Kings London

Inspection of Kings London 25 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, London BR3 4PR

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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 Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

All students are made to feel welcome in this school. Staff look after students well and keep them safe. Typically, students described the school as a ‘second family’. The school has a calm and friendly atmosphere. Students enjoy making new friends here and are respectful to each other and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students are very well motivated, and they work hard. They have a mature attitude towards their studies. The school helps students to achieve their ambitions to continue their studies at university. Teachers know their students well and give them lots of support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students behave well in lessons and around the school. They are determined to make the most of their time here. Students have a wide choice of enrichment activities which staff encourage them to attend. They particularly enjoy taking part in activities such as badminton, chess, gardening and art. Students and staff have the chance to show off their talents by performing in the ‘Kings Got Talent’ event. The school organises some educational visits such as to London museums.

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better?

Leaders, including the proprietor body and governors, have taken decisive action to improve the school since the previous inspection. They have a clear vision for the school which staff share and understand. The school has strengthened its systems to ensure that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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better?

The school has an ambitious and broad curriculum. Students can study a range of subjects, such as science, psychology, politics and mathematics. The small number of students in Year 11 have a wide range of curriculum subjects to choose from, including humanities and art.

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better?

The development of students’ English skills is integral to the curriculum. The majority of students speak English as an additional language. Staff carefully measure each student’s fluency in written and spoken English and offer appropriate pathways of study. For example, where students have difficulty accessing academic courses in English, the school organises additional English lessons. Over time, students improve their English reading, writing and speaking skills. Students read widely, mainly around their chosen academic studies. The school encourages students to read for pleasure. Students can access books in the school’s library as well as the ‘box library’ and choose from a wide selection of fiction and non-fiction texts.

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better?

Alongside the school’s work to improve the quality of education, the school has provided ongoing support for teaching staff. A structured training programme helps staff to develop their teaching expertise. Teachers have secure subject-specific knowledge and follow the well-planned curriculum. They explain concepts clearly and break learning down into manageable steps. However, there is some variability 14 to 16 May 2024 in the approach to teaching the curriculum and, as a result, attainment is not as equally high in all subjects. Opportunities to recall and practise previous learning are not routinely in place in some subjects. This means that students find it difficult to embed important knowledge in their long-term memory. At times, teachers do not check carefully that students have fully understood what has been taught.

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better?

Students value the small class sizes here. Staff get to know their students well and tailor work to their needs. For example, staff help students with complex subject- specific vocabulary through the use of glossaries. The school identifies students with special educational needs and/or disabilities accurately. Staff use appropriate and effective strategies to adapt their teaching.

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better?

Students in all year groups study personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). The school ensures that subject content is age appropriate and relevant. For example, students are taught about healthy lifestyle choices and dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety. Students are encouraged to stay safe in the local area and taught the laws around, for example, drinking alcohol and smoking. Workshops with external agencies, such as the local police and specialists in sexual health, strengthen the school’s PSHE programme. The school has appropriate procedures in place to support and encourage regular attendance.

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better?

Students are taught to understand and respect people’s differences and that everyone is equal. The harmonious atmosphere in school is testament to this as students from different backgrounds and cultures get on well together. Any form of discrimination is not tolerated. Staff take students’ views seriously and act on their feedback. The student council takes an active part in school life. For example, student council members help to organise whole-school events such as the annual ‘May Ball’.

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better?

The school increasingly encourages students to take up opportunities to help in the wider community. For example, some students support pupils at a local special school. As well as the school’s debating society, students have regular discussions and debates in lessons. These include different ethical issues. For example, students in economics discussed the government’s decision to put tax on sugary drinks.

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better?

The proprietor body has effective systems in place to ensure that the school meets the independent school standards consistently. The school has ensured that the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 are met

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff ensure that students are safe. They are vigilant to any changes in the behaviour of individual students and the signs that may suggest that a student could be at risk. Staff know how to identify and report any concerns they might have about students’ welfare. The school is prompt to follow up on these concerns appropriately. However, some of the actions taken are not clearly recorded as 14 to 16 May 2024 record-keeping is not routinely well organised. Some staff are not fully aware of their responsibility to share all safeguarding-related information that might occur outside of school.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Across subjects, there is some variability in curriculum implementation. This includes, for example, approaches to assessment and opportunities for pupils to recap and practise prior learning to embed knowledge in students’ long-term memory. Where this is the case, some students do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented equally effectively across subjects and that in all subjects, students’ attainment is equally high.  Some aspects of leaders’ record-keeping with regard to safeguarding are not well organised. Some staff are not fully aware of their responsibility to share all relevant safeguarding-related information with leaders that might occur outside of school. The school should ensure that all record-keeping is well organised. The school should continue work to ensure that all staff are fully aware of their responsibility to share any relevant safeguarding-related information, including

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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. 14 to 16 May 2024

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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form

Proprietor Prime Education and Training Ltd

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form

Annual fees (day pupils) £7,150 to £32,781

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form

Date of previous inspection 1 to 3 November 2022 14 to 16 May 2024

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Information about this school

 The school specialises in preparing students to gain the academic qualifications needed for admission to universities in the UK. Students can study GCSE and A levels in a range of subjects. The school also offers a one-year advanced-level foundation programme and English language courses.  Students come from a wide range of countries and most speak English as an additional language.  Most students live with local host families or in accommodation managed by the school. The boarding provision was last inspected in November 2021 and met all the national minimum standards for boarding.  The school operates from two premises. The main school site is at 25 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, BR3 4LR. The school offers a range of English language courses for international students at their English Language Teaching building, located at 2 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, BR3 4LR.  The number of students on roll, and their age range, varies regularly because the

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Information about this school

number, type and length of courses studied vary throughout the year. At the time of this inspection, there were no students aged 14 or 15.  The current principal took up post in January 2023.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school’s previous inspection was a progress monitoring inspection in September 2023. The school met all the independent school standards that were checked during the inspection.  The school’s last standard inspection was in November 2022. The inspection judged that the overall effectiveness of the school was inadequate. The school did not meet all the independent school standards that were checked during the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the same time as an inspection of the boarding provision. 14 to 16 May 2024  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the principal, the director of studies and other school leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, economics and PSHE education. 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 considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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 considered responses to the survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the responses to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jude Wilson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Radomsky His Majesty’s Inspector 14 to 16 May 2024 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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