Parkside Studio College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by:
  • governors and the trust’s directors challenging and supporting leaders sufficiently to ensure that the school provides a good standard of education for all pupils
• ensuring that procedures around taking pupils off the school roll are rigorous and in line with statutory guidelines and the local authority’s expectations. Leaders should ensure that all pupils make substantial progress from their starting points by:
  • ensuring that funding for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively and the impact measured regularly
  • ensuring that pupils’ academic progress is tracked carefully from their starting points
  • intervening quickly should a pupil’s engagement or progress begin to stall, and tracking the impact of this on pupils’ academic progress improving pupils’ attendance and reducing the number of pupils who only attend sporadically
  • reviewing the key stage 4 and post-16 curriculum to ensure that it offers appropriate qualifications and pathways to the next stage of pupils’ employment, education or training
  • ensuring that 16 to 19 programmes of study are appropriate for the needs of those applying to the sixth form
  • generating further links within industry and business to complement the vocational curriculum on offer and provide more work placement opportunities.
• An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.
• An external review of governance 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

• School leaders, governors and the trust’s directors have not ensured that standards over time are good. They have not ensured that pupils make good progress from their starting points. Too many pupils leave school without the necessary qualifications to continue on to the next stage of their education or training. Too many pupils arrive and leave midway through their courses.
• School leaders do not make sure that systems and procedures for taking pupils off the school roll are robust. Too many are removed from the school roll before leaders have the necessary paperwork and confirmation that another school place has been found. They do not routinely inform the local authority of those removed from roll as expected. This means that, at times, the whereabouts of pupils is unknown.
• Leaders do not ensure that funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively so that these pupils make sustained and substantial academic progress from their starting points. While used to provide a range of initiatives including one-to-one tuition and targeted support, too few pupils make the necessary progress from their starting points. Leaders do not routinely check that their actions are having an impact on pupils’ academic progress. Too often, the focus is on pupils’ social and emotional needs and their engagement with school. As a result, too few of these pupils make progress in line with other pupils nationally, and many leave in-year to pursue their studies elsewhere.
• The three-year key stage 4 course that many pupils undertake does not enable them to make the progress they are capable of, particularly in key subjects such as English and mathematics. Many redo years, because they have not reached the required level expected by the school. Leaders have stopped offering some vocational subjects such as hair and beauty, and there is variation in the quality and popularity of other vocational subjects. Consequently, by the end of key stage 4, the majority of pupils have not achieved the necessary qualifications to enter the trust’s sixth-form provision. While a tiny proportion stay on and study in Parkside’s sixth form, the majority have to look for courses elsewhere. The curriculum therefore requires improvement to ensure that it meets the needs of current pupils.
• The new associate principal joined the school in September 2016, having previously worked at Rosedale. She is clear that a number of areas need significant and rapid improvement. Her focus since joining has been on improving the quality of teaching and learning, an area for development identified at the previous inspection. She has high expectations of her staff and what pupils can achieve. She has introduced a consistent approach to teaching and learning, supported by appropriate training opportunities for staff. Regular learning walks and scrutiny of pupils’ books ensure that the associate principal has a good understanding of the strengths of her staff, linked to their performance management targets. This renewed focus on teaching and learning is beginning to have a positive impact on the progress pupils make.
• Leaders plan ways to incorporate British values across the curriculum. For instance, they run an annual ‘alliance challenge’. This provides a range of tasks for pupils around a chosen theme to help develop their teamworking and communication skills. This includes creating short films to promote a range of British values.

