Regents Park Community College

REGENTS PARK GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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REGENTS PARK GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Regents Park Girls’ School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: King Edward Avenue Southampton Hampshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs P Cameron

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1996 Regents Park Girls’ School - 4

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Team members

1709 Sandra Tweddell Registered inspector 9769 Margaret Morrissey Lay inspector 18178 Ian Matthews Team inspector 20420 Stuart Rawcliffe Team inspector 2734 Paul Cosway Team inspector

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Team members

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Regents Park Girls’ School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Regents Park is a comprehensive school taking in girls between the ages of 11 and 16. It is larger than most schools, having 1092 pupils on roll. It is situated in the city of Southampton, and is bounded on three sides by houses. Pupils come from a very wide range of backgrounds, over a third coming from areas that are receiving funding for regeneration. The number of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is broadly average at 15.7 per cent. The school has representation from a wide range of cultures and faiths. For just over 20 per cent of pupils English is an additional language. The first languages include Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali and Gujerati. Five pupils are at an early stage of learning English. Twenty-two per cent of pupils are on the register of special educational needs, which is average and four of these pupils have a statement of special educational need, which is below average. A significant

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

number of pupils with special needs have emotional and behavioural difficulties. Attainment on entry is below average and, although skills of literacy on entry are close to average, skills of numeracy and in science are below average. The school is designated as a DFES Training School and has 18 students in training.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Regents Park Girls’ school is an effective school. Pupils enter with below average attainment and, when they leave, their overall attainment is well above average. One of the reasons for the school’s success is the very good leadership of key staff. Systems for managing the school are being refined and most staff are working closely together to implement them. Another factor is the good teaching. The school has a significant number of pupils whose behaviour is challenging, but their personal development is good, as staff manage them well. Attendance has improved and is now average, because of rigorous action by all staff. Among departments, there is some inconsistency in attainment and teaching and learning, that is being successfully tackled by the recently formed Headteacher’s Leadership Team. Science, modern languages, design and technology and geography do not perform as well as other subjects. Taking

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

account of the attainment on entry compared with the attainment when pupils leave and the quality of the provision, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress. • Leadership by the headteacher and the Leadership Team is very good and has set a clear direction for the school to maintain its success. • Teaching is good. • The personal development and support that all groups of pupils receive are very good.

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What could be improved

• The attainment of pupils is not consistently high in all departments. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in October 1996 and has made good progress on the areas that were identified for improvement. A review of teaching led to a wider range of teaching approaches being used. The review has recently been broadened to seek the views of pupils. The curriculum has been broadened and planning improved in order to ensure that work matches the needs of pupils of different attainment. The process of school development planning has been reviewed and sharpened and departmental and year team plans link closely to the school plan. National data are now used as a benchmark to gauge how well pupils make progress, and the information from this is beginning to be used by departments. The progress of different groups of pupils has been analysed by the Leadership Team. Attainment in science has improved. Regents Park Girls’ School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved at the end of Year 11 based on average point scores in GCSE examinations.

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similar

schools very high well above average A* A 1999 2000 2001 2001 above average average B C GCSE examinations A A A A* below average well below average D E

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similar

The table shows that in 2001, the performance of pupils was well above average and was in the highest five per cent of schools that take pupils from similar backgrounds. Pupils at the school have attained well above average results for the past three years. The trend in performance is similar to the national trend and the school met the targets it had set for 2001. Fourteen-year-old pupils have attained well in English for a number of years. Their performance in 2001 was well above average. In mathematics and science, the attainment of fourteen-year-olds was below average when compared with the attainment of girls nationally.

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similar

The inspection found that pupils’ achievement is very good and their attainment overall is well above average. Pupils do very well in English and their attainment continues to be well above average. In mathematics and science, attainment is improving and pupils make satisfactory progress from a low base on entry. Higher attaining pupils achieve well in science, but more rigour is needed in the subject’s leadership and management to ensure that all groups of pupils achieve equally well. There are other differences in performance among subjects. Pupils who study musical instruments achieve highly and attainment in history is above average. Modern foreign languages, geography and design and technology do less well than other subjects but most of the staff involved are aware of this and are working to improve this picture. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. More able pupils make very good progress as they are usually challenged by their work. There is no difference in

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similar

the progress of pupils for whom English is an additional language or of pupils from the wide range of cultural backgrounds that is represented in the school. These two groups of pupils make very good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Almost all pupils have positive attitudes towards their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall. Almost all pupils are polite and courteous.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils respond well to the many opportunities to develop as young women who think and behave intelligently and responsibly.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Has improved because of rigorous action by staff and is now average.

