Eltham Hill School

Inspection Report Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls

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100182 Unique Reference Number Greenwich Local Authority 285736 Inspection number 14 November 2006 Inspection date Meena Wood 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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Eltham Hill School address Secondary Type of school London Community School category SE9 5EE 11 °16 Age range of pupils 020 8859 2843 Telephone number Girls Gender of pupils 020 8294 2365 Fax number 935 Number on roll (school) Margaret Wasdell Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Marjorie Findlay-Stone Headteacher 18 November 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 285736 14 November 2006 11 °16 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Eltham Hill Technology College is an average sized school specialising in technology. Most pupils' attainment is average when they start school. A high number of pupils are eligible for free school meals. A sizeable proportion of pupils are bilingual but only a small proportion have English as an additional language. One fifth of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities. The school draws one fifth of its pupils from Black African and Black Caribbean groups and about one fifth of pupils from other minority ethnic groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Eltham Hill Technology College provides a good quality of education for its pupils. The headteacher and her team have successfully instilled a strong ethos of respect for learning and positive relationships in pupils. This has contributed towards their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The headteacher's clear commitment to the quality of the pupils' education has resulted in a rigorous focus on managing low pupil attendance and unacceptable behaviour. Around the school and in many lessons, pupils' behaviour is very good and, in some cases, excellent. Since the last inspection, attendance has improved and is now satisfactory and the punctuality of pupils is good. Pupils' achievement is good; most enter the school with slightly below average ability and make very good progress overall. Pupils make outstanding progress between Years 7 to 9, but progress is satisfactory in Years 10 and 11. Pupils' standards are broadly

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Grade: 2

average at the end of both Years 9 and 11 and the school is working towards raising these. Teaching is good and in some lessons it is outstanding, as teachers know their pupils well and plan stimulating and enjoyable lessons enabling most of them to make good progress. However, a few teachers do not plan sufficiently for the range of pupils' abilities and do not rigorously check all pupils' learning. Excellent procedures are in place for setting challenging academic targets, tracking pupils' progress, and raising aspirations. This has helped most pupils, especially those in Years 7 to 9, to better understand how to achieve their academic targets. The curriculum is broadly satisfactory and meeting most pupils' needs. Rightly, the school is committed to developing more appropriate vocational and academic learning pathways and links with business and industry. Pupils are guided well towards their choices in Year 9 and for further education

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Grade: 2

and training in Years 10 and 11. Pupils are safe and well cared for and the support of vulnerable pupils is very good. Skilled staff and learning mentors successfully support most pupils with behavioural and learning difficulties, as well as those with English as an additional language, to improve their achievement. Effective leadership by senior staff has increased the sharing of good teaching practice across the subjects. The school's self-evaluation has correctly identified its strengths and most of the areas it needs to improve, and the school's capacity to improve is very good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise achievement in Years 10 and 11. • Ensure that all teachers check all pupils' learning and progress in lessons. • Extend vocational learning pathways for pupils and develop school links with business and industry. 2 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Overall, pupils' achievement is good and pupils' standards are average. Pupils make very good progress between Years 7 and 11 and there are no significant differences between groups of pupils. Most pupils arrive in school with slightly below average attainment in Year 7 and make outstanding progress between Years 7 and 9 with pupils of different abilities achieving equally well. The school is in the top ten percentile of similar schools' achievement for Years 7 to 9. However, in Years 10 and 11, progress is satisfactory. Whilst pupils' progress in English is above average in Years 7 to 9, pupils' progress in English in Years 10 to 11 is average. Pupils' overall standards in Year 9 in English, mathematics and science were below national averages in 2005. However these improved in 2006, and pupils attained broadly average standards in all three subjects. In Year 11, overall standards in GCSE and equivalent examinations are average. However, they are improving year-on-year and

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Grade: 2

more pupils gained A*/A grades in 2006. The rate of improvement in the last two years for numbers of pupils achieving 5 A*-C GCSE is faster than the national average. In 2005 and 2006 the school exceeded its own targets for Year 9 pupils who were expected to achieve level 5 and above and for pupils taking 5 A*-C GCSE. In 2006, pupils performed better in English, design and technology, French, German and history than in 2005, however the numbers of pupils taking GCSE in French and German has reduced substantially in the last year.

