Elthorne Park High School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve standards in the sixth form so that they match those found across the rest of the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Ambitious and assured leadership from the headteacher and his team has created a culture in which learning thrives. Leaders at all levels evaluate the impact of their work and refine their practice over time. Trainee teachers value the support they receive from leaders and quickly become effective in the classroom.
• Leaders’ commitment to continuous improvement is particularly clear in the support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Governors, leaders and teachers have high expectations of disadvantaged pupils. Outcomes for this group of pupils have steadily improved over time, and leaders also ensure that disadvantaged pupils fully participate in the school’s extra-curricular programme.
• Leadership of provision for pupils with SEND is excellent because the special educational needs coordinator ensures that pupils’ needs are well known by teachers so that pupils receive consistent support across the curriculum. The additionally resourced provision is effective and enables pupils to make excellent progress.
• The training and development of staff are based around key priorities, such as increasing the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Subject leaders are trusted to develop routines and practices to achieve these key priorities in their subject. For example, the mathematics department has used one-to-one and small-group coaching to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.
• Good practice is shared very effectively between departments. Leaders in English have shared routines for reading and vocabulary with teachers in other departments. As a result, pupils read widely and effectively across the curriculum.
• A culture of scholarship is deeply embedded, with a large proportion of teachers, including support staff, actively engaged in educational research. This results in effective strategies that support pupils in their learning.
• Governors and leaders are deeply committed to a broad curriculum. Teaching is highly effective throughout the curriculum, including in subjects such as food technology, art and computing. At the heart of this broad curriculum, leadership of core subjects is highly effective and leads to excellent outcomes in English, mathematics and science.
• Leaders have developed highly effective relationships with parents. They consult parents and provide regular opportunities for parents to visit the school and contribute to the school community.
• Year 7 pupils are very well supported in their transition to the school and quickly feel that they belong in the school community. The school’s core values – ‘proud’, ‘prepared’, ‘persevering’ and ‘principled’ – are understood and embodied by the pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a clear and accurate view of the school’s strengths. They provide an effective balance of challenge and support to senior leaders.
• Governors are particularly effective at evaluating the impact of pupil premium funding. This has supported school leaders in refining the way it allocates this additional resource, leading to better outcomes for pupils.
• Governors provide rigorous scrutiny of exclusions and hold leaders to account for the support they provide for pupils at risk of exclusion.
• Since his recent appointment, the chair of the governing body has re-structured the governing body so that governors can provide increasingly focused support. Governors share the commitment of school leaders to continuous improvement. They are especially determined to further improve the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to stay safe, both in school and beyond. Pupils are confident that they know how to stay safe online.
• Leaders support Year 7 pupils in their transition from primary school very effectively. Pupils in Year 7 quickly feel a sense of belonging in the school community.
• Support for pupils with poor health, including mental health, is excellent. This has enabled pupils to continue their education and achieve good outcomes.
• Leaders and teachers know pupils very well, and relationships between children and adults are strong. Pupils know whom to speak to when they require support.
• School leaders make good use of external partners to provide specialist training and support, such as the guidance provided to sixth-form students on sex and relationships and radicalisation.
• Record keeping relating to safeguarding is robust and effective. Leaders and governors responsible for recruitment have received appropriate training.
• Most parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, reported that their children feel safe and happy in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers know their subjects well and they know their pupils well. This enables them to plan lessons that provide stretch and support for all. Teaching is consistently very effective across the whole curriculum.
• In all subjects, teaching skilfully develops pupils’ understanding of key language. This enables pupils to discuss their work with confidence and maturity. Pupils listen to the views of their peers respectfully and eagerly learn from each other in the classroom.
• Pupils are keen to learn, and they respond positively to their teachers’ feedback. As they move through the school, pupils are increasingly able to plan, monitor and evaluate their own work. This means that pupils in key stage 4 and key stage 5 possess the skills and habits to learn independently.
• The school’s programme of training for teachers allows their subject specialism to flourish. Teachers meet regularly to review pupils’ work and plan their teaching. This results in effective classroom routines tailored for each subject. Pupils in mathematics gain confidence from being taught methods and procedures that they can apply to a range of tasks, such as breaking down problem-solving questions. In science, there is a consistent approach to teaching practical demonstrations, which helps ensure that pupils experience the same expectations and standards in all classes.