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Aspect Comment

The majority of pupils behave well and have positive attitudes towards their work. There is a small, but significant, number of pupils whose behaviour is challenging and who sometimes have negative attitudes towards learning. Usually, these pupils are managed well and do not disturb the learning of others. Regents Park Girls’ School - 8

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11

Quality of teaching Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11

Teaching is good overall and a third of the small number of lessons observed were very good or excellent. The teaching of English is very good and in mathematics and science it is satisfactory. The English department teaches literacy skills very well. Generally, the teaching of literacy is good in most departments, but there is some inconsistency. The teaching of numeracy is satisfactory. Departments have begun to consider how to develop pupils’ skills of numeracy in their subjects. The teaching of pupils for whom English is an additional language, of pupils with special educational needs and of higher attaining pupils is equally good. Teachers have a good knowledge of their subjects, using it well to extend the learning of their pupils. Most teachers begin their lessons with a clear explanation of what pupils are expected to achieve, focusing their attention on the subject, which supports effective learning.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 9 Years 10 – 11

In some lessons, including science, the work was not well matched to the needs of different groups of pupils in the classes so their achievement was not as high as it could have been.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The curriculum has been broadened to offer more choice for pupils and it includes vocational courses. The quality of extra-curricular activities is good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision is good and pupils make very good progress. Currently there is little monitoring of the work in classes but this is starting to happen.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Most pupils are confident and they work hard.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall and provision for moral and social development is very good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Provision for child protection and for health and safety is very good. The systems for assessment are good but are not yet used consistently across the school. The school does all in its capacity to cater for pupils with challenging behaviour and recent work to improve attendance has been successful.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The Leadership Team has a very clear view of how the school should develop and is developing well-considered management systems to support the maintenance and further raising of attainment.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are clear about their responsibilities and although few in number, are working well as a team to establish methods to gain information about the school and to use it in their work. They support the Regents Park Girls’ School - 9 school well and fulfil their role satisfactorily. Regents Park Girls’ School - 10 The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Data about performance and quality of provision are used extremely well by the Leadership Team and by some subject leaders, but are inconsistently used by other subject and year leaders.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. Funds are used wisely and are carefully targeted at priorities.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher gives very good leadership and has a clear strategic view of the school. The Headteacher’s Leadership Team works very effectively and the school staff work hard and are generally supportive. The school seeks best value in all its work.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children make good progress and attain well • Teaching is good • Children are expected to work hard • Reports give good information • Allocation of homework • Information about how children are doing • Working with parents and information given to them. • A small number feel behaviour is not good

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection found that pupils make very good progress and their attainment overall is high. The teaching is good and teachers have high expectations of the work of pupils. The small number of parents who are dissatisfied with homework are divided as to the reasons. Many feel that there is too much homework, particularly for younger pupils. Homework is set regularly and pupils stated that they manage it well. The quality of homework varies, some tasks extend learning very well, although others involve finishing off work, which does not extend learning for all pupils. The school is aware of difficulties with homework and has recently consulted with parents as part of a review. The inspection found that reports give good information about how well pupils are doing. A new Parents’ and Friends’ Association has been established and other plans are underway to improve links with parents further. The school

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

has a significant number of pupils who have challenging behaviour, but the school manages these pupils well and they do not usually disturb lessons. Regents Park Girls’ School - 11

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

1. When pupils enter the school, their attainment is below average, particularly in science and mathematics. They make very good progress throughout the school and when they leave, their attainment is above average and in 2001, was well above average. Higher attaining pupils achieve well in most subjects, as do average and lower attaining pupils, although in science, higher attaining pupils make more progress than other groups of pupils. The school’s analysis of test results indicates that pupils for whom English is an additional language and those from the range of cultures other than white British achieve equally well. This was confirmed by the inspection. Many, but not all, departments have a higher than average number of pupils who gain A* and A grades at GCSE. Recently, the school won a science award and a French speaking competition.

