London Enterprise Academy

Inspection of London Enterprise Academy 81-91 Commercial Road, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, London E1 1RD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Inadequate 5 and 6 July 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Respect for all’ sums up London Enterprise Academy nicely. Pupils have pride in themselves and in their school. They are polite, courteous and welcoming. They, too, are welcomed into school, regardless of their background or previous experiences. As a result, pupils trust their teachers and are comfortable talking to them about any concerns they may have. They know that any problems, however large or small, will be settled quickly and by the book. This includes any concerns about bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ well-being and social development are taken seriously by all staff. Pupils not only feel safe, they are safe because of the attention the school gives to ensuring good behaviour. Staff are visible around the school, making sure that pupils move to lessons quickly. This creates a positive atmosphere where pupils and adults work together to learn. Pupils are taught about how to be responsible citizens and the importance of giving to others. They learn about healthy relationships in an age- appropriate way, an example of how the school promotes respect successfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils achieve well academically. The way subjects are taught has improved so that pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in later life. Nevertheless, there is still some way to go to ensure that learning is consistently strong for all pupils, including in reading and for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those who speak English as an additional language.

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better?

Over the past four years, the school has faced challenges in staffing and leadership. While there is much that the school does well, it has been hampered by a lack of capacity to develop the school’s curriculum. The governing body’s evaluations of the school’s strengths have been overgenerous. However, a series of senior appointments has improved leadership capacity. Senior and middle leaders’ work to improve the curriculum and how it is taught is paying dividends.

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better?

In many subjects, senior and middle leaders have thought about where and when subject content should be taught. The curriculum for these subjects is now organised well. In many cases, teachers’ understanding of how to teach their subject means that pupils’ learning is strong. The work given to pupils in mathematics, humanities and languages is organised well to support learning. Work to improve design and technology has taken on a new urgency.

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better?

Nevertheless, there remain weaknesses in the way pupils learn within subjects and across the school. There are inconsistencies in the way learning is organised. For example, the use of assessment to check whether pupils have learned and remembered the essential facts is variable. Misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ learning are not routinely tackled, and this limits their understanding. 5 and 6 July 2022

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Although leaders and governors have rightly identified reading as a priority, pupils’ literacy skills remain variable. Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, read without the accuracy and fluency they need to access learning in other subjects. Pupils do not routinely read for pleasure. Leaders have clear plans to broaden the range of reading books. At present, however, pupils do not always read books that are matched to their level of reading skill.

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The support given to pupils with SEND is variable. Although there are effective procedures for identifying pupils who need support with their learning, these are not used routinely in all classrooms. For example, the range of strategies to help pupils learn, including pupil profiles that give teachers advice on adapting their teaching, are not drawn on consistently. This hampers pupils’ learning.

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Pupils have positive attitudes towards their lessons. Their behaviour nearly always ensures that teachers can teach what they have planned. Behaviour is managed effectively. The incidents of poor behaviour and fixed-term exclusions have fallen considerably. Attendance is strong.

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Leaders ensure that pupils’ well-being is given a high priority. In-school counselling supports pupils’ mental health. Pupils said that they find this especially helpful. There are a wide range of high-quality opportunities designed to promote pupils’ personal development. The citizenship programme, assemblies and the curriculum for careers help to prepare pupils effectively for the world after school.

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Leaders consider staff’s workload carefully, for example by reducing the amount of information about pupils’ progress collected each year. Staff appreciate this, including leaders’ actions to provide professional development. Staff feel well supported and are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding procedures and records are well organised and detailed. Leaders carry out checks on the suitability of adults accurately and the arrangements for recruiting staff are suitably robust. Leaders check safeguarding practices thoroughly to ensure that timely action is taken if staff are worried about a pupil’s safety or well-being. This is helped considerably by having a social worker on site.

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Safeguarding

Pupils get the right support when they need it. Leaders work closely with external agencies, such as social services and community health experts, and this helps to ensure that expert help is on hand for pupils who are at risk of harm. Leaders and governors react promptly when safeguarding issues in the school are raised. 5 and 6 July 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are weaknesses in the way pupils learn within subjects and across the school. Assessment is not used consistently to check whether pupils have learned and remembered the essential facts. Misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ learning are not routinely tackled. Leaders should ensure that ongoing assessment is used effectively to evaluate whether pupils are learning the intended curriculum.  Pupils’ literacy skills are uneven. Many pupils read without the accuracy and fluency they need to access learning in other subjects. Pupils do not routinely read for pleasure. Leaders must ensure that the plans to broaden the range of reading books are implemented urgently. Leaders also need to ensure that reading remains a priority, including ensuring that pupils have the phonetic knowledge to read accurately and fluently.  The support given to pupils with SEND is variable. Leaders need to ensure that the established procedures to support pupils with SEND are implemented

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

effectively in classrooms. This will include training for staff on how to adapt their teaching for different pupils and maintain high expectations for all.

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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. 5 and 6 July 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.londonenterpriseacademy.org/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 January 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 London Enterprise Academy provides education for pupils aged 11 to 16 in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average, as is the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school makes use of one alternative provision that is registered with the Department for Education.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspectors deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. 5 and 6 July 2022

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: science, history and design and technology. 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, including reading, English, mathematics and languages.  Meetings were held with the principal, and with senior leaders, staff, pupils, the chair and vice-chair of the governing body and the school’s improvement consultant.  Meetings were held with the safeguarding lead, and inspectors scrutinised school records of the safeguarding checks on adults working in the school.

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 Inspectors considered the views of 20 members of staff who responded to the confidential staff survey. There were two responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils to discuss their views about many different aspects of their school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  During the inspection, Year 11 pupils were not in school.

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Inspection team

Brian Oppenheim, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Hook Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 July 2022

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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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