• Teachers use questioning very effectively to check the understanding of all pupils and to adapt their teaching accordingly. This creates a culture where pupils know that they are expected to think for themselves and be prepared to share their thoughts.
• Pupils value the broad range of subjects that they can choose from as they progress through the school. Pupils also told inspectors that their teachers are approachable if they need additional support outside lessons. As they prepare for exams, pupils in Year 11 and students in the sixth form benefit from carefully tailored guidance and support.
• Most pupils take pride in the way they present their work. However, in a very small minority of lessons, teachers do not insist on the high standards of presentation set out in the school’s policy.
• The school provides parents with clear information about their child’s progress, alongside practical guidance on how to support their child. However, a few parents and pupils report that they do not receive homework as frequently as the school policy says they should.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils, parents and staff share this view.
• Pupils are proud of their achievements and of the school. Pupils from all groups feel a strong sense of belonging in the school. They are proud of the diversity of the school community. They discuss and explore diversity and discrimination with confidence and maturity.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent because teachers take the time to discuss what it means to be an active citizen. Assemblies and the tutor programme enable pupils to explore topical issues which they discuss with maturity. There is a strong culture of service and volunteering, both within the school community and beyond.
• Throughout the school, there is a strong focus on pupils’ well-being and mental health. Teachers in the additionally resourced provision support pupils in managing their emotions. In the sixth form, students appreciate being able to talk to their teachers and mental health professionals.
• Pupils do not use their mobile phones in school. Beyond school, they know how to stay safe online because they receive clear guidance. Pupils have confidence in the school’s response to the rare occurrences of bullying, including online bullying.
• Pupils in key stages 4 and 5 who are at risk of not entering education or employment are identified early and receive intensive, personalised support. As a result, the vast majority of these pupils do secure appropriate places in education and employment.
• Impartial careers guidance is tailored to individual pupils and is well supported by carefully chosen contributions from external organisations. Pupils are exposed to a wide range of employment opportunities, for example through careers events in which parents share insights from their own careers. However, pupils in the younger years do not receive the same level of careers information and guidance as their older peers.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are polite and well mannered. Their conduct in lessons and around the school is exemplary. They show respect for the school environment and help to keep it tidy.
• Leaders are passionate about inclusion. They demonstrate this in their support for pupils at risk of low attendance and/or exclusion, including adapting the curriculum to support their learning. The school works well with external agencies, such as the local authority’s behaviour and inclusion service. As a result, vulnerable pupils stay in school and achieve well.
• Rates of attendance are above the national average and continue to improve. Leaders carefully monitor the attendance of groups of pupils. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is improving steadily. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is low.
• Permanent exclusions and fixed-term exclusions are quickly declining. The use of internal isolations is carefully monitored so that pupils are provided with the support they need. There is a strong focus on pupils regulating their own behaviour, and pupils do this well.
• Expectations and systems to support excellent behaviour are clear and effective. They are particularly valued by trainee teachers. Older pupils say leaders have raised expectations and used robust systems to achieve excellent behaviour since the last inspection.
• Pupils who attend off-site alternative provision are well supported. Leaders have close relationships with these providers and check that pupils are safe and that their behaviour meets expectations.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Across the curriculum and in all year groups, pupils make excellent progress. Progress has been in the top 20% of all schools in the country for each of the last three years. Outcomes in English, mathematics, science, humanities and modern foreign languages have been strong for several years and continue to improve.
• In 2018, pupils in Year 11 reached high standards in their GCSE examinations: 60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and mathematics compared with the national average of 43%, for example.
• The progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils are strong and improving. Subject leaders are committed to ensuring that disadvantaged pupils receive the best of the support they provide. Subject leaders can bid for additional resource to increase their support for disadvantaged pupils. In mathematics, for example, this additional funding is directed towards small-group tuition for disadvantaged pupils.
• The progress made by the most able pupils enables them to achieve the highest grades. Pupils with low prior attainment also make excellent progress in key stage 3 which enables them to catch up with their peers and access the full curriculum. Support for weaker readers is exceptional. The curriculum is carefully adapted for these pupils so that they ‘graduate’ from their reading intervention groups as soon as they are ready.