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

2. Many factors combine to produce these very good results. Leadership of the higher attaining departments is excellent and the teams as a whole respond to this very well indeed. They are highly committed, very willing to learn from each other, observing each other’s lessons and sharing ideas and teaching materials. They have enormous enthusiasm and love for their subject and they transmit this to the pupils, motivating them very well indeed. They have very high expectations, at times teaching the GCSE pupils at a level that would be appropriate for older students studying at GCE A level. They challenge and extend the knowledge and understanding of the girls beyond the requirements of the GCSE course. Marking and assessment are used very effectively indeed. Marking is thorough, detailed and helpful. National Curriculum levels or GCSE grades are used to let pupils know precisely the standard that they have attained and clear

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

and achievable targets are set after every substantial piece of work so that pupils know exactly what they have to do to reach the next level. Pupils’ progress is monitored regularly and any girl falling behind her target is mentored by adults and monitored. In one of these departments, parents are kept fully informed, by letter, of their children’s progress, if work is above or below expectation. Significantly, the teachers have an excellent understanding of the requirements of the examinations and high levels of expertise in helping the girls to understand how to gain the highest marks. This is not ‘teaching to the tests’, however. Their teaching of good examination techniques results in the girls learning very good communication skills, self-evaluation and analytical thinking. Above all, the subject leaders have a love and enthusiasm for the subject that inspires pupils.

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

3. The English department is one of the successful departments. The analysis of pupils’ work during the inspection confirmed high standards in English for all groups of pupils. Attainment is well above the national average both for 14 and 16-year-olds. The girls’ understanding and appreciation of literature are often outstanding and the older, higher attaining girls write lucidly and perceptively about the poems, plays and stories that they study. They have a very good understanding of the techniques that authors use to write effectively. They also write well themselves, using a range of styles to suit the purpose of the writing and its audience. Their writing is accurate and expressive, often moving. For example, a Year 11 girl wrote in her personal poetry anthology:

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

How long is a minute if we have but seconds? Or a month if we have but days? How long is a day if no hours we have, Just seconds to while away?

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

4. Another Year 11 girl wrote in response to a poem:

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

Breathtaking. A thousand fairy lights faintly cast their glow on the resting lake; oranges, golds and greens blend all the colours in the world into a patchwork that lies at my feet.

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Attainment is above average overall and pupils make very good progress

The high attainment and very good progress of pupils in the successful departments are a result of excellent leadership and highly effective systems of management. Regents Park Girls’ School - 12

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set a clear direction for the school to maintain its success

5. The headteacher was appointed in September 2000 and was faced with the challenge of maintaining existing high standards and moving a successful school forward to improve attainment still further. The motto of the school is aiming for excellence . The headteacher has a very clear idea of the leadership that is required for this to happen, and has already improved some areas by refocusing the work of the school, for example the use of information from assessment by all staff and procedures for ensuring regular attendance. All decisions are informed by evidence from data. She has very high expectations of her staff and pupils with a deep concern for their welfare. Her leadership style is an inclusive one, trying to involve all staff, pupils and parents, appropriately challenging them and ensuring that management systems are there to support them. In their turn, the staff are equally committed and are working hard to fine

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set a clear direction for the school to maintain its success

tune their work so that pupils receive the best possible education.

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set a clear direction for the school to maintain its success

6. One of the moves has been to appoint a headteacher’s leadership team. This group of six senior staff has areas of responsibility that cover all aspects of school life. The teamwork is very good and they work closely together, challenging but supporting one another. The headteacher aims to encourage all who work in the school to be open about their successes and their areas for development. This was observed at leadership team meetings. Staff with departmental responsibility have been renamed subject leaders to reflect the leadership that is expected in their role. Several have already taken up this challenge and the area for which they are responsible has improved as a result.

