London Enterprise Academy

London Enterprise Academy 81–91 Commercial Road, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, London E1 1RD

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is not providing an acceptable standard of education for pupils. Leaders are not demonstrating the capacity required to improve the school.  Leaders, including governors, do not evaluate the school’s strengths and weaknesses effectively. Leaders are reluctant to accept responsibility for the school’s failings.  Pupils do not identify proudly with the school. Leaders have failed to develop a culture and ethos that instils a sense of belonging to the school community.  Pupils’ behaviour, particularly boys’ behaviour, is poor. Boys dominate the social spaces around the school and learning in classes is disrupted.  Teaching, learning and assessment are inadequate. The curriculum, particularly in key stage 3, is limited and often poorly taught. There are weaknesses in assessment. Consequently, pupils do not make the progress that they should.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare are inadequate. Pupils’ social development is poor.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They do not develop their speaking skills and struggle to talk sensibly to adults.  Safeguarding is not effective. Leaders are not vigilant enough to ensure pupils’ safe access to the internet. Pupils do not wear appropriate protective equipment for some enrichment activities.  Leaders cannot account for all their pupils at off-site provision.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teachers feel well supported by leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning and the training available to them.  The school is well resourced.  Pupils develop a strong understanding and respect for other cultures and religions.  The careers programme is a strength. Pupils participate in a wide range of careers activities and work experience.  Leaders’ work to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence is effective.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including governance, to ensure that: – leaders develop a school culture and sense of community that instils a sense of pride in pupils – the assessment system is streamlined so that it is fit for purpose and teachers understand it – the curriculum, including the enrichment programme, has a clear purpose and enables pupils to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills – the behaviour management system supports pupils to behave well – leaders know which pupils are at off-site provision and monitor their attendance – safeguarding is effective.  Improve teaching, learning, assessment and outcomes by ensuring that: – the assessment system is used to plan and meet pupils’ needs more consistently – pupils’ target grades are appropriate for their starting points – pupils improve the presentation of their work – pupils improve their speaking skills.  Improve pupils’ behaviour by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– leaders set higher expectations for pupils’ behaviour – teachers and other adults follow the behaviour management systems and challenge pupils’ poor behaviour.  Improve pupils’ personal development and welfare by ensuring that: – pupils are safe while participating in online activities, and only have access to appropriate material – pupils always wear appropriate protective clothing and equipment for school activities that require it.  An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate because leaders do not provide an acceptable level of education for pupils. Leaders do not evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the school accurately. There are weaknesses in the curriculum, assessment and pupils’ behaviour. Safeguarding is ineffective.  Leaders have not created a culture where pupils have a sense of belonging to the school community. Many pupils told inspectors that they would not recommend the school to others. Leaders, including governors, have no convincing explanation as to why this is so.  There are weaknesses in the curriculum, teaching and assessment and this has a negative impact on pupils’ learning and progress. The curriculum does not enable pupils, particularly those in key stage 3, to develop knowledge, understanding and skills across a sufficiently wide range of subjects. Teaching quality, across the curriculum, has been undermined by staff turnover and poor management of pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

behaviour.  Three periods per week are allocated to the ‘enrichment curriculum’ in key stage 3, in mixed-age groups. This course is highly regarded by leaders and governors, but its status is uncertain. Leaders gave contradictory accounts of its purpose and contribution to the curriculum as a whole. Teachers lack the skills to teach and manage pupils’ behaviour in mixed-age groups. As a result, the quality of teaching is poor. Pupils’ progress and attainment in enrichment subjects are not monitored and reported to parents and carers.  There are weaknesses in the school’s system for assessing pupils. Leaders have sensibly researched ideas about how to assess pupils’ progress, using their links with other schools. However, they have not assimilated and adapted these for their own school. Currently, leaders are operating three different assessment systems. Teachers are confused and information about pupils’ progress lacks accuracy. Reporting to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

