Norlington School and 6th Form

Inspection of a good school: Norlington School and 6th Form Norlington Road, Leyton, London E10 6JZ

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2023

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Outcome

Norlington School and 6th Form continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Juan Hernandez. This school is part of The Exceptional Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Juan Hernandez, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stephen Pierpoint.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Throughout the school, including in the sixth form, pupils are welcoming and respectful. They enjoy coming to school. They benefit from caring professional relationships with staff, who make sure that this is a positive place in which to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. Across the school, pupils achieve highly. Students at the end of their time in the sixth form leave the school well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and work hard in lessons. They are taught to respect and treat others equally regardless of differences, including faiths and beliefs. Leaders and other staff have created a strong community here. Typically, staff, pupils and parents and carers said that they felt that they belong to the ‘Norlington family’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. They are taught how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally. Bullying is rare but if it happens it is dealt with promptly by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make the most of the wide range of clubs and activities on offer. Typically, pupils, including students in the sixth form, go on multiple educational visits each year. Pupils in Year 7 participate in a residential journey, which helps them to build friendships and independence when they join the school. Pupils in Year 10 and students in Year 12 take part in well-planned work-experience opportunities. 29 and 30 November 2023

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum. They have designed a broad curriculum through which pupils study a wide range of subjects to the end of Year 9. Subjects such as modern foreign languages, history and geography have increasingly high uptake at GCSE over recent years. In the sixth form, students can choose from a variety of courses, which are tailored to suit students’ preferences and ambitions for their future studies.

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

Leaders use a wide range of strategies to foster pupils’ love of reading. Pupils who struggle with reading receive extra support, which helps them to catch up and read more fluently. Teachers identify important and ambitious texts across the curriculum. These are used effectively to enable pupils to read widely and deepen their understanding of the topics they study.

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

Through the school’s ‘cycles of assessment’, leaders check how well pupils achieve in different subjects. Generally, teachers use what they know about pupils’ learning to help pupils make improvements to their work. However, at times, teaching does not pick up pupils’ misconceptions or check whether pupils have fully understood what has been taught.

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

There are effective systems in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Overall, pupils with SEND achieve well across different subjects. However, sometimes, teaching is not adjusted as well as it could be to meet the learning needs of these pupils. There are some inconsistencies in how well staff use the information they are given about pupils’ individual needs. Occasionally, this affects how well these pupils access learning.

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

Pupils benefit from the expertise of subject specialists across the curriculum. Teachers and support staff use an agreed approach for implementing the curriculum and to structure lessons. This consistent approach helps pupils to recap, practise and build upon previous learning.

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

Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education. Pupils get the chance to learn about careers and options available to them. In the sixth form, students benefit from bespoke careers guidance, support and advice. Students visit universities and work with specialist organisations to deepen their subject knowledge. For example, some students work with The Royal Institution, where they learn from science experts.

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

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They rise to the high expectations set by staff. Pupils are motivated by the many initiatives in place, including those which reward their high attendance.

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

The school provides a variety of well-thought-out opportunities to promote pupils’ personal and social development. Pupils attend a wide range of clubs, such as chess, debating, cooking and sports. There is a strong focus on promoting pupils’ awareness of subjects related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The school’s curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is well planned. For 29 and 30 November 2023

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example, pupils are taught, in an age-appropriate way, about healthy relationships and how to form positive friendships. They are taught to be excellent role models of Norlington School with a strong emphasis on being kind, patient and respectful.

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School leaders and trustees have worked effectively together in order to make continuous improvements to the school. Trustees offer support and challenge to leaders and bring a wealth of skills and experience to the school. Staff are well supported with their well- being and workload. They are proud to be part of the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching does not carefully check pupils’ understanding in lessons. This means that occasionally, pupils’ misconceptions are not identified or addressed. The school needs to ensure that teaching routinely checks that pupils have understood what they have been taught and identifies and addresses any misconceptions.  Occasionally, teaching is not adjusted as well as it could be to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Sometimes, staff do not use the information they are given about pupils’ individual needs. This affects how well pupils with SEND access learning. Where this is the case, the school should ensure that staff use the information available to them to adapt teaching effectively for pupils with SEND.

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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. 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 school to be good in September 2018. 29 and 30 November 2023

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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). 29 and 30 November 2023

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School details

Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest

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School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Academy converter

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form

Dates of previous inspection 12 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Norlington School and 6 th Form became an academy in September 2016. It is part of The Exceptional Education Trust.  This school currently uses one registered alternative provider.  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. 29 and 30 November 2023

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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.  Inspectors met with the principal and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the trust and members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. They also spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying. Inspectors spoke with leaders, teachers and pupils about the school’s programme of personal development.  Inspectors considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments submitted via the free-text facility. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey and staff survey.

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Inspection team

John Blaney, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Hook Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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