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set a clear direction for the school to maintain its success

7. The management systems that are developing are ensuring that staff and pupils have a voice in the decisions that are made. The school strategic plan is one example of this. Staff and governors all took part in its development and its successful use as a management tool was observed at the year team meetings where the agenda was firmly fixed on the priorities of the plan. Another system is the use of data to inform the work of subject and year leaders. All subject leaders have completed an analysis of examination results which they have used to set targets for their work. The quality of the analysis is variable as the process was introduced two years ago and is still developing. However, the majority of staff now have a clear idea of how to maintain and improve the achievement of pupils.

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set a clear direction for the school to maintain its success

8. Several improvements are already evident as a result of the refining of the school’s work. Attendance has moved from below average to average in the last seven months. The work of the Pupils’ Parliament has been developed. The pupils on this group spoke eloquently about their work and appreciated the opportunity to contribute to making decisions about the school. As the headteacher recognised that links with parents needed strengthening, a Parents’ and Friends’ group has been established and a sample of parents consulted about homework through a detailed questionnaire. The use of information about attainment along with national data has led to improvements across the school, including the allocation of staff to support pupils for whom English is an additional language.

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Teaching is good

9. Teaching in the school is good overall and of the small number of lessons observed, a third were very good or excellent. The teaching of pupils from the range of cultures represented is also good. Generally, subject specialists teach pupils with special educational needs and a few have support from classroom assistants. This teaching is usually good also. Higher attaining pupils are also taught well. There is a range of quality of teaching and a small number of lessons have areas of weakness. The Leadership Team is aware of this and is appropriately working with teachers so that all learn from the good practice that is widespread in the school.

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Teaching is good

10. The teaching of literacy by the English department is very good and is generally good in other departments, but there is some inconsistency. The science department has recognised that key terms in science need to be taught explicitly but is not yet doing this systematically. The teaching of numeracy is satisfactory. Regents Park Girls’ School - 13 11. Most teachers have a very good understanding of the subjects they teach and they use this well when planning work so that pupils’ learning develops at a good rate. The majority of teachers manage the behaviour of pupils well so that the environment allows pupils to learn effectively. There are one or two exceptions to this, where the school’s systems are not used fully by the class teacher. 12. One of the key features of the good teaching is the setting of objectives for the lessons and, equally important, sharing these with the pupils. In a lesson with pupils in Year 10, the teacher

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Teaching is good

shared with the class the aim of the lesson which was to understand how A grades at GCSE could be raised to A*. The pupils had a clear focus so they knew what they were expected to do and why. As a result, learning was good. Most teachers are using this idea, but there are times when the aim of a lesson becomes confused with the task that is set.

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Teaching is good

13. Lesson planning ensures that time is used to the maximum effect. Often, teachers give deadlines for the completion of an activity, thus maintaining the interest of the class. Resources are used well to extend learning and to maintain motivation. One example is the use of individual whiteboards on which pupils can try out ideas or note an answer that can then be quickly checked by the teacher. In modern languages, overhead projectors are used well to demonstrate ideas. Many teachers are enthusiastic about their subjects, inspiring pupils. This was observed in many lessons. Homework is set regularly and the best builds on the learning in the lesson, or prepares for new learning. The planners in which pupils note homework show that some homework is simply finishing off work or copying, which may not extend the learning of all groups of pupils. Work is marked regularly, but some marking did not suggest how pupils could improve

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Teaching is good

14. In the excellent and very good lessons, the teachers used their subject expertise and resources well, wasted no time, were very clear about their expectations and equally clear about how pupils learn. In a history lesson, as soon as pupils entered the room, they were asked to note what they could deduce on a picture to do with the holocaust. The aim of the lesson was clearly explained so all knew exactly what was expected of them. The teacher then engaged in a role- play with a pupil of the meeting at Wannsee concerning the Final Solution. Pupils were asked to make notes of their observations during the role-play, using them later to compare with minutes of the actual meeting. They were asked to scan the minutes and use a highlighter to highlight the points they found that matched their observations of the role-play. This focused the learning on the text and developed their skills of literacy as well as their understanding of history. The

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Teaching is good

teacher moved around, supporting those who found the task difficult and extending the higher attaining pupils’ knowledge with questions. Deadlines were used throughout which maintained the pace of working. The other feature of the lesson was the seeking and valuing the views of pupils. As a result, some pupils were prepared to ask questions and challenge. The class achieved very highly. They used their skills of literacy to good effect, sharpened their historical skills of analysis, hypothesis and deduction and deepened their understanding of the cause of the holocaust. The homework that had been set previously was thoughtful and challenging and was built on during the lesson. Another lesson with excellent features shared similar characteristics. This time the teacher used an apprenticeship approach. She wanted the Year 11 group to deepen their understanding of poetry from other cultures. She did the tasks alongside the pupils

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Teaching is good

and shared her responses with them, thus setting high expectations as well as giving them examples of what to do.

