TBAP 16-19 Academic AP Academy

Further education and skills inspection report

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TBAP 16–19 Academic AP Academy 16 to 19 free school

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Overall effectiveness Good Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 16 to 19 study programmes Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings

 The school achieves its aim to provide high- quality alternative provision for young people, so that they re-engage with education, study and achieve their aims of going to university.  Managers and teachers use the International Baccalaureate diploma course innovatively to provide a customised study programme for each student that meets their individual interests and abilities.  Students receive high-quality personal and academic support from staff to ensure that they grow in confidence and make good progress.  Staff benefit from good professional development activities which broaden their experience and help lead to effective teaching.  Students participate in a wide range of useful extra-curricular and pastoral activities that help enhance their knowledge and experience.  On completion of their programme, a high proportion of students progress to higher education.  The local advisory board, which is responsible

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Summary of key findings

for governance, fulfils its statutory obligations, but does not provide sufficiently thorough support and challenge to senior managers.  Staff do not always set high expectations, particularly in relation to students’ attendance and attitude.

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Information about the provider

 TBAP Academy is a free school in Fulham that offers alternative provision for students aged 16 to 19. The school forms part of the TBAP multi-academy trust (MAT) which focuses on recruiting students who face challenging life circumstances. Many students at the school have previously had a disrupted or troubled education, resulting in significant gaps in their schooling. The students recruited to the school are those who show that they possess the ability and desire to progress to university.  The school draws students primarily from the surrounding London boroughs of Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Kensington and Chelsea. At the time of the inspection, there were 24 students enrolled at the school. All students study the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Staff should adopt a more consistent and demanding set of expectations to address students’ attendance and attitude in lessons.  Managers should seek to improve the quality of accommodation and resources to ensure that classrooms are more conducive to learning.  The local advisory board should review how it fulfils its governance role to ensure that it provides sufficient support and challenge to leaders and managers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The school achieves its aim to provide high-quality alternative provision for young people who would otherwise be unlikely, or unable, to achieve their full academic potential. All staff are strongly committed to the aims of the school. They provide a caring and supportive environment for the students. This helps students to re-engage with education and achieve their goal to move on to higher education.  Managers and teachers use the IB diploma course innovatively to provide a high-quality study programme, customised for each student, that meets students’ individual interests and abilities. While few students study for all elements of the IB, each gains accreditation for the components they complete. As a result, many move on to university. All students develop their literacy and numeracy skills and most take a level 2 or level 3 qualification in English and/or mathematics.  Staff have appropriate qualifications and expertise that are specific and relevant to this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

alternative provision setting. For example, several staff have previous experience of working in partner schools within the MAT.  Staff have good access to professional development. For example, all staff attend training on teaching the IB to ensure that they all deliver an effective programme. Senior colleagues have received support to take their national professional qualifications for senior leaders and school headship. Teachers meet most weeks to take part in professional development that helps them develop strategies to maintain and improve the quality of their teaching.  Managers and teachers develop and implement highly effective strategies to support students. Staff maintain strong links with relevant partner organisations, including the children and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS), social services and key workers from local authorities. Many students require assistance on issues such as managing their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

autism, homelessness, being children looked after or former school refusers, or behaviour that has previously resulted in exclusions from schools. As a result of the carefully planned support, students grow in confidence and make good progress at the school.  Managers evaluate the quality of provision accurately. They also utilise the expertise of senior colleagues from across the MAT well, to validate their internal quality review. Managers implement suitably detailed improvement initiatives which help to maintain and raise the quality of provision.  Teachers provide high-quality and timely support and guidance to students to help them prepare for, and apply to, university. They also support those who wish to apply for other progression routes. Advice and guidance staff have developed particularly close partnerships with several local universities which have the support infrastructure available to accommodate the specific needs of these students.

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The governance of the provider

 The local advisory board fulfils the governance function for the school. Members of the board take an active interest in the work of the leadership team and are strongly committed to the primary aims of the school. However, governance arrangements are in a comparatively early stage of evolution.  While the board fulfils its statutory responsibilities, it does not provide sufficiently thorough support and challenge to senior managers. Reports to the board lack sufficient detail. The outcomes from board meetings do not reflect a real depth of discussion and do not clearly identify when governors have provided support and challenge to senior leaders.

