London Nautical School

Inspection of London Nautical School 61 Stamford Street, Waterloo, London SE1 9NA

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 22 and 23 June 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

London Nautical is an inclusive and welcoming school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are happy here. They have a positive relationship with their peers and staff. Pupils feel safe and appreciate that staff are always available to support them if they have any concerns. Pupils are proud of the school’s maritime tradition. For example, pupils in Years 7 to 9 hold weekly parades wearing their naval beret.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, the curriculum that pupils experience does not reflect this ambition. Some subjects are not taught in a way that ensures that pupils develop knowledge consistently well. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve highly.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful and polite. They behave well in lessons and around the school during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Bullying is not tolerated. When incidents of bullying happen, staff swiftly deal with them. Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well, which enables learning to take place in a calm and orderly environment.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular activities to develop their interests and talents. These include sports, boxing, filmmaking, gardening, football, and choir.

p.2

better?

Leaders and governors have set a clear mission to improve the curriculum from Year 7 through to Year 13. They have identified appropriate and well-defined actions. These are centred on providing an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Some of this work is already making a clear difference. For example, leaders have set out and sequenced the subject content that should be taught. However, their work to improve the delivery of the curriculum is not as advanced. Leaders are at the early stages of making sure that the teaching of the curriculum consistently matches their aims and expectations across subjects. Because of this, pupils experience a curriculum that does not enable their understanding to increase cumulatively over time. Pupils, including those with SEND, do not build on previous learning securely.

p.2

better?

Leaders provide all teachers, including those at the early stage of their career, with training to deliver the curriculum. This is underpinned by the school’s ‘learning philosophy’ approach. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. Nonetheless, some teaching does not routinely check for pupils’ understanding. This means that the delivery of the curriculum is not adapted to help pupils develop a sufficiently secure understanding of key concepts. Misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed swifty. This hinders pupils’ progression through the planned curriculum.

p.2

better?

Leaders have adopted a clear system for the accurate identification of the needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers receive training and they are well informed about pupils’ 22 and 23 June 2023

p.2

3

specific needs. Pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. However, because some teaching does not match leaders’ intentions for the curriculum, sometimes pupils with SEND do not benefit from adaptations to help them to make sense of curriculum content.

p.3

3

Leaders are giving increased importance to reading at the school. They have introduced a programme to raise the profile of reading, and pupils now read during tutor periods twice a week. Leaders also identify pupils who need extra support with their reading. However, approaches to supporting these pupils to get better at reading are not planned and taught coherently or systematically. For example, some books for practising reading are not well matched to pupils’ reading skills. Leaders recognise that further work is required to develop these pupils’ reading confidence and fluency.

p.3

3

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct. They have recently focused on improving corridor behaviour during transition times. New routines mean there is calm and orderly movement around the school. Overall, pupils spoke positively about the marked improvement in behaviour. In lessons, low- level disruption is not common. However, a small number of pupils do not demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. At times, this is not addressed swiftly by teachers and staff.

p.3

3

Pupils, including those in the sixth form, have opportunities to participate in many trips and visits. For example, pupils participate in Splash days, and go on visits to interesting places, such as the Globe Theatre, Royal Victoria Docks, and Natural History Museum. Leaders encourage pupils to develop their leadership skills through opportunities to become sea cadets, school council representatives and form captains.

p.3

3

Leaders promote pupils’ personal development through a well-designed and thought-out curriculum. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum enables pupils to learn about healthy relationships, mental health, fundamental British values, diversity, cultures, religions and the wider world. Pupils benefit from effective careers education, which inspires them to explore different careers. In the sixth form, students have opportunities to complete work experience, and they receive independent careers advice and guidance.

p.3

3

Staff are proud to be working at the school. They said that leaders give due care and attention to their workload and well-being.

p.3

3

Governors understand the school improvement priorities and are now challenging leaders to make sure that these priorities are acted on effectively. 22 and 23 June 2023

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.4

Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff have regular and up-to-date training about safeguarding. As a result, staff know how to identify and report concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders carry out robust pre-employment checks when recruiting new staff. Leaders of safeguarding are knowledgeable about local risk. They work well with external agencies to provide swift support to vulnerable pupils and families.

p.4

Safeguarding

Through the PSHE curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. Leaders make welfare checks on pupils who are absent from school and for those attending alternative provision.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that curriculum improvements, some of which are recent, are being implemented in line with their intentions across several subjects. There are inconsistencies in curriculum delivery which, when combined, mean that pupils do not build up knowledge securely. As a result, often pupils, including those with SEND, do not know and remember as much as they should. Leaders should ensure that they support curriculum leaders and teachers to bring about more rapid and sustained improvements in curriculum implementation in these subjects.  Approaches to checking of pupils’ understanding are not routinely helpful in promoting pupils’ progression through the curriculum for a subject. This means that teaching is not adapted to reflect pupils' current knowledge, and that misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed quickly. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment purposefully to improve pupils'

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

learning across the curriculum.  Leaders have not established a coherent and systematic approach to supporting pupils who struggle with reading. This is impeding these pupils from getting back on track with their reading. Leaders should make sure that weaker readers receive effective additional help to build their fluency and confidence.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 22 and 23 June 2023

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.5

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. 22 and 23 June 2023

p.5

School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Maintained

p.6

sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

sixth form

Date of previous inspection 2 and 3 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.6

Information about this school

 Since the last inspection in July 2019, there have been several changes in the senior leadership of the school, including a new headteacher. There are also recent changes in some areas of curriculum leadership.  The school uses three registered alternative provisions and one unregistered alternative provision for a small number of pupils.  The school has a specially resourced provision for 16 pupils with autism spectrum disorder.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 22 and 23 June 2023

p.6

Information about this inspection

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

p.7

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders, and a range of staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, history, music, modern foreign languages, and science. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work, including in the sixth form. Other subjects were considered as part of this inspection.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body and with seven other governors. The lead inspector spoke on the telephone with the school improvement partner.

p.7

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with groups of pupils from a range of year groups, including sixth- form students and pupils with SEND.  Inspectors observed and spoke to pupils at breaktime and lunchtime.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements, inspectors reviewed policies and procedures, met with the designated safeguarding leads, spoke with pupils, staff and governors, and reviewed the records for safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school.  Inspectors also reviewed documentation relating to behaviour, attendance, and governance.  Inspectors considered the views of parents, staff, and pupils via Ofsted’s online surveys.

p.7

Inspection team

Jeffery Quaye, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

David Bromfield Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 June 2023

p.7

8

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.

p.8

8

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8