parents is unduly complicated and unclear.  The leadership and management of behaviour is poor. Leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour are too low. The headteacher made excuses for pupils’ behaviour, saying that there are many more boys than girls and that the design of the building makes it difficult. There is no doubt that the layout of the building presents a challenge for leaders. Nevertheless, it is the leaders’ responsibility to manage the spaces for the benefit of all pupils.  The leadership of teaching and learning has some strong features and is starting to have a positive impact. Teachers value leaders’ feedback on their teaching and the support and training they receive to help them improve. However, the monitoring of teaching is limited in effectiveness because leaders’ expectations are too low.  It is recommended that newly qualified teachers are not appointed to the school.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have a wide range of expertise to help support and develop the school. The governance structure is clear and well established. Minutes of meetings indicate that governors scrutinise information from school leaders. Governors identify concerns and ask challenging questions about the performance of pupils across subjects and year groups, and about pupils’ behaviour. However, sometimes governors do not recognise the significance of these weaknesses. Consequently, they have not been able to use this knowledge as a sound base, to hold leaders to account, take action and drive school improvements.  Governors are ambitious for the school and want what is best for the pupils. They have identified the lack of sufficient outside space for pupils as a problem and have commissioned plans to increase the space available.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  Leaders do not check that pupils are accessing the internet safely, including when pupils play video games at breaktimes. Leaders initially defended this to inspectors and said that pupils could do this in their own time. Leaders do not have appropriate systems for ensuring that pupils are safe online and have not ascertained how to prevent this happening. Leaders do not empower staff to intervene and make sure that pupils are behaving safely at breaktimes.  Leaders have not ensured that some checks in line with the statutory guidance are carried out for some staff who teach enrichment sessions. These are vetting checks, checks on qualifications and references.  Leaders do not ensure that appropriate health and safety procedures are in place for enrichment sessions, or that pupils use the right safety equipment.  Leaders cannot account for the whereabouts of all their pupils. Leaders gave

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Safeguarding

contradictory accounts of the numbers of pupils in alternative provision and at home, and the reasons for them being there.  Other aspects of the school’s safeguarding practice are stronger. The safeguarding leads are well trained and have effective systems to address concerns about pupils. They liaise effectively with the local authority and external agencies. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including from radicalisation and extremism, through the advisory (tutor) time and assemblies. For example, leaders organised assemblies for pupils and provided resources for teachers following the terrorist attacks in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Leaders also provide a range of safeguarding information and workshops for parents.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teaching, learning and assessment are inadequate. The quality of teaching and learning varies widely within and between departments and year groups.  A significant minority of pupils have poor attitudes to learning. They disrupt or dominate classes, which prevents them and others around them from participating effectively in learning activities. Teachers sometimes lack the skills to set high expectations and manage this behaviour. As a result, some pupils, particularly boys, do very little work.  Assessment practice is weak. Pupils’ target grades are not clearly related to the quality of their work. Some pupils have target grades which are much lower than the depth and quality of their work would suggest.  Teachers’ planning to meet pupils’ different needs is hampered by weaknesses in assessment. For example, teachers plan a range of activities to meet pupils’ different needs, but all pupils then work through all of the activities. This means that pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

spend time working on questions that are too easy or sometimes too hard.  Teachers’ subject knowledge in mathematics is weak. For example, sometimes pupils are provided with incorrect mathematical information and errors persist in their work.  Where teaching is effective, teachers have good relationships with pupils; teachers have strong questioning skills and check that pupils have understood the work.  The school is well resourced. For example, pupils have access to a wide range of science and information and communication technology (ICT) equipment to support their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Some boys’ dominance of social spaces and lessons restricts the opportunities of other pupils for learning and leisure. This has a negative impact on pupils’ emotional well- being and their attitudes to learning.  Pupils lack self-confidence. Many boys and girls struggled to talk sensibly to inspectors and their conversations were punctuated by giggling and showing off.  Pupils lack a sense of belonging to the school community and belief and pride in the school. This is because leaders have not created an ethos which supports pupils to identify with the school. Almost all pupils who spoke to inspectors did not like the school and would not recommend it to others.  Leaders do not ensure pupils’ welfare. While pupils have information about how to stay safe online, leaders do not check well enough that pupils are keeping safe when using

