Westminster Academy

Inspection of Westminster Academy The Naim Dangoor Centre, 255 Harrow Road, London W2 5EZ

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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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 Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is Dr Paul Wood. This school is part of The Westminster Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Dr Paul Wood, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mike Karp OBE.

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 10 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 18 and 19 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Westminster Academy is a welcoming and inclusive place. The school offers a broad and stimulating range of opportunities for all pupils. Pupils are kept safe and are well looked after. They know they can talk with adults or report an issue if they have a concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Staff are determined to ensure that all pupils, including students in the sixth form, succeed academically. The sixth form provides an exceptional education for students.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils follow the same curriculum as their peers. Staff provide helpful support when it is needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around the school is orderly. The school has established a calm environment in which pupils can learn. If behaviour falls below the school’s expectations, staff follow clear systems and take prompt action. Bullying does not happen often, but staff take effective action when it does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to take part in an extensive range of activities and visits. Students in the sixth form experience a very rich offer. They benefit from visits to universities, support with internships and summer placements, as well as taking part in leadership and teamwork development programmes.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and matches the aims of what is expected nationally. Leaders have thought about the knowledge that pupils should learn, and this is logically sequenced. For example, in English, pupils read from a range of literary texts in Year 7. Consequently, they experience a breadth of writers and genres. This supports older pupils to study different whole texts in depth, including poetry, novels and plays. Pupils in the sixth form build on prior learning, reading a rich range of high-quality literature and responding critically with increasing precision and confidence.

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better?

Recently, leaders have made changes to the curriculum with the aim of ensuring greater consistency in its implementation. In most subjects, this is embedded as the school intends. However, in a small number of subjects, this is less well developed. In these instances, pupils do not consistently secure the foundational knowledge they need as fully across the whole curriculum.

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better?

Students in the sixth form have a consistently high-quality educational experience. They study a range of subjects in depth. The carefully planned and highly ambitious curriculum is embedded across International Baccalaureate programmes of study. Students are very positive about the support and opportunities the school provides. 18 and 19 October 2023

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They are highly committed to their education and produce work of a consistently high standard.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. In most lessons, they provide pupils, including those with SEND, with activities that enable them to deepen their knowledge and apply what they have learned. Occasionally, activities are less well designed to consolidate intended knowledge, including for pupils with SEND. In these cases, pupils do not complete work that enables them to practise what they have learned.

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The school identifies pupils with SEND effectively. Staff work closely with a range of specialists and external agencies, seeking high-quality advice about how to support pupils. Pupils receive additional support, including with reading, to help them to access the full curriculum.

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Pupils behave well around the school. They are positive in their attitudes to their work and show respect to visitors. Staff use the revised behaviour policy to remind pupils of expectations, and this is effective. Pupils and students in the sixth form attend well. Staff ensure that pupils receive high-quality pastoral support when they struggle.

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The school has carefully designed the personal, social and health education curriculum so that it supports pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn about how to stay healthy. Staff work with a range of specialist agencies to provide pupils with extensive support for mental health. Pupils learn about risk and how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online.

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Leaders prepare pupils and students in the sixth form well for the next stage of education, employment, or training. For example, students in the sixth form have the opportunity to work on course-related projects in university laboratories.

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Leaders have an accurate view of the school. They are focused on what is working well and areas that need further development. The trustees maintain effective strategic oversight of the school’s work. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities well.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the support from leaders for their well-being and the professional development opportunities that the school provides.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 and 19 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Recent changes to the curriculum are not fully embedded. Teachers are still getting used to delivering the curriculum content and addressing gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The school should ensure that the new curriculum is fully embedded. The school should also provide appropriate professional development to ensure that staff have the expertise to implement the curriculum with confidence.  Sometimes, the work given to pupils, including those with SEND, does not enable them to achieve the aims and ambition of the curriculum. The school should ensure that tasks and activities are purposeful, deepen pupils’ knowledge and are meaningfully adapted, as required, for pupils with SEND.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 18 and 19 October 2023

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School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Academy sponsor-led

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,124

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sixth form

Website http://www.westminsteracademy.org.uk

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 28 February and 1 March 2013 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses five registered alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 October 2023

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 During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors met with members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, modern foreign languages, history and physical education. They met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, and spoke with teachers and pupils. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The curriculum in other subjects was also considered as part of the inspection.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils, parents/carers, and staff through both discussion and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Russell Bennett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam Johnson His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 October 2023

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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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