Kemnal Technology College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Rapidly improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders and governors rigorously evaluate the impact of pupil premium funding on the progress of disadvantaged pupils from their different starting points leaders develop the curriculum, particularly for key stage 4 and the sixth form, so that it best meets the needs and aspirations of all pupils so that they are well prepared for their next steps leaders and governors, including those in middle leadership roles, sharpen improvement planning, achieve consistency in assessment practice and raise standards in their related subject areas
  • all teachers consistently apply school policies, including those for behaviour and assessment.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, particularly in humanities and science, and in academic courses in the sixth form, by all teachers:
  • having the highest expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving
  • routinely challenging pupils, including the most able, by using learning activities better suited to pupils’ different starting points
  • checking pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding before they move on to new activities. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• The new executive headteacher has been in post since September 2016. She has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and is passionate about moving the school forward. The school has experienced some difficulties in recruiting staff, for example in science. There are also new leadership and staffing appointments in some subjects; consequently, the quality of middle leadership is developing.
• Previously, decisions made by leaders about ensuring that students in the sixth form were placed on appropriate courses were the wrong ones. Too many students were placed on academic courses that did not meet their needs. As a result of weak information, advice and guidance, student achievement on academic courses has been too low over time. This situation is improving quickly.
• Similarly, leaders’ decisions about early entry in science mean that pupils have not achieved in line with their potential. Current Year 11 pupils achieved 45% A* to C in GCSE core science when they sat the exam at the end of Year 10, well below what they are capable of achieving.
• The curriculum, although broad and balanced at key stage 3, is not effectively meeting the needs of all pupils, including the most able at key stage 4. Most-able pupils in Year 10 do not have the option of studying individual sciences in more depth, and only a few choose to study a modern foreign language. In the sixth form, the new strategic partnership with Cleeve Park School, which starts in September 2017, will widen the range of quality academic and work-related courses available to sixth formers. The school has a good range of extra-curricular activities, including a wide range of visits during ‘get stuck in week’.
• There is inconsistency in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and how effectively teachers consistently follow school policies. There is good practice in teaching that can be shared across the school. However, teaching typically lacks challenge, particularly for the most able pupils. As a result, progress of the most able pupils is below the national average for overall progress.
• Although leaders have a spending plan in place for pupil premium funding, it is not rigorously evaluated to determine which strategies are working well and which are not. The 2016/17 spending plan repeats much of the spending of 2015/16. Leaders acknowledge that they are not routinely evaluating the progress of disadvantaged pupils from their different starting points.
• Year 7 catch-up funding is making more of a difference. Information provided by the school shows that most pupils reach the ‘knowledge and understanding’ grades used by the school to measure progress in English and mathematics.
• Funding for special educational needs is used effectively to ensure that pupils make progress in line with other pupils nationally. Learning support assistants do provide the required support to meet pupils’ needs. At times they can focus too much on managing class behaviour rather than improving learning.
• The plans for school improvement at both whole-school level and subject level lack sufficient detail. For example, it is not easy to see what specifically it is about teaching that needs to improve. Where milestones are included, it is not easy to see how they will be measured throughout the year to determine if leaders are on track. Similarly, the quality of assessment varies too widely across the school. Leaders know that some of the progress information is not reliable enough for them to base their decision-making on.
• The school has a high number of admissions other than at the expected time, often of pupils who need support with their behaviour or who have been excluded from their previous school. Leaders work hard to meet pupils’ needs. They are inclusive in their approach and have successfully reduced the number of permanent and fixed-term exclusions. This is despite a lack of off-site education in the surrounding area. Behaviour is improving.
• The management of teachers’ performance is robust. Targets set are ambitious and link to the correct whole-school priorities. The executive headteacher is clear in her vision of what needs to happen to meet these ambitious targets. Most staff feel supported by school leaders and that the school is well led and managed. Teachers new to the profession are happy in their roles. They feel that they are mentored well.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is secure. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong. They interact well with each other and show respect for each other’s differences. Pupils take part enthusiastically in fund-raising events, for example together with staff, they recently raised over £450 for a national charity by taking part in a national campaign. As a result, through their actions, pupils show they have a secure understanding of modern British values.
• The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) is now providing more effective support to the school. The brokering of the partnership with Cleeve Park School, the plans for the shared sixth form with Cleeve Park and the allocation of a Trust Director are all helping the school to move forward. The plans for the sixth form are well developed and are being trialled this year, prior to a formal launch from September 2017.

Governance of the school

• As part of the strategic partnership with Cleeve Park School, there is now a joint governing body in place. The new chair of the governing body was appointed from February 2017.
• Governors have a secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have been much more involved in testing out their views of the school since September 2015. They now regularly see the school in action through their visits and through their interactions with staff and pupils. Governors hold leaders to account and challenge them where needed.
• Governors are fully supportive of the school in becoming more outward looking. They have encouraged leaders to develop their partnership work and to learn from other schools, as well as contributing to new ways of working.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All checks on the suitability of adults to work with children meet statutory requirements.
• Leaders have created a safe school where pupils interact well with each other. There is a warm atmosphere around the school. The vast majority of parents who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, feel their children are safe in school and that they are well cared for.
• Leaders monitor pupils’ welfare fully. They understand the local risks, including child sex exploitation and issues relating to mental health. Case studies show that their actions to ensure that they follow up concerns quickly are the right ones. Pupils know how to stay safe when online and using new technologies. Girls who join the sixth form enjoy school and feel supported in settling into school life.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers do not have consistently high enough expectations of what their pupils are capable of achieving. Pupils are not pushed hard enough to learn as much as they can. As a result, work has a tendency to lack challenge.
• The learning activities created or used by teachers do not fully reflect the different starting points of pupils, particularly the most able. This includes students in the sixth form. This means that work for the most able is often too easy. This is the main reason why the progress of the most able pupils is lower than the progress of lower-and middle-ability pupils.
• Teachers are not active enough in promoting accurate spelling and writing, including for students in the sixth form. Often, spelling mistakes go unnoticed. Pupils are not consistently pushed to write with confidence and to show correct grammar and punctuation.
• There is inconsistency in the effectiveness of teacher assessment. Closed questioning and variability in feedback mean that teachers do not always have an accurate understanding of how much pupils have understood. There is a tendency to move on to new topics when pupils still have misconceptions or are unsure about what they have just been taught.
• Strengths in teaching include the positive working relationships between teachers and pupils. Pupils are very complimentary about the support they receive from their teachers. Pupils generally have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils state that they receive plenty of homework from core subjects. The pattern in other subjects can vary.
• Teachers generally have good subject knowledge. Teaching is most effective when this knowledge is used to explain concepts clearly, and where activities engage pupils in their learning. This was seen in mathematics where pupils were working on enlargement by scale factors. The visual aids being used by the teacher engaged pupils to the extent that they started to ask the teacher questions and began to use ‘what-if’ scenarios.
• Similarly, in a physical education lesson, the effective use of additional adults helped pupils to learn how to develop their table tennis forehand and backhand skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Pupils who spoke to inspectors from across the different year groups felt that, although behaviour is improving, there is still enough low-level disruption to prevent them from learning as much as they can. This means that some pupils who are choosing to be disruptive have not reached the level of personal development where they are able to become successful learners.
• Although, there are some plans in place for careers provision, it lacks a comprehensive and detailed approach that includes key stage 3. Pupils, who replied to Ofsted’s pupil survey, felt that they needed better careers preparation, including more support with writing a curriculum vitae and interview preparation. Year 11 pupils and students in the sixth form feel well supported and prepared for their next steps.
• Pupils feel safe at the school. Pupils are able to explain a variety of ways that they have been taught to stay safe, including when outside of school. Leaders have a variety of age-appropriate ways of helping pupils to stay safe and healthy. For example, Year 7 pupils spoke confidently of their learning about diet and exercise.
• Most pupils feel that adults in the school are supportive and that bullying is rare, yet when it does occur, most say it is dealt with effectively. The school keeps detailed records of bullying and follows up all incidents that are reported.
• Leaders ensure that they liaise appropriately with external agencies to meet pupils’ needs. A variety of case studies looked at by inspectors showed that leaders are tenacious in following up concerns and ensuring that effective support is put in place.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• A number of pupils who completed the survey, and those who spoke to inspectors, commented that, in some lessons, low-level disruption prevented them from learning. It is more common in key stage 3 than it is in key stage 4. When disruption occurs, not all teachers are consistent in following the school’s behaviour policy to deal with it.
• When the work from teachers lacks challenge, this is when pupils can come off task and lose interest in their learning.
• The school has a reflection room, which is used when pupils have had to be removed from lessons for disrupting learning. Records of referrals to the isolation room are monitored by senior leaders and appropriate actions are taken when needed.
• Pupils are confident and self-assured. Pupils typically look smart in their school uniforms. Pupils behave well in corridors and when moving around.
• Permanent exclusions have fallen significantly, and fixed-term exclusions have also reduced. Senior leaders have worked hard, despite a lack of available off-site education, to meet the often challenging needs of pupils who join the school during the academic year.
• Attendance overall is in line with the national average. Punctuality to lessons is good. The systems that leaders have put in place have been effective in improving the attendance of pupils who have free school meals and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils do not make good progress overall in science and humanities. For example, in 2016, validated information shows that the progress of pupils with middle- and high- ability starting points, in both humanities and science, was significantly below the national average. This does not show improvement from 2015.
• Outcomes for the most able pupils, although improving for current pupils, lag behind that of lower- and middle-ability pupils. In both 2015 and 2016, their progress across their ‘best 8 subjects’ was significantly below the national average.
• Student progress on academic courses for current students in the sixth form is improving, having been previously significantly below national averages.
• Due to the low uptake of modern foreign languages and below-average outcomes in science and the humanities, the proportion of pupils attaining the English Baccalaureate has decreased over time. In 2014, the proportion was 15%. In 2016, it was 6%.
• In 2016, the difference between the proportion of disadvantaged pupils at the school who achieved an A* to C grade in both English and mathematics was small when compared to other pupils nationally. The progress of the most able disadvantaged pupils was significantly below other pupils nationally in English. Current assessment information held by the school does not analyse progress for disadvantaged pupils from their different starting points.
• Leaders have decided to use some of the morning tutor time to help improve pupils’ numeracy skills. This is not currently effective because teachers do not ensure that pupils are focused during these sessions. Moreover, teachers do not consistently develop or reinforce the skills needed to solve the given problems. As a result, pupils do not benefit significantly from this work.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress in line with other pupils nationally. Their progress in mathematics is well above other pupils nationally. This is because their progress is monitored well and appropriate support is put in place.
• Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is a significant strength of the school. Over time, pupils make progress that is significantly above national averages. Teachers reinforce mental mathematics, and they explain new concepts well. As a result, pupils are confident mathematicians across all key stages.
• Information provided by the school is showing that the school’s reading scheme is having a positive effect in improving reading ages. Pupils listened to reading during the inspection used their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make to read aloud with confidence and to tackle any words they were unsure about.
• When compared to other boys nationally, the proportion of pupils who achieve an A* to C in English and mathematics is well above the national average. Pupils generally make good or better progress in English and mathematics. Pupils with lower-ability starting points make progress significantly above the national average.
• In the sixth form, students make outstanding progress on their work-related courses. Similarly, students who are resitting their GCSE English and/or mathematics typically make progress better than other pupils nationally.

