Kings London

Inspection of Kings London 25 Beckenham Road, Beckenham BR3 4PR

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Sixth-form provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education is too variable because leaders’ expectations of what students can achieve lack ambition. Leaders do not ensure that students build up secure knowledge and skills in all subjects. The small number of pupils in Years 10 and 11 receive a narrow curriculum that does not include all the required areas of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students are supported well in applying, and being ready for, university-level study. However, there are limited arrangements to provide students with wider, impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG). Leaders have also not planned a coherent personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students behave well. They work hard, attend regularly and have positive attitudes to learning. Any incidents of bullying are dealt with appropriately by staff. Students said that they enjoy being part of such a diverse community. Leaders provide some extra-curricular clubs and activities, but most students choose not to participate because of the limited range of options.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Safeguarding is not effective due to weaknesses in leadership and management.

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better?

The curriculum includes a range of pathways for students, who are almost all sixth- form age and above. The small number of pupils in Years 10 and 11 follow the same timetable as older students. They study a small number of subjects and are allowed to go home or play games during their free time. They therefore do not access the broad, full-time curriculum that they should.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They know students as individuals and support them well. In some subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking has enabled them to identify the key knowledge that students need to know. They have thought through the order in which key content should be taught. In these subjects, teachers follow the sequence of learning carefully so that students build knowledge securely over time.

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better?

However, leaders’ curriculum thinking in some other subjects is not as typically well organised and ordered. For example, the sequence of learning is sometimes limited to a list of topics which do not identify the specific content that students need to know. In these subjects, leaders have provided little structure to the subject curriculum and this hampers students’ learning. In a few subjects, teachers check what students know and remember and use assessment information to plan future learning. However, this is not strong across all subjects.

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better?

Students listen well to each other and regularly think deeply about complex intellectual, political and philosophical concepts. Their mature behaviour and 1 and 3 November 2022 ambitious attitudes help them to learn well. In subjects where curriculum thinking is strong, students achieve highly. Students proceed typically to undergraduate study at the university of their choice.

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better?

Most students speak English as an additional language. Leaders have carefully and thoroughly sequenced teaching of English as a foreign Language so that these students develop a deep level of knowledge. Teachers’ careful use of assessment ensures that students can access the intended curriculum. Students quickly learn to read, write and speak fluently and with confidence in English as a result.

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better?

Leaders and teachers do not have a consistently strong understanding of how to identify and support students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including those who have education, health and care (EHC) plans. Curriculum thinking does not consider how teaching may need to be adapted to meet the additional needs of students with SEND. Leaders have not organised suitable professional training for staff in identifying and supporting students with SEND.

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better?

Students are taught about online safety, healthy relationships and British values during group tutorials. Leaders encourage students to be respectful, courteous and inquisitive. However, leaders do not strongly prioritise students’ personal development. The school’s PSHE education curriculum lacks coherence and does not build up pupils’ knowledge and understanding in a sequenced and considered way.

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better?

The school’s relationships and sex education (RSE) programme described in the school’s policy is not being followed. Although some RSE has been delivered during group tutorials, age-appropriate coverage of the requirements is limited.

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better?

Students do not receive impartial guidance and support about the range of careers available to them, including the alternatives to continuing their studies at university. A limited range of optional clubs and activities, including debating, football, music and art, enhance the curriculum.

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better?

Senior leaders are not ambitious enough. Leaders’ expectations of staff are not high enough. Staff typically work without the curriculum guidance they need. Leaders do not carry out regular checks on learning in classrooms. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body have not checked or ensured that all the independent school standards are met consistently. The independent school standards relating to the quality of education, safeguarding and leadership and management are not met. Capacity for improvement is weak.

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better?

Most staff were generally positive about the way in which leaders support them. A small proportion of staff reported concerns about their workload and well-being.

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better?

The school is compliant with Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. 1 and 3 November 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The culture of safeguarding is weak. Leaders’ approach to dealing with any concerns is too casual. There is a lack of communication between safeguarding leaders, external professionals and staff. This puts students at risk.

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Safeguarding

Leaders responsible for safeguarding have not renewed their training within the required timescales. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body have not provided all staff with timely and up-to date safeguarding training to ensure that staff are aware of the latest statutory safeguarding guidance.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have put a suitable online system in place to record the actions they take to safeguard students’ well-being, but are not using it properly. Records of important safeguarding information, including referrals, therefore do not exist.

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Safeguarding

The process for ensuring that professional references are received prior to interviewing applicants is weak. Some completed vetting checks on adults had to be added to the record of pre-employment checks during the inspection.

