Lammas School and Sixth FormOfsted inspection, 6 Mar 2007

133287 Unique Reference Number Waltham Forest Local Authority 294064 Inspection number 5 °6 March 2007 Inspection dates Glynis Bradley-Peat 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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150 Seymour Road School address Secondary Type of school Leyton Community School category London E10 7LX 11 °16 Age range of pupils 020 8988 5860 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8988 5861 Fax number 845 Number on roll (school) Mr Paul Redcliffe Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Shona Ramsay Headteacher 7 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294064 5 °6 March 2007 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 four Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is smaller than average for a secondary school and serves an area of significant deprivation. Over two thirds of pupils come from a variety of ethnic minority backgrounds and over half of these have English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is higher than usually found. The proportion of pupils identified with learning difficulties is above average as is the percentage with a statement of special educational need. Pupils start school with levels of attainment that are exceptionally low. There has been a high level of staff recruitment since the school opened as it grew each year and, more recently, it has had difficulty recruiting teachers. The present headteacher has been in post for just over a year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 3

The Lammas is becoming an increasingly effective school which currently provides a satisfactory standard of education. However, leaders and managers realise that there is still much to be done. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory but standards remain below average in national tests at the end of Year 9 and at GCSE at the end of Year 11. The proportion of pupils leaving school with five or more A* - C grades at GCSE is not yet high enough. Standards in science have been exceptionally low because of a legacy of inadequate teaching and an unstable staff. However, the new subject leader has pin-pointed exactly what should now be done to raise standards and has a clear plan for improvement which is already being implemented. The personal development of pupils is satisfactory. They enjoy their education because of the good relationships they have with staff and each other within the school. They really appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities provided for them which

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Grade: 3

helps them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. There are appropriate ways for pupils to contribute to the community and the school council has an effective voice. Pupils are cared for well and say that they feel safe and secure. The school is aware that there is still more work to be done to improve attendance which is below average. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall with some pockets of good and outstanding practice. Excellence is evident in physical education (PE) and drama. However, the proportion of good or better teaching is not high enough to make a real impact on standards. On the whole, pupils behave well in class but a significant minority disrupt lessons that they find uninteresting. Pupils enjoy working in pairs and groups but opportunities for this are infrequent in some subjects. The curriculum is good overall. It is particularly good in the way that it provides extra support and enrichment

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Grade: 3

for those pupils who need it both in and out of the classroom. For example, a wide range of extra-curricular revision classes boosts the attainment of pupils. Vocational courses on offer are popular and successful and help to improve achievement. The headteacher and her senior team are leading the school well. They have already introduced a number of effective measures to improve pupils' behaviour and achievement. All managers monitor work in classrooms rigorously and tackle issues of concern. Assessment procedures have been recently improved and are now good, but the information is not always used consistently enough in all classrooms to enable all pupils to achieve as well as they can.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in national tests at the end of Year 9. • Raise the proportion of pupils achieving 5 grade A* - C at GCSE. • Improve attendance. • Improve the quality of teaching so that a higher proportion is good or better. 2 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 3

Standards at the ends of Years 9 and 11 are below average although pupils make satisfactory progress considering their starting points in Year 7. In 2006, the proportion of pupils gaining 5 A* - C grades in English was close to the national average, with mathematics following closely behind. However, in science results were much lower and the school rightly identified them as a cause for concern. The school has missed its challenging targets in previous years but a good assessment and tracking system is now enabling teachers to monitor and support pupils' progress more closely. The quality of work in the current Years 9 and 11 is much improved because of many additional support strategies which have been introduced by leaders. Although these initiatives are beginning to raise standards and are having an impact on achievement, more remains to be done. Pupils of all ethnic groups, including those for whom English is an additional language,

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Grade: 3

and higher attaining students make satisfactory progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress.

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Grade: 3

Personal development and well-being are satisfactory with some strengths. Pupils enjoy school and praise the work of teachers who provide a wide range of activities for them to participate in before and after school and at lunchtime. A high number attends these sessions. Pupils adopt safe practices well and have a good understanding of the importance of healthy life-styles. The school council has been involved in decision making about foods on offer in school which has resulted in healthier food options. The school is working diligently to improve attendance but it is still below average. Learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Most pupils are sociable, are keen to talk about their work and behave appropriately. However, some pupils report that a minority of their classmates still disrupt the learning of others. They are aware that the school is working hard to remedy this.

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Grade: 3

Many pupils willingly take responsibility through the school council, the prefect system and peer mentoring. The new 'Lammas Mentors and Prefects' [LAMPS] act as outstanding role models to younger pupils, offering advice and trained support. Their work was praised by other pupils and one said, 'This is one place we know we can go to get help when we need it.' Pupils are aware of those less fortunate than themselves and take part in fund raising activities. Pupils are satisfactorily prepared for the next stage of their education or the world of work. A programme of work experience for all pupils, an increase in vocational courses and the opportunity to spend time in other educational establishments contribute to this. 3 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. The school has taken positive steps to introduce rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching and has linked this well to training for teachers. There are pockets of excellence which leaders are planning to share more widely throughout other curriculum areas. In PE and drama, purposeful, exciting teaching makes learning fun in both theory and practical lessons. Pupils respond enthusiastically and work well in groups, making good progress. There are high expectations and excellent examples of individual support for pupils. In some other areas, teaching is rather dull and the range of teaching styles is limited. Sometimes this consists almost exclusively of imitating examples given by the teacher and completing exercises from worksheets or the board. In these lessons, pupils' attitudes are far less positive. Interactive whiteboards are used very well in some

