Haggerston School

100277 Unique Reference Number Hackney Local Authority 276283 Inspection number 4 °5 December 2006 Inspection dates David Hornbrook HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Comprehensive Type of school Community School category 11 °16 Age range of pupils Girls Gender of pupils Number on roll 865 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Jenny Bernard Chair Ms Maggie Kalnins Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous school inspection Weymouth Terrace School address London E2 8LS

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020 7739 7324 Telephone number 020 7739 8603 Fax number

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11 °16 Age group 4 °5 December 2006 Inspection dates 276283 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Haggerston School serves a local community in one of the most deprived boroughs in England. Over three quarters of students are from minority ethnic groups and half speak English as an additional language. In 2010, Haggerston will be become a co-educational school with a sixth form. The school is a specialist technology and modern foreign languages college and a training school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Grade: 3

Haggerston School provides a satisfactory education. In the years following the last inspection, tensions between senior leaders, governors and staff paralysed the school's development and depressed staff morale. A new headteacher was appointed in April 2006, and she and her senior leadership team have moved swiftly to re-energise the school. Staff and governors are now united behind a clear vision and strategy for Haggerston as it approaches reorganisation in 2010. Students enter the school with below average attainment, often with particular needs in literacy, and most then make good progress. GCSE results have fluctuated over recent years. The trend is upwards, but standards overall remain below the national average. Although, when contextual factors are taken into account, students do well, inspectors agree with the school that the achievement of the most able students is not yet as high as it should be.

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Grade: 3

Students and their parents are positive about their experiences of the school. Student surveys show a high satisfaction rate and one parent commented, 'I believe all the children are strongly encouraged to achieve and become valued members of society.' Apart from a few isolated incidents, behaviour is good. Students show respect for each other and for the wellbeing of the school community. They like school, settle quickly to their work and enjoy lessons. The school is active in promoting healthy lifestyles and provides good opportunities for games and sports. Attendance is about average but the school knows it must improve students' punctuality. Students are encouraged to extend their education beyond the gates. The school council has established links with neighbouring schools through the Hackney youth parliament and in 2006 trips were organised to Spain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic. There are regular public

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Grade: 3

performances and arts events and the strong links between the school and professional arts organisations such as the Globe Theatre and the London Symphony Orchestra. Many teachers perform consistently well in the classroom and this clearly contributes to the good progress made by most students. However, inspectors agree with the school that teaching overall is satisfactory. New procedures have now replaced previous, erratic arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and the school is beginning to identify where to target professional support. While the curriculum mostly satisfies statutory requirements, there are significant weaknesses in information and communication technology (ICT) provision. The school is also aware of the need to provide a wider choice of non-academic alternatives in Year 10 and 11. In its self-evaluation, the school is impressively accurate about the challenges it faces after so

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Grade: 3

many fallow years. A new improvement plan places a strong emphasis on getting heads of faculty and other middle managers to develop their leadership responsibilities and some key new appointments have been made. At the same time, a number of issues are still outstanding. The systematic review and evaluation of the school's performance is at an early stage, and it is clear that the governors have not been exercising their responsibilities in a number of important areas, most especially in respect of the school's finances. However, the foundations of improvement are securely in place and with its inspiring new leadership the school has the capacity to maintain the pace of change. Although the school's overall effectiveness is satisfactory, its performance in a few respects is inadequate. Before its next section 5 inspection, Ofsted inspectors may visit the school to 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Grade: 3

monitor the progress that it has made in remedying these weaknesses. The school would receive two to five days notice of such a visit.

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What the school should do to improve further

• As a matter of urgency, put in place suitable procedures for the monitoring of expenditure. • Improve the effectiveness of the governing body. • Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation raises the standard of all aspects of the school's performance. • Strengthen the curriculum by providing more vocational options and improving the quality and extent of ICT provision.

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Grade: 3

Students' achievement is satisfactory. Standards remain below average but show an improving trend. Students enter the school with below average attainment, but most make good progress thereafter, particularly in English and mathematics. Overall, progress in lessons is satisfactory. In 2006, students in Year 9 exceeded their targets in English, mathematics and ICT, but did less well in science. GCSE results have been just below the national average for some years. Exceptionally, in 2005, the proportion of students who achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE increased to 53%, but in 2006 this figure fell back to 47%. Success rates for individual GCSE subjects show considerable variation from year to year. The school acknowledges that higher-attaining students do not make as much progress as they should, but otherwise there is little difference in the progress made by different groups of students, including those with