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Grade: 2

Overall, personal development and well being are good and pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The school's ethos is based strongly on respect for a disciplined and safe environment where pupils enjoy their learning and work productively with their peers and with adults. Through tutorials, assemblies and a stimulating display of posters around the school, most pupils understand that there is a zero tolerance of bullying and swearing. They learn to overcome their own prejudices and attitudes, developing greater tolerance and good manners. Pupils are polite and well behaved. They willingly take responsibility for and make a good contribution to the school and the wider community. Year 10 pupils produce a successful magazine called Dand;eacute;jand;agrave; vu and pupils in art contributed to the 'Eltham Lights Up' event this year. Pupils are consulted on their learning; for

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Grade: 2

instance, Year 9 pupils were recently surveyed on the appropriateness of the learning pathways open to them. The school pupils' forum has a genuine influence on the running of the school. Pupils are currently identifying ways to deal with 'cyber bullying' (bullying through the internet). Pupils are encouraged to have a safe and healthy lifestyle through physical, social, health education. The provision of healthy food is better at lunchtime, than it is at break. The lack of lockers is a health and safety concern to some parents, as this means pupils have to carry their books and equipment with them throughout the 3 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006 school day. Attendance has improved and is now satisfactory, but a minority of pupils (and their parents) are still not convinced of the importance of regular attendance. Pupils learn to work well in teams and independently and recognise that these skills

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Grade: 2

are useful to them in their future education or employment.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, and in some lessons, excellent. In most lessons, teachers are very aware of pupils' levels and abilities, and plan well structured and enjoyable lessons. Teachers make very good use of electronic white boards and produce effective materials that engage pupils in their learning. In one Year 10 English lesson, pupils gained a good understanding of Juliet's emotions in the context of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, through writing an imaginary 'blog' that replaced Juliet's soliloquy. In an applied science lesson, Year 10 pupils enjoyed acting out the movement of liquids being transferred from one container to another, in order to learn about volume and the differences between liquids, gas and solids. Teachers very effectively assess pupils' understanding and progress in lessons, through stimulating quizzes, simple games and careful explanations. Pupils display a real sense

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Grade: 2

of achievement when they are assessed correctly. One pupil reported 'it's great when teachers know we have different learning styles and help us learn in different ways!' However, a minority of teachers do not plan adequately for all pupils and do not check all pupils' learning. For instance, in French and German lessons, pupils were not given sufficient opportunities to improve and extend their language skills and there was insufficient use made of the target language in teaching. A significant number of pupils across all subjects need help with literacy skills, and there were good examples of teachers planning work to meet these needs. The majority of pupils' assessed written work contains clear, high quality feedback that relates well to pupils' targets. In some instances, however, teachers do not sufficiently inform pupils about their progress and simply tick work, glossing over errors and inaccuracies.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall. The quality of enrichment activities enables pupils to learn new skills and develop individual interests. Lunchtime and after-school clubs develop pupils' self-confidence through team sports and 'catch up' revision classes. Pupils' independent learning is encouraged through 'Super Learning Days'. The school works hard to ensure that all pupils are included in every aspect of school life. Pupils are able to access homework and lesson materials on the school Intranet from home although under half of pupils make use of this facility. The curriculum in Years 10 and 11 has been improved to include vocational education for a small minority 4 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006 of pupils. For example, there is a health and social care course offered in school and a few pupils attend courses at Plumstead Manor, Greenwich College and Charlton

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Grade: 3

Athletic Football Club. As of this year, more able pupils, can take the vocational CIDA course in ICT, and pupils, for whom it is appropriate, follow a Skillsforce course. Work related learning is developing well; pupils record relevant activities in their contact books and the school has achieved the Work Related Learning Silver Quality Award this year. However, as the school recognises, it needs to further develop links with business and industry and to ensure it offers a more appropriate range of courses and learning pathways to better meet the pupils' needs.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' care, guidance and support are good. In most cases, teaching assistants and curriculum support workers support pupils well, both in and out of lessons. In a few cases, the role of the support teacher in lessons is not sufficiently well planned. Pupils at an early stage of learning English are supported very closely through the Integration Unit and through individual and group sessions at lunchtimes and make good progress. The mentoring of pupils with behavioural difficulties is very effective in improving behaviour for those pupils. However, the level of fixed term pupil exclusions is still relatively high. The 'Inclusion Unit' works very effectively with external professional agencies to support vulnerable pupils at risk and parents are kept well informed. Academic monitoring is excellent for most pupils. To raise pupils' and parents' aspirations, teachers set challenging targets for all pupils and closely monitor their