• Pupils with SEND benefit from very high expectations. They make excellent progress and achieve well. Teachers in the additionally resourced provision are particularly adept at developing pupils’ communication skills and preparing them for further study and employment.
• Support for pupils preparing for public examinations is meticulous. Teachers provide sharply focused guidance to targeted groups of pupils. The habits and routines that pupils develop in their time at the school enable them to prepare effectively for exams. There is particularly good support for disadvantaged pupils, with the pupil premium grant being used to subsidise their revision materials.
• Passion for reading and language is embedded in the life of the school. Pupils participate in national events such as ‘The Big Read’ and authors visit the school to work with budding writers. However, while all pupils read extensively in school, students in the sixth form and disadvantaged pupils are not as keen as other pupils to read for pleasure outside school.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The sixth form has grown significantly in recent years and is increasingly the preferred destination for key stage 4 pupils. Rates of retention have also improved significantly. The vast majority of students complete their courses with the grades required for higher education or employment.
• Leadership of the sixth form is effective. Sixth-form leaders share the ambition and commitment to inclusion that leaders possess throughout the school.
• Students in the sixth form achieve well, but this achievement is not as securely embedded and consistent across the curriculum as it is in key stages 3 and 4.
• Progress in work-related courses is exceptionally strong. Students routinely gain the highest grades on these courses and progress to highly competitive universities and careers. However, some students feel that they do not benefit from the same quality of teaching as those taking A levels.
• Students re-taking GCSE examinations in English and mathematics make better progress than other students nationally. Expectations are high for these students and most of them secure the grades they need in these subjects.
• A growing proportion of students, including disadvantaged students, go on to study at Russell Group universities. Students seeking apprenticeships and employment are also well supported. A lecture series enables students to find out about different careers from a range of guest speakers.
• There is some very effective teaching, which is characterised by excellent subject knowledge. Students enjoy the challenge of learning and express ideas confidently. They listen attentively to the views of their peers.
• Expectations of how students present and organise their work are not consistent in all subjects. While most students organise their work in a way that supports their ongoing learning, some students do not.
• The pastoral care that students receive in the sixth form is exemplary. It has been bolstered by the appointment of a pastoral support worker for the sixth form, replicating the excellent support that pupils receive in other key stages. A significant proportion of students benefit from personalised care plans and receive tailored and specialist support, including counselling.
• Attendance is improving, but is not as high as in key stages 3 and 4. A small proportion of sixth-form students arrive late in the morning.
• The extra-curricular programme contains a wide range of trips and visits. Sixth-form students make an active contribution to the extra-curricular provision in key stages 3 and 4. However, students expressed a desire for a greater range of clubs and activities designed specifically for them.
• A daily tutor programme enables students to discuss current affairs and debate topical issues. Students are resilient learners and make very good use of a supervised study area to work productively between their lessons.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131310 Ealing 10058849 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Maintained 11 to 19 Mixed Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,377 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 260 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Joe Voelcker Eliot Wong Telephone number 0208 566 1166 Website Email address www.ephs.ealing.sch.uk elthorne@ephs.ealing.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27 March 2018

Information about this school

• Elthorne Park High School is larger than the average-sized secondary school.
• Approximately one in five pupils are from disadvantaged backgrounds, which is below the national average. There is a greater proportion of pupils than average who speak English as an additional language.
• There is an additionally resourced provision on the site which caters for pupils who have additional needs relating to speech, language and communication.
• A very small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Ealing Alternative Provision and CATE Centre.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in a wide range of lessons and tutor periods in all year groups, as well as attending two assemblies.
• Many visits to classrooms were made jointly with school leaders.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils and students from key stages 3 and 4 and the sixth form. Inspectors also spoke with pupils and students informally throughout the inspection.
• Pupils’ work was scrutinised in lessons, and, separately, with senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders and members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors also met with teachers and pastoral leaders.
• Documentary and other types of information were evaluated, including evidence related to safeguarding, pupils’ assessment information and school self-evaluation.
• Inspectors scrutinised records relating to the quality of teaching and the school’s website, including information about extra-curricular activities.
• Inspectors took account of the 474 responses to Parent View, the 171 responses to the pupil survey and the 77 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Stephen Adcock, lead inspector Geoff Butler Angela Corbett Louise Voden Fiona Abankwah

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector