The Archer Academy

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: The Archer Academy Eagans Close, London N2 8GA

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

The Archer Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Lucy Harrison. This school is part of The Archer Academy single academy 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 Avis Johns and the chair of the governing board is Claire Straus.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive an exceptional education at The Archer Academy. Pupils and staff live and breathe the school’s values of ‘achievement, respect, curiosity, hard work and enjoyment’. The school fosters a happy, welcoming and inclusive environment where academic excellence and personal development hold equal importance. Staff are committed to the belief that every pupil has the potential to succeed and thrive. They work diligently to provide high-quality learning opportunities for everyone. As a result, pupils achieve highly, including in public examinations, and grow into confident learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s provision for pupils’ wider development is exemplary. The enrichment programme provides a significant variety of experiences for pupils, including chess, golf, and Mandarin. The school forges strong partnerships with its local community to enrich pupils’ wider experiences. Through these experiences, pupils’ cultural capital is further enhanced. This contributes to pupils developing as happy, well-rounded young people.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is highly positive. The school fosters a calm and productive atmosphere, ensuring a safe environment for all. Pupils typically demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning, actively collaborating with their peers during lessons to maximise their learning. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. They value the school’s recognition of each child as an individual and its holistic, caring approach. 14 and 15 January 2025

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

Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils. They have designed a broad and exceptionally rich curriculum, which prepares pupils incredibly well for their next steps in education. This ambitious curriculum matches, and, in some cases exceeds, the scope of what is expected nationally. Pupils develop in-depth knowledge and skills across a variety of subjects and, as a result, achieve highly.

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

The school has put reading and vocabulary development at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils are routinely expected to read widely and use subject terminology accurately. For example, in art, pupils learn how to draw contour lines and show confidence in explaining their impact on the dimension and depth of their work. Similarly, in English, pupils use and justify the term ‘alienation’ when analysing a character. Those who are at the earliest stages of reading are extremely well supported to become confident and fluent readers. This is because the school provides exceptionally well-designed additional reading sessions that help these pupils catch up quickly.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present ideas clearly. They model their expectations for pupils’ work well. Checks on pupils’ learning are used effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding, close any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and address misconceptions. Teachers skilfully adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps pupils to develop increasing levels of independence.

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

Pupils benefit from a very strong careers programme. High-quality information and experiences such as ‘take my child to work day’ as well as the ‘bright ideas’ lecture series are provided so pupils and their parents understand the many choices available.

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

Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly. They benefit from excellent relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils are cared for well and have adults they trust, who they can talk to if they have problems. The school has recently made some very well-received adjustments to its behaviour approaches, with a greater focus on rewards, as well as explicitly teaching positive behaviours linking to its core values.

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

The governing body knows the school very well. It challenges leaders rigorously to ensure decisions are always made in the best interests of pupils and staff. There is exceptional support and consideration of workload. This helps to ensure that staff are best placed to provide an ambitious and high-quality education for pupils. Staff are immensely proud to work at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses three registered alternative provisions.  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 evaluation 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 headteacher and senior leaders. They also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and the chair of trustees and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors visited a wide range of lessons and spoke with teachers. They also spoke 14 and 15 January 2025

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with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Lisa Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katerina Christodoulou Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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