Focus 1st Academy

Inspection of Focus 1st Academy 339 Bowes Road, New Southgate, London N11 1BA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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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?

Pupils benefit enormously from their time at this school. Strong relationships exist between teaching staff and pupils. Teachers take the time to get to know pupils’ interests and past experiences in detail. Pupils are confident that teachers will help them if they have a worry. This helps pupils feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong sense of belonging at this school. They treat each other, teaching staff and visitors with respect and kindness. Teachers communicate the school’s high expectations for behaviour consistently. As a result, behaviour in lessons and during social times is impeccable.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils have had a challenging time in education before joining the school. Pupils take pride in supporting their classmates who are new to the school. These pupils settle quickly into school life. Pupils work hard and have positive attitudes towards their learning. For example, pupils are keen to share their knowledge and skills in acrylic painting. They use this knowledge to produce high-quality artwork.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils to acquire the knowledge needed to complete national qualifications such as GCSEs and functional skills in mathematics and English. It ensures that pupils achieve success across subjects.

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better?

Pupils arriving at this school sometimes have significant gaps in their learning due to periods of absence from education. The school checks pupils’ needs and starting points as soon as they join. Therefore, teachers know pupils and their needs well. The school works with external professionals such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists. These experts assist the school in identifying pupils’ individual needs accurately. This ensures that teaching is typically effective so pupils achieve well and access all the school has to offer.

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better?

The school has worked well to address previous weaknesses in the curriculum. For example, it has ensured staff have received training on early reading. Teaching staff teach phonics well. Teachers assess pupils in phonics as soon as they join the school. This helps teachers to identify gaps in the sounds that pupils know. Those pupils who have fallen behind receive swift support to catch up. As a result, pupils become fluent and confident readers and access reading materials across subjects effectively.

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better?

There is a broad curriculum in place. In most subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge and skills pupils need to know in a logical order. For example, in science, pupils learn to identify different types of rocks. Pupils build on what they know to explain how igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks are formed. However, in a few subjects, the school has not identified the key skills, knowledge and vocabulary they expect pupils to learn and when. This means sometimes teaching does not build on pupils’ prior learning effectively enough. In addition, on 25 to 27 March 2025 occasions, teaching is not adapted to address pupils’ errors or misconceptions. As a result, some pupils are not ready to learn new content, and this hinders their progress.

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better?

Pupils are highly motivated and show positive attitudes to their learning. Attendance remains a priority for the school. The school puts in place targeted support for pupils after they join the school so pupils attend regularly. This support ensures pupils’ attendance improves rapidly from their starting points.

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better?

The provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. There are purposeful opportunities for pupils to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem. Pupils celebrate cultures and faiths that may be different from their own. Pupils watch theatrical performances performed by companies that focus on inclusivity. This helps pupils to value difference and raises ambition. Carefully designed experiences help to break down barriers and develop a sense of community and respect. For instance, pupils have opportunities to play football alongside the police.

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better?

The school has a well-considered careers programme. Pupils receive individual guidance about routes into further education and different career paths. Pupils benefit from work experience in a variety of industries matched carefully to pupils’ talents and interests.

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better?

Pupils learn about risk within and beyond the school. External professionals deliver workshops on gang and knife crime and online bullying. Pupils are taught about consent and healthy relationships in an age-appropriate manner.

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better?

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value the support they receive from school leaders and the proprietor to manage their workload and support their well-being. The proprietor has good oversight of the school and has ensured that all the independent school standards (the standards) are met. The school adheres to schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Sometimes, teaching approaches are not effective enough when addressing pupils’ misconceptions and errors. This means some pupils do not have the knowledge and skills they need to be ready to learn new content. The school should ensure that teaching approaches are adapted effectively so pupils know and remember more.  In a few subjects, the school has not identified the key skills, knowledge and vocabulary it expects pupils to be taught and when. This means some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. The school should ensure that the important 25 to 27 March 2025 knowledge and skills it expects pupils to be taught and when are clearly identified so that pupils achieve well across all subjects.

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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. 25 to 27 March 2025

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School details

Email address marina@focustraining.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 and 8 June 2023 25 to 27 March 2025

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with a history of disrupted schooling. Typically, pupils are referred to this school by local authorities. Pupils may join the school at any point during the school year. A significant number of pupils have education, health and care plans.  The school is currently operating from two sites: 339 Bowes Road, New Southgate, London, N11 1BA and the Laura Trott Leisure Centre, 44 Windmill Lane, Cheshunt, EN8 9AJ. The school is also registered to operate from St Paul’s Church, High Road, New Southgate, London, N11 1PL. There are currently no pupils located at the St Paul’s Church site.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The headteacher is the sole proprietor of the school. There is no governing body.  Since the previous standard inspection in June 2023, the school has received one progress monitoring inspection in December 2023. The school met all the standards that were checked during this 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

 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 headteacher and other leaders. The lead inspector had meetings with the proprietor.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders

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Information about this inspection

about some other subjects. 25 to 27 March 2025  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. Inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors toured both school sites to gather evidence about compliance with the standards. Inspectors also reviewed a range of other documents and policies, including on the school’s website.

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the maximum number of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, inspectors checked whether the school is likely to meet and/or meets the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school meets the

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independent school standards relevant to the material change that they

have already implemented.  The school has requested to no longer admit pupils into key stage 1 and key stage 2.  There are currently no pupils aged five to 11 years on roll.

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of pupils to the school

 The outcome of this part of the inspection is: The school is likely to meet the

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independent school standards, if the material change relating to the

school provision is implemented.  The school proposes to open an additional site situated at, Gosling Sports Park, Stanborough Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6XE. The building provides ample space for pupils to learn. The proposed additional school site has suitable toilet and washing facilities. Pupils will have access to changing accommodation and showers for when they partake in physical education. Suitable accommodation is provided to cater for pupils’ medical needs. All areas of the building are well lit, including externally.  The proprietor, together with other leaders, has made suitable arrangements to ensure that the premises and wider provision on offer can accommodate the proposed increase to the number of pupils. The proprietor proposes to increase the number of pupils from 89 to 170.

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The school’s proposed change to increase the age range of pupils to 18

years of age.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: The school is unlikely to meet

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the independent school standards, if the material change relating to the

school provision is implemented. 25 to 27 March 2025  The school has requested to amend the age range of pupils to cater for pupils up to the age of 18. It plans to include a sixth form operating from the proposed additional site situated at Gosling Sports Park, Stanborough Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6XE.  The proprietor and school leaders do not have curriculum plans and schemes of work suitable in a range of subjects for pupils post-16. This means it is not clear what the additional proposed year groups will be taught and when.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Aliki Constantopoulou His Majesty’s Inspector 25 to 27 March 2025 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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