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Safeguarding

The school’s safeguarding policy reflects the latest statutory guidance. It is available online.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Safeguarding is not effective. Leaders’ training has been allowed to expire. Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding and staff are not trained and provided with updates regularly enough. Leaders’ communication with staff and with outside agencies and any action taken in response to safeguarding concerns are neither appropriate nor documented. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should take urgent action to improve safeguarding arrangements. They must ensure that all aspects of safeguarding, including recruitment processes and training for staff, pay full regard to the latest statutory guidance.  The quality of leaders’ curriculum thinking is variable. This limits students’ achievement. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should ensure that the key content that students need to know is identified specifically and taught in a coherently sequenced way so that students learn knowledge and skills securely in

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

all subjects.  Leaders have not ensured that teaching staff receive professional training to identify and support students with SEND and those who have EHC plans effectively. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should strengthen professional training for teachers to ensure that they have the required expertise to support these students with SEND well. 1 and 3 November 2022  Students’ personal development is limited by the lack of extra-curricular provision or regular, impartial CEIAG. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should ensure that there are more opportunities to support students’ personal development. They should ensure that arrangements are made to provide impartial CEIAG.  Students are not studying a well-planned programme of PSHE education. This limits their personal and social development. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should ensure that a high-quality PSHE education programme is

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

in place and taught as part of the curriculum.  Leaders are not implementing the RSE programme. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should ensure that a high-quality RSE programme is taught as part of the curriculum.  Leaders do not provide pupils of compulsory school age with a full-time curriculum that includes coverage of all the required areas of learning. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should provide all secondary-aged pupils, including pupils in Years 10 and 11, with an appropriately broad, full-time education.  Some of the independent school standards are not met, as listed in the annex to this report. Leaders, governors and the proprietor body should take action to ensure that they are all met consistently.

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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. 1 and 3 November 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 138384 DfE registration number 305/6009

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School details

Inspection number 10210722 Type of school Other Independent School

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sixth form

Proprietor Prime Education and Training Ltd

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sixth form

Annual fees (day pupils) £6,960 to £30,900

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 23 to 25 January 2018 1 and 3 November 2022

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous standard inspection was in January 2018.  The school is part of a group of colleges that offer English language tuition and preparation for university programmes in Great Britain and the United States of America.  The school specialises in preparing students to gain the academic qualifications needed for admission to universities in the United Kingdom. Available programmes include English language tuition and a one-year Advanced Level Foundation programme for international students.  The school offers A levels in subjects including mathematics, the sciences, economics, politics and business studies. GCSEs are also taught in a range of subjects. These courses are provided in the main building.  The school also provides a range of English language courses for international students. These courses are taught in a second building on the same road at 2 Beckenham Road, Beckenham BR3 4LR.

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Information about this school

 The number of students on roll, and their age range, varies because the number, type and length of courses on offer varies throughout the year.  Students come from a wide range of countries and most speak English as an additional language. A small number of students have SEND and a few have EHC plans.  Most students live with local host families or in accommodation managed by the college. The boarding provision was last inspected under the social care common inspection framework in November 2021.  Leaders make no use of any alternative provision.  The principal has changed since the previous inspection.  Leaders have enrolled students over the age of 25. This breaches the college’s registration agreement with the Department for Education (DfE). Leaders contacted the DfE during the inspection to inform them once this was pointed out to them.  The proprietor information on ‘Getting Information About Schools’ (GIAS) is not

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Information about this school

accurate. It incorrectly states that Nigel Pamplin is the college’s sole proprietor. Instead, he is chair of the proprietor body, which is Prime Education and Training Ltd.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. 1 and 3 November 2022 The school has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 This standard inspection was conducted with one day’s notice.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these areas: mathematics, science, politics and PSHE education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the subject with the curriculum leader, visited available lessons, looked at samples of work, spoke to staff and spoke to pupils and students about their learning.  Inspectors considered a range of evidence to consider students’ safety, personal development and behaviour. They spoke with groups of students throughout the inspection.  Inspectors met with the college’s senior leaders regularly, including the principal, director of studies and one of the governors. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors met with the school’s safeguarding leaders and reviewed a range of safeguarding information, including the pre-appointment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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Information about this inspection

and responses to online surveys for staff and for students.  Inspectors reviewed a range of evidence to check compliance with the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

James Waite, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nigel Clemens Ofsted Inspector 1 and 3 November 2022

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if– – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work– – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan.  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are– – 2(2)(a) full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education; – 2(2)(e) for pupils receiving secondary education, access to accurate, up-to-date careers guidance that–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 2(2)(e)(i) is presented in an impartial manner; – 2(2)(e)(ii) enables them to make informed choices about a broad range of career options; and – 2(2)(e)(iii) helps to encourage them to fulfil their potential.  2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor– – 2A(1)(b) ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with secondary education at the school is provided with relationships and sex education, except in so far as the pupil is excused as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2); – 2A(1)(d) in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c), has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that– – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b) such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. 1 and 3 November 2022

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school– – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils. 1 and 3 November 2022 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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