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Grade: 3

curriculum areas but not in others. The 'Learning to Succeed' initiative has helped to develop more consistent practice in planning lessons across the school. Most teachers make satisfactory use of assessment information to plan lessons. However, this is not yet good enough to ensure that all activities challenge all pupils and help them achieve as well as they can.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good overall. The school frequently reviews how well the curriculum meets the needs of different groups of pupils and external requirements. Changes have been introduced as a result of these reviews which ensure the curriculum offers a closer match to the aptitudes and interests of the pupils. For example a wider range of vocational courses, in addition to Leisure and Tourism and Health and Social Care, is being developed in order to cater more successfully for pupils' needs. Pupils particularly enjoy the work-related content of Leisure and Tourism. Other work-related learning is provided through partnerships beyond the school. Specific courses and support are offered to pupils with learning difficulties in Years 10 and 11 and they are provided with a considerable number of extra opportunities to prepare them for examinations and raise their achievement. For example, there are numerous revision

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Grade: 2

and catch-up programmes in place. Pupils say that these are particularly helpful. In Years 7 and 8 the school has introduced time-tabled reading classes to improve the literacy levels of selected pupils. There is a wide range of enrichment and extra-curricular activities on offer to pupils, including sporting, cultural and residential activities. These contribute significantly to the development of leadership qualities in pupils and to their enjoyment of school. Personal, social and health education is satisfactory and there is a structured programme in place including citizenship. 4 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. This is now beginning to have a positive impact on the personal development and well-being of the pupils. 'Every Child matters' in The Lammas and the school seeks successfully to increase achievement and include every child. Students feel safe in the school and arrangements for child protection are in place, monitored, understood and followed. Risk assessments are carried out thoroughly. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils and promoting their personal health and welfare are also good. Staff demonstrate a high level of commitment to the care of pupils. An effective 'Inclusion Panel' offers a number of external and internal support mechanisms to support pupils and enable them to continue in school and achieve as well as possible. Good arrangements for the academic guidance and support of pupils are in place. Achievement reviews give pupils an opportunity to discuss targets with teachers and

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Grade: 2

parents. This enables them to keep a clear focus on what they need to do to improve. Pupils are given quality, detailed information about courses on offer at the end of Year 9 which results in them choosing options which really suit them. Staff particularly keep a close eye on those pupils falling behind with coursework for their GCSE courses and there are robust arrangements to facilitate its completion. Progression to further education or the world of work is supported well at the end of Year 11 by a 'Connexions Adviser'. The provision to support the achievement of pupils with learning difficulties and other disabilities is good. Support for pupils who speak English as an additional language is satisfactory.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and the headteacher has created an atmosphere in which standards are set to rise and students are beginning to achieve well. Members of the senior team demonstrate strong leadership and support the work of the headteacher well. Between them, they have set a clear agenda for raising standards. As a result of this direction, subject leaders monitor the work of their departments well and make careful assessments of particular strengths and weaknesses. A particularly strong feature of management is the way teams interact and communicate with each other. The headteacher has not been afraid to seek help to enable the school to make more rapid progress in bringing about improvement. For example, the local authority provides the school with good support. The school knows its strengths and the areas it needs to improve well, and has put into place systems and procedures which are

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Grade: 2

beginning to raise achievement and standards. Monitoring of teaching and learning focuses well on what is happening in classrooms and helps teachers to improve their work. Governance is good because the headteacher 5 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007 has empowered governors to be critical and hold the school to account. They do this well. Monitoring by governors is good and they know their school well. Most parents who made their views known are happy with the way the school is managed and what it offers. 6 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007 .

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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: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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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

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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 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 3 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: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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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: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for the help you gave us recently when we inspected your school. You talked to us about the work of the mentors and prefects (LAMPS) and how good you thought they were and we agree! Behaviour is improving in school and you feel safe and know what to do if you have any problems. You were very enthusiastic about the extra-curricular activities the staff provide for you and how much you enjoy them. We were pleased to see that you are being supported well by your teachers in preparation for your forthcoming examinations. You certainly have a wide range of revision lessons to turn to for help. We think that your school gives you a satisfactory education. This means that your school does some things well but that it needs to do better in other things. Your headteacher really wants you to achieve as well as you possibly can and has put lots of improvements in place to do this. She is helped by a very

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

able team of senior managers and teachers who have your best interests at heart. You can help all of them by behaving well and completing all your work to the best of your ability. This will help you do even better in exams and help the school to raise its standards in 2007. So, revise hard and thoroughly! We have identified some areas we would like to see get better. We have asked that the headteacher and her team of leaders and managers ensure that you all do better in your national tests at the end of Year 9 and in your GCSEs at the end of Year 11. Some of your lessons contain activities that are interesting and enjoyable. However, this is not always the case. We have asked that the school continues to check that teachers are teaching you all as well as they can so that all of you receive the good teaching you deserve. Finally, we have asked the school to improve attendance. This is something you could really help them with

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

very quickly. Make sure that you always attend school and don't take time off when you don't need to. This is really important if you are to do better in your exams. We wish you all the best and will be watching how well you all do in the summer! Kind regards Glynis Bradley-Peat Lead Inspector 10 Inspection Report: The Lammas School, 5 °6 March 2007

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