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Teaching is good

15. Many teachers are skilled in setting work that matches the needs of different groups of pupils. Have high expectations of their pupils and the work is appropriately challenging. In an art lesson with Year 7 pupils, four were given a different task as the one chosen was not appropriate, and extension activities were available for those who had finished.

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Teaching is good

16. The consistency of teaching is a focus for the school and although some inconsistencies remain, teaching is a strength of the school and contributes effectively to the high standards that pupils achieve.

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Pupils’ personal development and the support they receive are very good

17. The range of backgrounds from which pupils come is very wide and includes a significant number of pupils who have behavioural and emotional difficulties. The good ethos of the school supports the personal development of all pupils very well. Relationships throughout the school are very Regents Park Girls’ School - 14 good. Procedures for ensuring their health and safety, including the arrangements for child protection are also very good.

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Pupils’ personal development and the support they receive are very good

18. The provision for moral and social development is very good. Pupils have many good opportunities to undertake responsibilities through taking responsibility for, and participation in, musical and physical education activities, the Pupils’ Parliament and other general responsibilities. One example is the organisational roles undertaken by prefects at parents’ meetings. Another is the recent Global Rock concert, planned from start to finish by pupils under staff guidance, which included the making of the costumes and props that were needed. Nearly a quarter of the school took part. Attendance at extra-curricular activities is high and pupils spoke enthusiastically about the opportunities that are available. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 are trained by counsellors to be Welfare Officers and Form Sisters to younger pupils. They work with pupils in Year 7, closely supervised by teachers to ensure that no ‘Sister’ takes on the worries of other

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Pupils’ personal development and the support they receive are very good

pupils unnecessarily. Pupils support charities, for example, for cystic fibrosis.

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Pupils’ personal development and the support they receive are very good

19. Personal development is also supported effectively by the personal, health and social education programme, which has strong links with citizenship and religious education. In one example, an teacher planned a thought provoking and challenging lesson to enable pupils to think deeply about moral issues in the context of the theme of sacrifice. He claimed that he had received a offensive letter written by some pupils. He asked the class to suggest how he could find out the culprits, then asked who would be prepared to face detention on behalf of the class. He then selected two pupils, who had previously been alerted as to their role, to do the detention. The pupils had reasons for not doing it as they had other commitments that would have forced them to let family members down. The discussion that ensued encouraged the pupils to think deeply about moral issues and was most effective.

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Pupils’ personal development and the support they receive are very good

20. A significant strength in how well pupils are cared for is in the systems that have been developed to improve attendance, which was below average. Staff have worked hard to implement the systems and as a result, between September 2001 and March 2002, attendance has risen and is now average. The management of behaviour is currently being reviewed to ensure a consistent approach by all staff, although, overall, the management of behaviour is good. The school aims to include pupils, not exclude them, although exclusion is used as a last resort. The school is working closely with the Pupil Support Service, the Education Welfare Officer and the Community Support Link Service to achieve this. Adults in the school do all they can to support the pupils who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The internal suspension unit offers a good environment with calm music and telephone contact if needed. This allows pupils to calm down

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Pupils’ personal development and the support they receive are very good

21. The very good care that the school gives to its pupils is a major factor in their high achievement.

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The attainment of pupils is not consistently high in all departments

22. Attainment in the school overall was well above average in 2001 and in the top five per cent of schools that take pupils from similar backgrounds. However, this masks differences in attainment among departments. Many subjects enable their pupils to attain greater number of A and A* grades at GCSE than is found nationally. Science is one of these, and results improved last year but the department does not do as well as others. French, design and technology and geography also do less well than other subjects, although pupils have recently won a French speaking competition.

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The attainment of pupils is not consistently high in all departments

23. The departments that achieve highly are characterised by rigorous leadership and management. They focus strongly on attainment data as a means of comparing their results with other schools, and use the information for planning lessons, setting targets for pupils and monitoring their progress towards these targets. Work is therefore carefully matched to the learning needs of the pupils. In the less successful departments, data are used less well as, for many, it is a new skill. A science lesson, for example, was pitched at too high a level for a mid attaining group, so that pupils did not understand what was being taught. The understanding of scientific ideas by mid and Regents Park Girls’ School - 15 low attaining pupils is weak. These pupils therefore do less well than other groups of pupils in science.

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The attainment of pupils is not consistently high in all departments

24. A new subject leader for mathematics has been appointed who is developing management systems for the department, using information from the analysis of data to inform its work. New subject leadership in geography is introducing the rigorous approaches of the successful departments. The modern foreign languages department has had staffing difficulties but is working to improve its approaches to teaching.

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The attainment of pupils is not consistently high in all departments

25. In a few lessons, the use of the school’s behaviour policy is inconsistent, as is the quality of teaching. An area of inconsistency across all departments is in setting work that matches the needs of pupils. Occasionally, the extension activities given consist of more of the same, rather than extending the knowledge, skills and understanding of the pupils. In other lessons, the teachers rely on the setting arrangements, and do not cater for the range of abilities within the sets.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

26. In order to maintain standards and raise them further, the headteacher, senior managers, governors and staff should;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. Ensure that the leadership and management of subject areas and year groups leaders are consistently rigorous in the implementation of policies, particularly those for;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i. The use of assessment data to inform teaching and learning, to set targets and to monitor the progress of pupils; ii. The management of behaviour; iii. Teaching and learning.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Paragraph numbers: 1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 21, 22, 23 and 24. Regents Park Girls’ School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 26

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one two percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 1092

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 172

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 245

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 224

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 29

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 29

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Attendance

National comparative data 8.1 National comparative data 1.1 Regents Park Girls’ School - 17 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Regents Park Girls’ School - 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 2001 0 210 210

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Boys 0 0 0 Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 and above Girls 160 141 130

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 76 (81) 67 (63) 62 (54) at NC level 5 or above National 64 (63) 66 (65) 66 (59)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 50 (50) 40 {35) 30 (23) at NC level 6 or above National 31 (28) 43 (42) 34 (30)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Boys 0 0 0 Numbers of pupils at NC level 5 and above Girls 146 140 135

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 71 (60) 67 (61) 64 (55) at NC level 5 or above National 65 (64) 68 (66) 64 (62)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils School 38 (30) 38 (35) 32 (26) at NC level 6 or above National 31 (31) 42 (39) 33 (29)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 4 for the latest reporting year 2001 0 220 220

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

GCSE results 5 or more grades A* to C 5 or more grades A*-G 1 or more grades A*-G

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Boys 0 0 0 Numbers of pupils achieving the standard specified Girls 130 215 218

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Percentage of pupils achieving School 60 (53) 98 (96) 99 (99) the standard specified National 48 (47) 91 (91) 96 (96)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Average point score School 48.6 (44.8) per pupil National 39.0 (38.4)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Figures in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Regents Park Girls’ School - 19 Vocational qualifications Number % success rate

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Number studying for approved vocational qualifications or units and School 0 N/a the percentage of those pupils who achieved all those they studied National N/a

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 5 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 3 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 49 Other minority ethnic groups 3 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Y6 – Y11

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 67.33 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16.2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 22 Total income 3,066,534

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 495 Total expenditure 2,914,087

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Deployment of teachers: Y6 – Y11 Expenditure per pupil 2,659 Percentage of time teachers spend in contact with classes 74.4 Balance brought forward from previous year 57,656

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Average teaching group size: Y6 – Y11 Balance carried forward to next year 210,103

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 23.33

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 22.23

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 9.8 Regents Park Girls’ School - 20 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 8.4

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0.9

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Regents Park Girls’ School - 21

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 48 54 3 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 29 54 15 1 10

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 22 51 22 10 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 55 18 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 46 52 4 5 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 68 36 3 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 24 53 15 6 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 24 58 10 2 15

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 32 56 10 2 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 36 46 11 3 13

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