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Safeguarding

 Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Students feel safe. Managers have suitable procedures in place to help assure the welfare of the students. They deal with any safeguarding referrals promptly and effectively. Staff have detailed information relating to the background and situation of each student. They use this information effectively to provide the support students require to attend and make progress. Staff implement the ‘Prevent’ duty appropriately and teach students how to stay safe online.  Managers have strong links with external agencies, whom they consult when appropriate, to help assure the safety and welfare of the students. Staff and governors have received suitable training on safeguarding.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Applicants to TBAP receive thorough initial diagnostic assessments to help staff determine their suitability for the IB diploma. Few students have prior GCSE results on which teachers can base these decisions. The assessment helps teachers confirm which students have the potential to succeed and progress.  On starting the programme, teachers take students through an intensive and valuable induction. This helps students to identify the most appropriate subjects they should study for the IB diploma, and the level at which they should study each subject. As a result, teachers customise each student’s course to meet their specific interests and ability.  Teachers design and deliver an effective curriculum which helps students prepare for their next steps. Teachers set challenging targets and devise engaging lesson activities. For example, in an art lesson, students confidently compared and contrasted the work of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

different artists. They discussed the techniques the artists use and the emotional responses they felt from viewing the works. Students remain motivated and engaged in lessons, and most achieve their potential.  Teachers and support staff provide detailed and informative feedback to students in lessons. This ensures that students are clear about teachers’ expectations and requirements. For example, students in a biology lesson used feedback from teachers to enable them to make informed decisions about suitable topics for their extended essay component.  Teachers use daily staff briefing sessions well to ensure that all teachers are aware of any academic, attendance or welfare concerns about individual students. This helps achieve consistency in the approach to managing students’ well-being and success.  Teachers provide timely and suitably informative progress review information to parents, carers and guardians on a regular basis, which ensures that they can play their part in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

supporting and encouraging the students.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 All students who apply to TBAP have a history of disjointed or interrupted primary and secondary education. The school provides a valuable opportunity for these students to re- engage with education, study and prosper. This also helps them prepare for moving on to higher education.  Students receive consistently high-quality personal and academic support from staff. Staff have a good understanding of each student’s background and needs. Staff are highly experienced and skilful at supporting students and managing complex behaviours. As a result, students stay on programme and achieve their learning goals.  Students participate in a wide range of enrichment and pastoral activities, such as tutorials, discussions and local visits. These explore a broad range of themes and help students build their understanding and awareness of, for example, citizenship, equality and diversity, sexual and mental health, and the risks associated with radical and extreme

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

views.  Students take part in international trips, which help broaden their horizons and enable them to practise their foreign language skills. For example, the second-year students visited Granada in Spain.  Managers work to improve students’ attendance and punctuality. While, at times, absence and lateness have a detrimental impact on students’ learning, staff have managed to increase attendance rates significantly, in comparison to those achieved by students at their previous schools.  Students generally behave well around the school. They show appropriate courtesy and respect to staff and visitors. Staff employ a range of strategies to manage students’ behaviour. They are very careful to avoid sanctions or strategies that might cause an adverse response from students. On occasions, however, students are right to indicate that teachers do not set sufficiently high expectations, particularly in relation to their

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

attendance and attitude. For example, teachers accept slightly curt, monosyllabic responses to questions in lessons. They do not consistently reinforce an expectation of responding fully and articulately.

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Outcomes for students Good

 As an ‘alternative provision’ school, managers judge outcomes for students using four key indicators – behaviour, attendance, academic achievement and progression.  Staff have suitable strategies in place to support students in managing their behavioural and attendance issues. As a result, students’ behaviour has improved, and their attendance has increased markedly since they started at TBAP.  Staff implement strategies that help keep most students on course for the duration of their programme. Staff supported several students who had to suspend their programmes due to significant personal issues. They provided the assistance these students needed to return to the school, so that they could defer and complete their programmes of study the following year.  All students who complete their study programme achieve components of the IB diploma, although none has yet achieved the full diploma. For many students, their achievements

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Outcomes for students Good

represent the first formal academic qualifications they have gained.  On completion of their programmes, a high proportion of students apply for, and gain firm offers from, universities. Most move on either to a higher education foundation programme or to a full degree.

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Provider details

Approximate number of all students over the previous full contract year Director Trevor Button

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of students (excluding apprenticeships) 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

- - - - 24 - - - Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age Intermediate Advanced Higher

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - - - - - - Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total - - - Number of students aged 14 to -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Number of students for which the provider receives high- needs funding -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: -

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of students; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

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Inspection team

Peter Nelson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kanwaljit Dhillon 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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