Ark All Saints Academy

Inspection of a good school: Ark All Saints Academy 140 Wyndham Road, Camberwell, London SE5 0UB

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Outcome

Ark All Saints Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Lucy Frame. This school is part of Ark Schools multi- 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, Lucy Heller, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sir Paul Marshall.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a caring, safe and ambitious community based on the Christian principle of looking after one another. Staff and pupils are kind and supportive. Pupils feel that they are part of a family at this school. Activities such as the weekly whole-school ‘shout out’ help to develop this strong sense of community. Staff know their pupils very well. This means they can address any concerns quickly and put support in place when it is needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils to achieve well. This ambition extends to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils follow the same broad and balanced curriculum as their peers. The curriculum is taught by teachers with strong subject knowledge. Very clear and strong routines give pupils a consistent structure to their learning across the different subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, engaging and proud of their school. They recognise the opportunities that the school gives them to achieve. This is demonstrated by high levels of attendance. Pupils work hard and they are ambitious for their future. They behave very well in lessons, listening to their teachers and to each other. Pupils are safe in school.

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

Pupils follow a very carefully considered curriculum that goes beyond the scope of the national curriculum. Leaders have ensured that subject content has been selected so that pupils are able to learn more and remember more over time. For example, in English, pupils study Charles Dickens in Year 7 and revisit the key themes regularly so they are prepared to analyse ‘A Christmas Carol’ at GCSE level. In art, pupils develop their drawing skills by tackling increasingly challenging projects each year. Teachers have very strong 2 and 3 November 2023

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subject knowledge. They check pupils’ understanding regularly. In lessons, teachers routinely refer back to earlier subject content to help pupils make links in their learning. On occasion, however, teaching activities are not selected with enough precision and do not help pupils to progress well through the curriculum. This leads to some pupils not completing work and developing gaps in knowledge.

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Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the curriculum. Teachers are given detailed information and know these pupils well. Leaders also make sure that pupils who need additional help with their reading get extra support so that they can catch up quickly.

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The school has very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Leaders have put in place strategies to support those pupils who need help to meet these expectations. Pupils know that discriminatory language will not be tolerated. Behaviour in lessons is very positive. Pupils do not disturb others’ learning. Pupils are kind to each other and praise each other. Outside of lessons, the school’s high expectations for behaviour are sometimes not met. Pupils do not consistently self-regulate or keep their hands to themselves. This results in occasional instances of behaviour that are not conducive to a calm learning environment, although staff manage these well.

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Leaders are keen to ensure that pupils are well prepared for life beyond school. A carefully sequenced tutor programme helps pupils to learn very clear messages about responsibility and safety. Pupils have opportunities to reflect through collective worship. At the end of every week, the whole school gets together for ‘shout out’. This allows all pupils to celebrate examples of success, kindness and resilience. Pupils value the regular citizenship days, which give them opportunities to explore issues such as online safety and healthy relationships in more depth. A very active pupil council genuinely influences school decision-making. Pupils meet with leaders regularly to discuss issues and suggest improvements, for example to the lunchtime food offer.

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The trust and the local governing body know the school well. They share school leaders’ clarity of vision and ambition for all pupils at the school. Staff feel valued and recognise that leaders take their workload into account. They benefit from high-quality training and support. Staff are proud to work in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the teaching activities selected do not help pupils progress through the curriculum. This means that some pupils do not cover all the curriculum as intended and have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders should continue to develop pedagogy to ensure that teaching activities selected are suited to pupils’ needs and previous learning. 2 and 3 November 2023

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 Sometimes, in corridors and at social times, pupils do not regulate their own behaviour. This means that sometimes there is boisterous behaviour in corridors and in play spaces. The school should ensure that its high expectations of behaviour are met beyond the classroom so that corridors and social spaces are calm, orderly and purposeful.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2015.

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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). 2 and 3 November 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Ark All Saints Academy has a Christian religious character of the Church of England denomination. It is in the Diocese of Southwark. The school’s last section 48 inspection was in November 2016.  The school makes use of one registered alternative education provider for a very small number of pupils.  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. 2 and 3 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in English, geography, and art and design. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and talked to teachers and pupils. The inspectors talked to leaders and looked at curriculum information for other subjects and visited a range of other lessons.  The inspectors held meetings with the principal, members of the leadership team and members of staff, as well as a range of pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the survey responses from parents, pupils and staff.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair of the local governing board. He also spoke with representatives from the trust and with a representative from the diocese.

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Inspection team

Bob Hamlyn, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Terry Millar Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 November 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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