Enfield Grammar School

Inspection of a good school: Enfield Grammar School Market Place, Enfield EN2 6LN

p.1

Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

p.1

The headteacher of this school is Christopher Lamb. This school is part of the Enfield Grammar School trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Guy Jones- Owen.

p.1

Outcome

Enfield Grammar School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They recognise the wider opportunities available and particularly benefit from the school’s rich and broad sporting offer. For example, pupils participate in high standard football, basketball and trampolining competitions.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established a caring and positive culture. The school community of parents and carers, pupils and staff respect each other. Pupils feel safe and know that they can approach a trusted adult if they need help. If incidents of bullying occur, the school takes action to ensure that pupils get the help they need. In the classroom, behaviour allows learning to take place without interruption. When needed, teachers use clear and effective routines to bring learning back to focus quickly. The same high expectations of behaviour are in place in the playground and as pupils move around the school. Adults consistently maintain these high behaviour expectations in these areas through close supervision.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have built an ambitious and demanding curriculum, including for the sixth form. All pupils are expected to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils respond well to these standards and remain focused during learning. As a result, they are successful in their studies.

p.1

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

Pupils attend school regularly. Leaders have been innovative, putting systems in place that identify the pupils at greatest risk of absence and encouraging their attendance. As a 30 and 31 January 2024

p.1

2

result, the school ensures that pupils are present and able to make the most of the opportunity to learn.

p.2

2

Pupils understand how they are expected to conduct themselves around the school because teachers make these expectations clear. The behaviour policies are fair and effective. Pupils speak to staff with courtesy. They understand that staff are looking after each pupil’s best interests. Sometimes, pupils do not move sensibly through busy corridors, but staff are on hand to provide close supervision and maintain safety and behaviour standards.

p.2

2

Subjects are consistently structured with activities to help pupils remember knowledge that has been previously taught. Teachers are highly knowledgeable, and they skilfully help pupils recall what they have learned. When mistakes are made, pupils develop a habit of correcting their learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils take on board clear teacher feedback when they make errors in their use of fractions. They use this guidance to build further knowledge successfully and eliminate the misconceptions they might have. Pupils with SEND receive support from staff in the classroom to ensure that they can access the same knowledge and skills as others. In the sixth form, students in physical education (PE), for example, are confident in using teacher feedback to improve their work, which they take pride in showcasing.

p.2

2

The curriculum has been given careful thought. Leaders want pupils to identify with the contexts chosen for teaching concepts. For example, in English, pupils are taught to empathise with both male and female characters in ‘Oliver Twist’ and relate this to the struggles some face in modern day London.

p.2

2

The school has a wide offer of subjects available to pupils. However, the proportion of pupils studying languages at GCSE is comparatively low. This means that pupils’ access to the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects remains below leaders’ expectations. The school is working to increase pupils’ interest in languages to broaden the take-up of the subject.

p.2

2

The school has prioritised reading and allocated time and resources to improve reading standards. Staff know how to make systematic identification of those pupils who need support. Some pupils arrive at the school already several years behind in their reading. However, the current programme and staff training aimed at helping these pupils to catch up with their reading are not yet effective, and these pupils do not get enough practice to quickly improve.

p.2

2

The school provides all pupils in Years 7 to 11 with a citizenship programme that teaches them about wider issues. An effective mix of assemblies, lessons, speakers and visits, taught by a team of experts in this curriculum area, cover important issues. As a result, pupils can confidently discuss ideas about, for example, democracy, healthy behaviours when online, and spirituality. This extends to the sixth form, where there is an emphasis on careers education and guidance, which ensures that pupils know the full range of options available to them when they leave school. 30 and 31 January 2024

p.2

3

Leaders have established a culture of mutual respect with their staff. Teachers are proud to work at this school and feel they are listened to, including those at the start of their careers.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils are safe. The school has a culture of being thorough about reporting, recording and escalating incidents when needed. The strong professional relationships between staff and pupils mean that the school quickly identifies any changes that may indicate a safety concern. They respond promptly. Pupils trust staff and know they can turn to them for help.

p.3

Safeguarding

However, statutory requirements are not consistently met for reporting pupils missing from education to the local authority. This means that, when a pupil moves away from the area, for example, notification to the local authority does not occur reliably.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The needs of weaker readers are not routinely met through the implementation of the reading programme. This means that some weaker readers do not make the rapid improvement they require. The school should strengthen the rigour of its reading programme and ensure that training is provided to teach pupils to read.  The systems for ensuring that statutory requirements for the reporting of children missing from education are not widely understood or embedded. The school and trust should ensure that policies, training and oversight in this area are strengthened.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018. 30 and 31 January 2024

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 30 and 31 January 2024

p.4

provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,061

p.5

form

Date of previous inspection September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of the Enfield Grammar School trust, which is a single school trust.  The school is comprehensive and non-selective.  The school operates from two sites, with pupils in Years 7 and 8 based at the Lower School: Parsonage Lane, EN1 3EX. Pupils in Year 9 and above are based at the Upper School site: Market Place, Enfield, EN2 6LN.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider for online learning.  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. 30 and 31 January 2024

p.5

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 spoke with the headteacher, the school leadership team and some trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, geography and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited lessons and discussed the curriculum in other subjects.  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

p.6

Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors also visited lessons in the sixth form and met with those responsible for careers education and the wider curriculum at the school.

p.6

Inspection team

Karim Ismail, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Gareth Cross Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

p.6

7

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.7

7

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.7

7

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.7

7

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

p.7

7

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

p.7