an outdoor break session at Leyton Sports Ground and observed a physical education lesson there on the second full day of the inspection.  Inspectors also held discussions with governors, a representative from a local church and an external consultant who had provided an external evaluation of safeguarding.  A range of documents were scrutinised relating to safeguarding, school improvement planning and the work of governors.  Inspectors considered 29 responses to the online survey, Parent View along with 19 responses to the staff survey and written responses from parents. A number of parents met with inspectors at the beginning of the third day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gerard Strong 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

Parent View 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

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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