Teddington School

Inspection of Teddington School Broom Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 9PJ

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 November 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 17 and 18 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils enjoy their lessons, feel happy and are safe. Pupils are respectful towards one another and value the positive relationships that they have with staff. Leaders have high expectations of pupils and, in return, behaviour is typically calm and orderly. Any low-level behaviour in lessons is dealt with well. Bullying is not tolerated. Pupils know that it will be quickly dealt with by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teaching takes place within a supportive and inclusive classroom environment. Teddington is a caring environment, where diversity is recognised and celebrated in the curriculum. Pupils’ needs are well known, and support provided for those who require it. This means that pupils achieve well. Pupils speak about their curriculum planners for each subject and how these clearly identify the key vocabulary and skills pupils need to know for each topic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the range of external visitors who come into school. They have access to a variety of extracurricular opportunities. They value the careers education that they receive, which supports them for their next steps.

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better?

The school’s curriculum matches the ambition of the national curriculum. Plans in individual subject areas prioritise important content for pupils to learn and organise this into a logical order. Consequently, teachers are clear about what they must teach, including in the sixth form. In turn, this helps them break down complex concepts and provide appropriate activities that help pupils learn effectively. Most pupils are confident about what they have learned in their different subjects over time. For example, pupils could discuss what they had learned about the different characteristics of man-made and natural materials during Year 8, when they were learning remotely. This allowed them to explain why different types of wood was used in the car that they were making as Year 9 pupils. Similarly, in French, pupils have good recall of previously learned vocabulary to help them create more complex sentences in different tenses.

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better?

Across all subjects, bespoke curriculum planners are issued to pupils. These identify the key knowledge, skills, and vocabulary they need to know. The expectation is that the planners should be used to assess pupils’ work and identify next steps. Some subjects use these documents more effectively than others. In a few subjects, including science, not all pupils complete the activities laid out in the planners. This means that not all work is completed to the highest standard.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their requirements clearly identified. Teachers use this information to develop strategies to support individual pupils. Personalised targets are identified for each subject. Staff attend meetings to discuss the needs of individual students. In some circumstances, the pupil leads this meeting to talk about strategies that help them to learn. Pupils 17 and 18 November 2021

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below their expected reading age receive effective targeted support to help with their reading. Younger pupils are also supported by sixth form reading buddies.

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High expectations from staff ensure that pupils are ready to learn. Personalised strategies help those who need additional support with their behaviour. Leaders constantly work to strengthen this provision. Teachers handle any low-level behaviour concerns well; they do not allow these to impact on learning. The planned curriculum goes beyond the academic. The school regularly celebrates different cultures, for example Chinese New Year with food and Columbian culture through art provision. Pupils have access to a broad range of enrichment activities.

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Pupils are well prepared for later life. Leaders have planned an effective careers programme for all year groups. This is in addition to the personal, social, health and economic education programme (PSHE). PSHE lessons up to Year 11 are well planned and sequenced. Sixth form PSHE lessons are less well developed. Sixth form students learn PSHE in form time at the start of the day and through enrichment activities. This includes important relationships and sex education. However, punctuality and attendance to enrichment is not currently tracked effectively in the sixth form. Some students also have agreed late starts. Consequently, a minority of students in the sixth form miss out on aspects of important personal development learning.

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Staff at all levels speak about a clear ‘open door policy’ in the school. They feel that leaders take clear consideration of their workload and well-being. They value the training they receive. The trust has supported the school with rigorous and accurate self-evaluation and monitoring. Leaders discuss this with governors. Because of this they have a clear understanding about the strengths and areas of development for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe and cared for in the school. They appreciate the support of the pastoral teams. Following a review from the trust, the school has increased capacity in the safeguarding team. Clear systems are in place to record any concerns and staff are clear about how to do this. Detailed records are kept.

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Safeguarding

The specific needs of vulnerable pupils are highlighted to staff regularly. Leaders work with external agencies where required. Pupils appreciate the work done on mental health. The curriculum helps pupils’ awareness of risks they might face, for example online. 17 and 18 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although curriculum planners for pupils have been introduced in all subjects, there is variation in how effectively they are being used. A small minority of pupils are not completing all tasks that have been set by teachers. This means that these pupils’ work is not always of the highest quality. Leaders need to continue to strengthen the assessment systems that are in place. They must also ensure they follow up with pupils when activities are not fully complete. This is to ensure that the planned learning is having the full impact for all pupils.  Systems for tracking attendance and punctuality in sixth form are not as effective as they could be. Due to lateness to school and planned late starts, some sixth form pupils are missing their PSHE provision. When they are late, they miss important PSHE which puts them at a disadvantage for later life. Leaders need to refine the systems they have currently to ensure they have accurate records of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

sixth form attendance. Staff need to be more robust in monitoring and following up lateness in the sixth form.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 17 and 18 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200574 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Academy converter

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1181

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sixth form

Chair of governing body Juliet Hartridge

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sixth form

Website http://www.teddingtonschool.org/

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 16 January 2018

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has joined the Bourne Education Trust.  The school uses one registered alternative provider and three unregistered alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

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

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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. 17 and 18 November 2021

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, members of the senior leadership team and a trust leader. They also met with the local governing committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: art, design and technology, mathematics, modern foreign languages, and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record, reviewed relevant records, and spoke to the designated safeguarding lead, pupils, and staff.  Inspectors looked at Parent View free text comments, along with results from surveys from staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Sophie Healey-Welch, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Jude Wilson Her Majesty's Inspector 17 and 18 November 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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