Duke's Aldridge

Inspection of a good school: Duke’s Aldridge Trulock Road, Tottenham, London N17 0PG

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Outcome

Duke’s Aldridge Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors work together to provide a safe and nurturing environment in the school. Everyone is ‘inspired to excel’. Pupils are proud of their school. They like coming to school and appreciate the support and encouragement they receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons because teachers plan interesting activities and provide individual support. Teachers constantly check pupils’ understanding, which helps keep pupils focused. Pupils told me that ‘teachers encourage you to learn and want you to learn’. Pupils achieve particularly well in English, mathematics, science, modern foreign languages and humanities, which make up the EBacc qualification.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher and her committed staff have high expectations that pupils will succeed in every area of their lives, as well as academically. An example of this is the help given to pupils who join after the start of the school year, often with little knowledge of English. The school ensures that all pupils leave with qualifications in English and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they feel safe at school and on their journeys to and from school. Pupils value staff supervision outside school at the end of the day. Pupils state that bullying is not a problem at school. If it did occur, they know who to talk to and said that it would be dealt with quickly.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders ensure that there are well-designed plans for how each subject should be taught. Pupils are motivated to learn because teachers challenge and support them. Teachers use resources and thoughtful questioning to help pupils understand new ideas. Pupils stated that during lessons ‘everyone was willing to learn’. Pupils’ behaviour rarely disrupts learning. 5–6 November 2019

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Subject plans ensure that pupils know more and remember more. The plans show how pupils can apply their knowledge to different situations. For example, Year 11 pupils told us how the science experiments they had carried out in Year 10 helped them with this term’s work. In a few subjects, such as English, leaders’ plans are not carried out as successfully. Leaders have organised appropriate training and support to make the necessary improvements.

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Leaders have not ensured that pupils have access to the full range of national curriculum subjects during Years 7 to 9. Leaders have recently reviewed this. They are putting plans in place so that all pupils study a broad range of subjects for as long as possible. A small proportion of pupils gain qualifications in the full range of EBacc subjects. However, the number of pupils studying humanities subjects and a modern foreign language in Years 9 and 10 is increasing.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils with SEND follow the school’s usual curriculum. Leaders identify pupils’ needs accurately and check on their achievement. This means that pupils receive appropriate and timely support. Teachers receive the right information and training to help pupils with SEND to succeed.

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Leaders and staff provide many opportunities for pupils to develop their character. Pupils told us about the valuable support they receive. For example, Year 7 pupils enjoy working with mentors discussing the move from primary to secondary school. Year 10 pupils told us how their work experience helped them to be more confident and ambitious. They said that it gave them the courage to seek further employment. Pupils explained how they add to the wall in ‘purple lane’. This is a space which hosts events that support the many diverse aspects of life, such as LGBT. The wall displays the results of pupils’ reflections and their inclusive attitudes.

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Pupils’ attendance is currently below the national average. Leaders support pupils to improve their attendance. They do this by involving pupils in programmes such as ‘hit my target’, by tracking attendance and asking for support from other agencies.

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We noticed how respectful staff and pupils are towards each other. Pupils said that everyone was friendly and that during breaktimes the playground was ‘tension-free’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils, staff, parents and governors all agree that the school is a safe place to be. Staff are well trained and are aware of current safeguarding rules and regulations. Staff and pupils know how to report concerns. Leaders act straightaway to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Staff work with families when their children’s attendance is low. They work with the local authority and other organisations to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and out and about. For example, 5–6 November 2019

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Year 7 watched a theatre presentation on road safety. Pupils told us it was a useful reminder about the dangers of using mobile phones as they cross roads.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not achieve as well in a few subjects as they do in most. Leaders should continue their work to ensure that their plans for how subjects, such as English, should be taught are put into practice.  Leaders should act on the findings of their curriculum review for key stage 3, so that pupils study a broad range of subjects for as long as possible.  Some pupils need to attend school more regularly. Leaders need to continue their focus on reducing persistent absence and on increasing attendance. The newly introduced attendance monitoring system will support the work of leaders in this area.  The school’s curriculum is not sufficiently broad in Years 7 to 9. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan next year’s curriculum and the training staff are receiving that they are in the process of bringing this about.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Northumberland Park Community School, to be good on 18–19 January 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 5–6 November 2019

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1019

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Northumberland Park Community School converted to become an academy school on 1 September 2017. When its predecessor school, Northumberland Park Community School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school does not currently send any of its pupils to alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior and subject leaders, the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, and governors.  On the first day of the inspection, we did deep dives in these subjects: English, science, mathematics, geography and history. In each subject, we met with subject leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ work.  We considered the views of staff from two meetings with groups of staff and feedback from the Ofsted staff questionnaire.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the central record of 5–6 November 2019

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recruitment checks on staff and two external review reports.  Inspectors considered the views of 48 parents who responded to the Ofsted parental questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Hayley Follett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Morris Ofsted Inspector 5–6 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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