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Grade: 2

Students' personal development is good. Relationships at every level are civil and students show good natured tolerance in crowded stairwells and corridors. The school is active in promoting healthy lifestyles and students understand the importance of keeping healthy. There are good opportunities for physical activity such as basketball, dance and badminton. Although attendance reflects the national average, punctuality is a concern. Students have many opportunities to take responsibility and do so eagerly, sometimes even undertaking special training for tasks such as peer mentoring. The school council is influential and efficient. One student said, 'it is respected because it helps students share issues and ideas.' Students' social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good. There are high levels of participation in local initiatives as well as more global ventures such as support for schools in Africa.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Good working relationships are reflected in students' confidence in their teachers and this helps them to engage in their learning. Lesson plans are focused on learning and take account of students' different levels of ability. Good pace, well-targeted praise and high expectations help students learn effectively. In an art lesson, students were able to make good progress because the teacher knew when to intervene with 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006 further challenges and when to leave students to work on their own. Despite these good features, lessons are too often dominated by the teacher, preventing students from developing the skills which will help them become independent learners. In some lessons, students are unclear about what they are expected to learn or how to improve their work and marking does not always relate to students' personal and academic targets. The school has identified these

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Grade: 3

areas for improvement but support strategies have not yet had time to have an impact.

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Grade: 3

The school's curriculum is satisfactory and meets the needs of most students. The school recognises weaknesses in ICT provision which has not advanced sufficiently since the last inspection and knows that teachers are not yet integrating ICT into their lessons enough. Provision for citizenship education is satisfactory but there are too few opportunities for students' spiritual development. In Years 10 and 11, the school's specialist status enables all students to follow a technology subject, and a new science in the twenty-first century course is proving a successful alternative to combined science. The offer of GCSE courses in Bengali and Turkish acknowledges the needs of the local community. About 25 students follow vocational courses at local further education colleges, but otherwise there are no vocational alternatives in Years 10 and 11. As well as a good range of extra-curricular activities, there are some

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Grade: 3

enterprising initiatives. For example, Year 10 students take part in an exhibition with local artists at a London bank where they sell their art.

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Grade: 3

The care, guidance and support given to students are satisfactory. Teachers assign a very high priority to students' health, welfare and safety. Individual support arrangements are well organised and good use is made of a wide range of external agencies; in one impressive initiative, young lawyers from a large City firm give their services as mentors. Personal development is soundly monitored and the school is increasingly effective in providing good additional support for a minority of challenging students. Support for vulnerable students, those with special educational needs and those at the early stages of learning English is satisfactory. Careers guidance is well planned and students are sensitively inducted into the school. The school is in the process of introducing an appropriately planned personal, social and health education programme and a carefully structured monitoring programme to record and promote students

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Grade: 3

academic progress. Students recognise and value these changes. One said, 'we know our teachers want us to do well and they help us.'

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Grade: 3

Although characterised both by impressive strengths and some significant failings, overall the leadership of the school is satisfactory. The new headteacher and her senior leadership team have accurately identified weaknesses and quickly established systems to bring about necessary changes. For the first time staff have job descriptions, lines of accountability are clear and data are being used systematically to inform decisions. Teachers are now frequently observed in the classroom and departments use data to review and evaluate their performance on a regular basis. The school has a strong commitment to the principles of equality of opportunity, but it 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006 fully recognises that it is not providing sufficient challenge for the most academically able students. Roles and responsibilities across the school are being reviewed and a priority given

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Grade: 3

to raising standards, tackling weaknesses in teaching and achieving value for money. Some residual issues relating to governance give cause for concern. These include poor financial planning and resource management, both severely criticised in a recent audit, and the failure of the governing body to exercise its responsibilities effectively in some important respects. Although there have been diligent efforts within the governing body to improve procedures, these are sufficiently serious issues to warrant further monitoring. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I am writing on behalf of the inspection team to let you know the judgements we made about your school. We enjoyed meeting groups of you, talking to your teachers and visiting lessons. Your views are very important and helped us to understand your school. In the end we thought Haggerston School was providing you with a satisfactory education. • We found Haggerston a popular, well-cared-for, multicultural school with a good atmosphere and we thought that you were courteous and well-behaved. You told us that you enjoy coming to school and that you feel safe there. • When we looked at your results, we found that overall you make satisfactory progress at school, and that your GCSE results were at or just below the national average. • You are well looked after at school, and have lots of opportunities to get involved in the arts, foreign trips and other activities. • Your new headteacher and her team are working hard to make changes so that they can help

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you do as well as possible at school. To make your school even better we think your school needs to: • make sure the governors are more effective • make monitoring better so that the school can improve more quickly • improve ICT and provide more vocational options for you in Year 10. Thank you for taking part in the inspection, by talking to us about your work and your life in school. We were very impressed by your mature and reflective views. David Hornbrook Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Haggerston School, 4 °5 December 2006

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