Cleeve Park School

Inspection of Cleeve Park School Bexley Lane, Sidcup, Kent DA14 4JN

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 13–14 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend school regularly and are happy to be here. Pupils have good relationships with each other and with staff. Leaders have ensured that pupils with physical disabilities access all their lessons with their peers. Leaders give safety a high priority.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sixth-form students were positive about their experience. They were happy to remain at the school for their studies and were very positive about their work experience in Year 12. Pupils throughout the school were keen to talk about activities they do outside of lessons. For example, they participate in the annual school musical, school concerts and in sports.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want all pupils to do well. Leaders want pupils to become active citizens and to prepare them for the world of work. Effective careers education and guidance mean that pupils are successful when leaving school. However, leaders’ aims are not applied consistently throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in the school follow rules and behave well in lessons and corridors. Sometimes, behaviour on the playground is rowdier and some pupils worry about this. Pupils said that bullying in school happens occasionally but when it does occur, it is dealt with appropriately and swiftly.

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better?

Pupils’ results in public examinations are not good enough. To tackle this, leaders have made significant changes to the teaching of subjects in Years 7 to 9. Leaders want pupils to retain knowledge and subjects are being adapted to achieve this goal. This work is more developed in some departments than others. For example, in science, leaders have changed the way they teach to fill any gaps in knowledge from previous years. This work is less well developed in other subjects such as art and music.

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better?

Pupils study a wide range of subjects before choosing their options for Year 10. This includes art, drama, music and technology. However, the way that subjects are taught is not always consistent and so some pupils do not understand and remember what they are learning. Despite this broad offer of subjects in Years 7 to 9, some pupils narrow their subject choices in Years 10 and 11. For example, only a few pupils choose to study a modern foreign language. A very small number of girls study design technology, and no boys study dance.

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better?

A-level results are also below average. Leaders have addressed this by making changes to the courses offered.

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better?

Pupils behave well when they understand what they are learning and how it builds on previous lessons. Where this is not the case, pupils’ behaviour sometimes disrupts others’ learning. This is more typical in classes that are taught by more 13–14 November 2019

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than one teacher. Pupils move around the school in a calm manner, but behaviour is more boisterous on the playground. The outdoor space is limited due to building work. The space available is dominated by boys and some inappropriate behaviour was not corrected by staff.

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Pupils are tolerant of one another’s views. They know that it is not right to treat people differently because of their views or beliefs. Some pupils debated topics like bullying with respect and sensitivity. In other classes, not all pupils engaged with the topic. Leaders have redesigned tutor time to address issues such as equality, faith and community, but this is not implemented consistently by all teachers. Pupils said they enjoyed school visits, but these could be more closely linked to what they are learning.

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Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils in the school, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, pupils with physical disabilities enjoy mainstream lessons. They are not taught separately. Leaders have worked hard to minimise disruptions for these pupils. Sometimes, tasks are not broken down into smaller parts to help pupils’ understanding.

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Some pupils in the school receive their education from alternative providers. This is appropriate when it is in the best interests of the pupil, but leaders need to improve their checking of these providers. They must ensure that pupils attend and receive an appropriate programme of study.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training relating to safeguarding. Pupils are made aware of risks to their safety and how they can limit these risks.

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Safeguarding

Leaders identify and help pupils in a timely and appropriate manner. However, leaders should improve their system to deal with verbal reports of safeguarding issues. Furthermore, leaders must take responsibility for ensuring that pupils attend alternative provision when required and that the quality and breadth of this provision is appropriate to pupils’ needs.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum in Years 7 to 9 is implemented consistently. This is crucial to future success at the end of Year 11. Leaders must check the work of subject leaders and teachers to make sure that improvements are embedded.  In some subjects, pupils disrupt the learning of others. This happens when the 13–14 November 2019

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subject is not well planned and sequenced. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are planned so that pupils remember more.  Leaders should consider how they allocate teachers to classes. Sequences of lessons were less well constructed, and therefore less well understood, when classes were shared between teachers.  Leaders must challenge gender stereotypes in some subjects to ensure equality of access to all pupils.  GCSE entries in modern foreign languages are historically low. Recently, numbers have increased. Leaders should develop sustainable strategies to encourage more pupils to study a language in Years 10 and 11.  Pupils with SEND sometimes do not achieve as well as they could because they are given too much information at once. Leaders should make sure that teachers break down tasks to a manageable size appropriate to each pupil.  Leaders must have a secure system to ensure that verbal safeguarding referrals

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are recorded. They must have rigorous procedures to check attendance, suitability of curriculum and the safety of pupils in alternative provision.  Leaders should make sure that all pupils receive a consistently good experience during tutor time. Pupils spoke positively about school trips, but these could be more closely linked to the curriculum and to address deficits in cultural capital.  Leaders should ensure that playgrounds are adequately staffed during breaktimes and that all pupils can use these spaces if they choose to.  Leaders have implemented changes in the sixth form to offer more vocational courses. Leaders must ensure that these courses meet the needs of the students in the sixth form and that they continue to be successful on these courses.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 13–14 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110375 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with physical disabilities. There are currently seven pupils in this provision.  The school uses three alternative providers. These are The Tutorial Foundation, The Link: Home and Hospital tuition service, and Bromley Trust Academy – Blenheim.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the executive headteacher, head of school, senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers. I met with the chair of the governing body, two other governors and the senior regional executive director of the trust, TKAT.  English, French, mathematics, religious studies and science were considered as 13–14 November 2019

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part of this inspection. In each of these subjects, we met with the subject leader, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at pupils’ work.  We scrutinised the school’s policies relating to safeguarding, spoke with the designated safeguarding leader and considered records of the suitability checks the school makes on its staff. We asked many pupils for their opinions about safety, behaviour and bullying. We considered parents’ and carers’ responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.

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Inspection team

Mark Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Whiting Ofsted Inspector 13–14 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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