16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

• Previously, students were placed on academic courses that did not meet their needs. The information, advice and guidance provided to them were not appropriate. As a result, students’ rates of progress have been too low on academic courses over the last few years.
• As students were underachieving on academic courses, such as the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) course (the first year of the A level), retention on AS courses was below the national average.
• The situation is improving quickly. New and effective leadership capacity has been added to the sixth form, and it is making a significant difference to provision. Current students are on the right courses. Leaders have carefully analysed student’s academic success at GCSE, and more students are now studying courses, including work-related ones, which are more suited to their starting points. Therefore, retention rates are also improving.
• Plans for the new partnership with Cleeve Park School from September 2017 are well under way. Decisions on what courses and on which school site they will be delivered have been decided. Trials have taken place this year, including ensuring that travel plans for students to get to and from each school will work.
• The current quality of teaching is improving and so too is students’ progress on academic courses. Students have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well. Students, including the small number of females, feel safe and well looked after. Students stated that using offensive or derogatory language would not be tolerated. Students feel well supported during their time in sixth form and are now prepared effectively for the next steps in their careers.
• Progress on work-related courses, including for current students, is outstanding. It is significantly above the national average. There are suitable work experience placements in place. This includes effective links with employers and external agencies.
• The proportion of students moving on to higher and further education is above the national average. Leaders ensure that students learn about a range of next steps, including apprenticeships. Students spoke to inspectors with confidence about apprenticeships and why it was the right pathway for them.
• Progress for students who are working towards gaining a C grade or higher in either GCSE mathematics and/or English is well above the national average. Leaders ensure that provision for this group of students improves their chances of success.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136281 Bromley 10031852 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Number of pupils on the school roll Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Academy converter 11 to 18 Boys Mixed 679 130 Appropriate authority The academy trust Chair Denise Prior Executive Headteacher Jenni Tyler-Maher Telephone number Website Email address 020 8300 7112 www.ktc-tkat.org admin@ktc-tkat.org Date of previous inspection 6–7 June 2013

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of some information about their pupil premium funding, such as barriers to learning and the date of the next review, on its website.
• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about their equality objectives.
• The school is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT). From September 2016, the school entered a strategic partnership with Cleeve Park School. As a result, there is an executive headteacher in post who is supported by a head of school. There is one common governing body for the two schools in the partnership. The new chair of the governing body took up their post in February 2017, having previously been the chair of the governing body at Cleeve Park.
• The school is a smaller-than-average-sized secondary school. The number on roll had been falling, but is now rising again with an additional form of entry going into Year 7 from September 2017.
• The proportion of pupils with free school meals is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average overall, although the proportion with an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average. Most pupils are of a White British ethnic origin.
• No pupils receive their education from any off-site provision.
• The school currently meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team visited a range of lessons in a wide range of subjects across the school. Several of these visits were undertaken jointly with school leaders. Inspectors also scrutinised books during their visits to lessons to check pupils’ progress over time.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders to evaluate the impact of their work. Meetings were also held with members of the governing body, trainee teachers and different groups of pupils. The lead inspector had a meeting with a director from TKAT and held a telephone call with the chief executive officer of TKAT.
• Inspectors scrutinised the results from Parent View and the pupil and staff surveys.
• Inspectors considered a variety of documentation provided by the school, including: 2016 validated results from examinations, assessment information for pupils currently at the school; leaders’ self-evaluation; improvement plans; minutes of governing body meetings; attendance and behaviour information; case studies; the single central record of recruitment checks; and other information relating to the safeguarding of pupils.

Inspection team

Sam Hainey, lead inspector Janet Shadick Kanwaljit Singh David Plumeridge Jo Jones

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector