Addey and Stanhope School

Inspection of a good school: Addey and Stanhope School 472 New Cross Road, New Cross, London SE14 6TJ

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Outcome

Addey and Stanhope School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that pupils’ well-being and safety are given priority. They work with external agencies to give families any support that they might need. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is high. They behave well, including at breaktimes. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly inclusive. The school’s approach of ‘acceptance without exception’ reflects that pupils come from a range of diverse backgrounds. This is a school where ‘difference’ is something that is celebrated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils’ personal development. They work with a range of business partners to help teach and inspire their pupils. For example, pupils take part in social action projects as part of their citizenship work. They also hear from guest speakers about how to stay safe. Leaders proactively support pupils in looking after their mental health.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well, particularly considering that most arrive at school with low levels of knowledge in mathematics and English. Leaders provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including those in Lexis, the school’s specially resourced provision. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND speak highly of the support that their children receive.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders’ high ambition can be seen in the curriculum, for example through the offer of discrete drama and citizenship lessons in Years 7 to 9. There are also increasing numbers of pupils studying a modern foreign language in Years 10 and 11. In most subjects, the school has given careful consideration to what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. For example, in Year 7 English, pupils learn about the position of women in Elizabethan England, and then build on this knowledge when they study ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in Year 8. 26 and 27 September 2023

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The school ensures that pupils with SEND learn a curriculum that is appropriate to their needs. Pupils also benefit from a range of interventions to help them access the curriculum. Leaders are currently working to improve the curriculum in a few subjects for pupils who attend Lexis.

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Leaders check for gaps in pupils’ reading skills, for example in relation to their phonic knowledge. Leaders then support pupils effectively to catch up. Leaders promote a love of reading. The library is popular. It is also well resourced, including with texts that are adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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Teachers know their subjects well. They explain things clearly, choosing activities that help pupils to make sense of what they are learning. In geography, for example, pupils regularly work with data to help them make sense of topics such as population density. However, occasionally there is variability in how well the curriculum is delivered. This variability relates to checks on pupils’ understanding and to the quality of pupils’ work. As a result, sometimes pupils are not remembering important subject knowledge.

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The school is calm and orderly. Staff deal with any low-level disruption in line with the school’s expectations. Attendance is very well managed.

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Leaders offer pupils a wide range of rich experiences as part of their daily life at school. There are numerous clubs to choose from and regular visits, for example to museums and galleries. Pupils with SEND are very much included, such as the Addey’s Special League Football Team, which takes part in the Southern Special League. Careers provision is a significant strength. Pupils learn about a vast range of job roles. For example, pupils in Year 7 science study a ‘we are midwives’ unit, hearing directly from midwives about their work. Pupils are well prepared for life after school.

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There is a definite sense of community at this school. Staff speak highly of the way leaders consider their workloads when making decisions. Teachers new to the profession feel very well supported, including with how to manage behaviour. Staff retention is high.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, there is variation in how well the intended curriculum is implemented, for example in relation to how well pupils’ learning is checked. As a result, some knowledge is not being remembered long term. The school should refine its staff training to remove these variations, ensuring that pupils remember more of what they are being taught and consistently produce high-quality work. 26 and 27 September 2023

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 April 2018

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Information about this school

 Addey and Stanhope is a smaller-than-average-sized secondary school.  The school has a specially resourced provision, Lexis, for pupils with SEND. The provision specialises in speech, language and communication needs. There are currently 29 pupils accessing Lexis.  The school is not currently using any alternative provision.  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.

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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. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior staff. Inspectors also met with representatives of the local governing body and spoke with representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, modern foreign languages and geography. During each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and pupils about their learning. Inspectors also reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with a range of staff to discuss arrangements for pupils with SEND, including visits to and reviewing information about pupils who are educated in Lexis, the school’s specially resourced provision.  Inspectors also visited lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of work in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single 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 pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Sam Hainey, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Strong His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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