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Personal development and welfare

games on the internet. Pupils do not have the appropriate protective clothing and equipment for some enrichment activities.  Pupils say that they feel safe from bullying and are confident that adults will sort out any issues for them. Pupils have information about how to stay safe in the community. As in the previous inspection, the school’s work to ensure that pupils learn about British values and other religions and cultures is strong.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate.  Pupils, particularly boys, lack self-discipline and the ability to regulate their own behaviour around the school. Boys’ behaviour on the stairs is boisterous. Quieter boys and girls avoid the larger noisy groups.  Boys show off, playfight and dominate the spaces around the school at breaktime and lunchtime. Staff are largely passive at social times. They observe but do not talk readily with pupils, establish rapport or intervene. The headteacher says that this is the school’s policy. However, it creates a leadership vacuum in which pupils set their own boundaries.  Pupils’ behaviour in classes disrupts their learning and the learning of other pupils. Pupils – usually, but not exclusively boys – display negative group-like behaviour. For example, they call out in unison to attract attention. Teachers lack the skills to manage this type of behaviour. As a result, they often inadvertently reinforce and hence,

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Behaviour

encourage it. They do not challenge pupils when they do not work. Where teaching is effective, pupils are more focused and concentrate well.  Pupils’ attendance has improved, and their persistent absence has reduced. Leaders have worked effectively with external agencies so that attendance is now broadly in line with national figures. Leaders could not explain how they monitor the attendance of pupils at the alternative provision and were not able to account for it.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Outcomes for pupils are inadequate. This is because of weaknesses in the curriculum, teaching, assessment and behaviour. Pupils do not make the progress that they should from their starting points.  Pupils’ progress, including that of disadvantaged pupils, is determined by the set or group they happen to be in and the teachers timetabled for the group. Staff turnover has had a disproportionately negative impact on the progress of pupils in key stage 3.  There are weaknesses in assessment. This makes it difficult for teachers to provide continuity in learning.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make more consistent progress than other groups. They are generally well supported in class and through interventions.  Pupils’ speaking skills are weak. Pupils often give one-word answers or speak quietly so as not to be heard. Leaders have rightly identified this an area for improvement. Many

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

pupils do not interact positively and with maturity around the school.  Pupils’ presentation of their work is poor, and it is sometimes incomplete, particularly boys’ work.  The careers provision is a strength of the school. Pupils participate in a wide range of careers events, in school and externally. Pupils have a personal interview with a careers adviser and all pupils participate in a work experience programme. This prepares them well to make decisions about future education, training or employment.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.londonenterpriseacademy.org/

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School details

Email address info@londonenterpriseacadmey.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25–26 April 2017

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Information about this school

 The school opened as a free school in 2014. It is a mixed school for pupils between the ages of 11 and 16. There is a much higher proportion of boys than girls.  The school occupies a former office building, which has been converted for educational use. The school also makes use of local sports facilities in Tower Hamlets.  The school makes use of alternative provision, London East Alternative Provision (LEAP) at the Harpley Centre, Bethnal Green E1 4EE.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited classes across year groups and in a range of subjects to observe pupils’ learning and look at their books. Some of these visits were made jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also visited the advisory sessions, which is tutor time.  Four groups of pupils talked to inspectors about their views of the school. Inspectors also talked with pupils in classes and at breaktime and lunchtime. There were eight responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey and 14 responses on a printed version of the survey form.  The lead inspector met two governors: the chair of governors and the chair of the curriculum and standards committee. The lead inspector also held a meeting with the school improvement partner (SIP), a representative of the local authority. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with the ‘Prevent’ education officer for Tower Hamlets.  Inspectors met with school leaders to discuss the impact of their work. This included

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Information about this inspection

the headteacher, senior and middle leaders.  Newly qualified teachers met with an inspector to discuss their views of the school and how school leaders support them. Inspectors talked informally to a range of staff in different roles and met with a group of staff.  Inspectors scrutinised school documents including the school’s own self-evaluation, records of pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding records.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to the staff survey.  Inspectors considered the three responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the outcomes of the school’s own survey of parents. An inspector met with a group of parents at their request.

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Inspection team

Janet Hallett, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Boyle 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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

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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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