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Grade: 2

progress in subjects, using assessment criteria and value added graphs. This has been most successful with pupils in Years 7 to 9, who make outstanding progress, are familiar with the assessment criteria and know what they need to do to reach their targets. In one excellent Year 9 English lesson, pupils working on aspects of persuasive writing, successfully assessed their own progress against the criteria, so that they could see how well they had performed in relation to their individual targets. Some pupils of average and lower ability, in Years 10 and 11, whilst aspiring to improve their grades at GCSE from D to C, are not sufficiently guided as to how this can be achieved. Pupils receive clear and suitable information and guidance in relation to Year 9 choices and post 16 courses.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is highly committed to continuous improvement, and to raising standards and inspires her staff to work towards this end. She has recently restructured her senior team to enable them to manage this even more effectively. The headteacher and her senior leadership team have been very successful in significantly improving most pupils' progress in their time at the school. They have achieved this through establishing excellent monitoring procedures for teaching and learning and successfully integrating academic target 5 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006 setting for pupils into the majority of lessons. A 'Learning to Learn Directorate' has been established that sustains a clear focus on teaching and learning and steers forward the sharing of good and excellent practice with teachers and support staff. Staff development sessions are linked closely to areas of improvement identified during

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Grade: 2

observations, are very well attended and have contributed significantly to raising standards in teaching and learning. The self-evaluation process is largely well managed and rigorous. An excellent component involves developing the ethos of 'reflection' in the school; consequently, throughout the year, teachers are required to review their teaching, and pupils, their learning and targets. As part of the self-evaluation process, the school has not sufficiently analysed the effectiveness of its behaviour strategies, and the impact of exclusion and reintegration into school, for a disproportionately higher than average number of pupils from minority ethnic groups in 2005-06. The governing body works very effectively with the school through links with curriculum directors and has recently set up a 'Parents Forum'. Communication with parents has improved, although a minority of parents believe they are not consulted sufficiently

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Grade: 2

when changes take place relating to school uniform, and in relation to being kept informed about their children's progress. The school has undergone some serious staffing problems that have had an impact on pupils' learning and progress in subjects such as design and technology (DT) and ICT, but a greater stability in these areas in the last year, has led to improved results in, for example, DT. The school gives good value for money. 6 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 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? 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 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?

2 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. 8 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 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? 9 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Following our recent visit to inspect your school, we would like to thank you for your contribution. We enjoyed sitting in your lessons, talking with you and looking at your work. I am now writing to let you know about our findings. • Your school is a good school and you receive a good quality of education and good care, guidance and support when you need it. Your head teacher and the staff are very caring and highly committed to improving your progress in learning. You make a very good contribution towards your school and the local community and the school actively involves you in your learning. • Most of you make good progress in your subjects during your time at school. In Years 7 to 9, you make outstanding progress, but it is not quite as good in Years 10 and 11. Your teachers know you very well and plan stimulating and enjoyable lessons that help you to make good progress. They set challenging targets for you in your lessons and most, but

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

not all, monitor learning very closely. • We were impressed by your behaviour and respect for others and your good sense of self discipline. Most of you attend the school regularly and understand that if you do not, this will affect your learning and results in the examinations. A minority of you need to work harder at your attendance. The school is very clear with the standards of behaviour and rightly, will not tolerate bullying and swearing. A minority of you need to respect this and to copy the good manners, which most of you display. We have identified some areas where the school can improve. • Teachers need to work more closely with you to help you improve the progress you make in Years 10 and 11. • All teachers need to check your learning and progress in lessons. • The school needs to develop more appropriate vocational and academic learning pathways for you to follow in Year 9. We hope that you will all do well in the future and with the help of the school realise your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

ambitions. Yours sincerely Meena Wood Her Majesty's Inspector 10 Inspection Report: Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, 14 November 2006

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