Kennington Park Academy

Inspection of a good school: Kennington Park Academy 20 Kennington Park Gardens, Kennington, London SE11 4AX

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come to Kennington Park Academy when they are finding school difficult. Some pupils come for a short period before returning to their original school or another school. Some pupils stay until the end of Year 6. Pupils and their parents and carers said they are happy and staff take good care of pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils. They want them to have a positive learning experience in school. Leaders know the difficulties pupils had in their previous schools and they work with them to manage their feelings and behaviour. Pupils respond well to this and the result is a calm learning environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that bullying is not a problem at this school. They learn about positive friendships in their lessons. Pupils learn to talk about their emotions and to talk to staff when they have worries. They trust adults to deal with any problems that may occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have focused on making sure pupils are ready to learn. However, they have not planned pupils’ learning in as much detail. Staff have not received training to help them ensure that pupils learn successfully. This includes how they should develop pupils’ ability to read fluently and confidently.

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

Leaders provide a safe environment for pupils to learn in. Staff help pupils to understand their emotions and to manage them. This means that pupils are ready to learn. Leaders have planned topic webs to gain pupils’ interest. However, leaders have not thought precisely about what they want pupils to know and remember in the different subjects. They have not planned how they want to build this knowledge step-by-step so that pupils can understand more complex ideas in the future. For example, in history, pupils are 6 and 7 October 2021

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learning about Victorian London, but leaders have not considered how this builds on prior learning or how it prepares pupils for the next topic.

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Leaders do not have a clear approach to assessing pupils’ work. Teachers check pupils’ learning in class and they correct misconceptions. But end-of-term assessments focus on the engagement of pupils rather than on the knowledge they have learned. Leaders have not set out clearly what they want pupils to learn and how teachers should check if pupils have learned it.

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Leaders value reading and they make sure that all pupils listen to an adult read at least once a day. However, leaders have not made sure that all staff have received the training they need to teach pupils to read using phonics. Leaders are checking staff’s skills and selecting a new phonics scheme. However, this work remains at an early stage.

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Across the school, leaders are developing a more detailed understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, at present, some pupils with SEND are not receiving the individual support they need to fully access learning. Sometimes, teaching does not take into account the goals set out in pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans.

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Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and staff work hard to help pupils manage their behaviour. Pupils have struggled to do this in their previous schools. There are clear systems for rewards and sanctions. Pupils know these and staff apply them consistently. As a result, staff deal with low-level disruption quickly. If this cannot be done in class, staff take pupils out of class, returning as soon as they are ready.

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Leaders make pupils’ wider development a priority. In personal development lessons and assemblies, pupils learn about themselves, their local community and the wider world. Pupils learn about people’s differences and how everyone is equal. Following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, leaders are pleased they can once again organise trips for pupils. Some pupils have visited central London this term as part of the topic on London.

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This is a period of change for the school. The trust changed the leadership structure and some staff were made redundant. Staff are worried about these changes. The reduction in staff numbers means staff now have a bigger workload. Staff appreciate the training they receive for safeguarding but they would like more training in other areas.

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In discussion with the headteacher, we agreed that curriculum planning, reading and staff workload may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff receive appropriate training on safeguarding. They record attendance to on-site training and online modules. Staff are knowledgeable about issues such as harmful sexual behaviour and they know how to respond if it should occur. Staff know the pupils in the school well and the difficulties they may face. 6 and 7 October 2021

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Staff know whom to speak to if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. They record any concerns, using the school’s procedures. Leaders work well with local agencies and make referrals appropriately. Leaders monitor these pupils to make sure they receive the support they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is currently planned around topic webs. The topic web determines the knowledge that pupils will learn for each subject. Sometimes the subject knowledge pupils need to know is not taught in the right sequence for them to remember it and use it to understand more complex ideas in the future. Leaders must decide on the key knowledge that they want pupils to know in each subject. They must plan to deliver this in the right sequence. Leaders need to check that pupils have learned what they intended.  There is not currently a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics and as a result pupils are not learning to read as quickly as they should. Leaders plan to audit staff’s skills, select a phonics scheme and train teachers in this scheme. This needs to be done quickly so that pupils’ reading can improve.  Leaders have restructured staffing in the school. This has led to a reduction in staff

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

numbers and a new headteacher. Staff have concerns about these changes and said that they have had a negative effect on their workload. Leaders should take these concerns into account when making future decisions.  Pupils with SEND are not receiving the individual support they need. Leaders must ensure that EHC plans are used well to support pupils to achieve their end goals.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Kennington Park Bridge School, to be good in July 2011. 6 and 7 October 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 6 and 7 October 2021

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School details

School category Academy alternative provision sponsor-led

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new in post since September 2021. She is also the headteacher of a secondary alternative provision in the trust.  The school is an alternative provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs who have been excluded from mainstream schools or who are in need of respite from mainstream schools. The aim is for pupils to return to a mainstream school or a specialist provider.  Kennington Park Academy converted to academy status on 1 July 2014. The predecessor school was Kennington Park Bridge School.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The provision provides up to 16 places for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school operates Rockbourne Park Academy at 41a Rockbourne Road, Forest Hill SE23 2DA. 6 and 7 October 2021

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and assistant headteachers. Inspectors also met the chair of the academy council, the executive director of the trust, the executive primary lead of the trust and representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. Inspectors visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work, met with pupils to discuss their learning and met with subject leaders and teachers. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  Through discussions with leaders, trustees, pupils and staff, inspectors considered how effectively pupils are safeguarded. Inspectors also looked at records related to

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding, including records of pre-employment checks carried out before staff are appointed.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils in both key stages. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtimes.  Inspectors spoke to a range of staff about safeguarding, behaviour and their workload in school. Inspectors looked at eight staff responses and four parent responses to Ofsted’s surveys. Inspectors also met with a small number of parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Mark Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Francis Gonzalez Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 October 2021

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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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