Governance

• The governors on the local advisory group do not have the capacity to hold leaders to account or challenge them sufficiently objectively. They are too small in number and need further members with a range of experiences to allow them to fulfil their statutory responsibilities appropriately. However, they are committed to ensuring that the studio school improves, and accept that issues raised during the inspection need to be rapidly addressed.
• Directors of the trust board, while having the capacity and experience, have not ensured that standards over time have been good. They have not challenged or supported school leaders sufficiently to make the necessary improvements. Directors know that pupils do not make the progress they are capable of, that attendance is too low and that too many pupils leave before the end of their course. However, directors have been slow to address these issues.
• Records of governors’ minutes do not provide evidence of governors or directors of the trust challenging school leaders sufficiently or holding them to account for the school’s poor outcomes over time.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records around referrals to external agencies are detailed and of a high quality. Teachers and staff are well trained. They receive regular updates to ensure that they have the latest safeguarding information, including around issues such as female genital mutilation, gang involvement and preventing extremism through the ‘Prevent’ duty. The associate principal and vice-principal act as the school’s designated safeguarding officers and are appropriately trained. Staff are vigilant and clear about their responsibility to keep pupils safe. Checks on the suitability of staff to work at the school are in line with statutory guidance and are regularly checked by the trust’s chief executive officer.
• Pupils receive relevant information through assemblies and form time about how they can keep themselves safe. The site is very small and staff to pupil ratios are high, which creates a safe and nurturing environment for those pupils who attend.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• While the associate principal has focused on improving teaching, learning and assessment this year, there remain inconsistencies across subjects. Pupils often arrive and leave mid-year, so teachers have to review plans regularly to meet the ever-changing needs of each group. Sometimes, teachers do not set activities that are pitched at the right level. Either the work is too challenging, not engaging or does not extend individuals’ learning. For some pupils, their very poor levels of literacy and numeracy prevent them from accessing the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not make the progress they are capable of and, therefore, within the school’s curriculum offer, they have to redo the year. Some pupils find this frustrating. By the end of key stage 4, the majority of pupils do not make progress in line with pupils nationally.
• The trust admissions team sets assessments for new arrivals. This informs which school within the trust and which courses would be the most appropriate. This information is shared with teachers as a baseline indicator. Those arriving from other trust secondary schools bring with them information on their progress to date. Regular assessments ensure that teachers can track the progress pupils make from these starting points.
• The associate principal has high expectations for the quality of teaching and work produced by pupils across different subjects. She regularly checks that pupils are producing work of the required standard and intervenes if appropriate. This level of accountability is beginning to have an impact on the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Staff welcome the available training and opportunities to share and reflect on their practice.
• Class sizes are extremely small, due to the low number of pupils on roll and poor attendance of some. Teachers know individual pupils well. Relationships are highly positive and built on trust. In this safe learning environment, some pupils make appropriate progress. This is particularly true of those who start at the beginning of their three-year key stage 4 course and leave at the end. These pupils were complimentary about the support they had received and the opportunities they had to study courses such as catering or media, leading to BTEC qualifications.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Too many pupils still do not understand the link between their attendance and progress. Too many attend sporadically. Consequently, their personal development and welfare are hindered by limited progress and poor academic qualifications.
• School leaders attempt to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through assemblies and form time. These provide opportunities to cover a broad range of themes including relationships, enterprise, emotional intelligence, cyber bullying, personal freedom and responsibility. Leaders understand the complex issues and home lives experienced by some pupils. A range of external support is offered where appropriate.
• Leaders provide regular external careers information, advice and guidance to ensure that pupils have knowledge of their options post Year 11. However, for many, their limited progress throughout key stage 4 hinders them from moving on to desired courses at the trust or elsewhere.
• Pupils receive helpful advice about how to keep themselves safe. Pupils could explain whom they would talk to should they be concerned about a friend or themselves. They believe that staff deal effectively with any concerns they may have. Bullying is rare and, typically, pupils work and play cohesively together across year groups.
• Pupils are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities. During the inspection, for instance, pupils were participating in an inter-school sports competition within the trust. Pupils said that they value these opportunities for physical activities. The sports BTEC course is particularly popular with pupils.
• The personal, social and health education programme encourages pupils to consider a range of issues. Outside speakers, including the safer schools officer, give helpful advice to ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Those studying catering provide nutritious lunches and plan to start a breakfast club.
• An induction process for the majority of pupils, who start the academic year in June, ensures that pupils can establish positive relationships with each other and school staff. Those who have just begun their three-year GCSE course were complimentary about this process. They say that it has helped them make new friends and get to know their teachers.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning vary depending on the subject. Many pupils complete activities as requested but show little genuine interest in what they are learning, often being complacent rather than actively participating. In subjects such as catering, however, pupils are actively involved, producing and serving high-quality lunches to the rest of the school. Media and sport BTEC courses are equally popular and inspire pupils to take ownership of their learning.
• Attendance is too low. Too many pupils attend school sporadically. This has a negative impact on the progress they make. The new associate headteacher is working hard to address this. She has implemented a range of strategies to praise good attendance and carefully monitor those with poor attendance. The school has different holidays from other schools in the area. This is particularly true in the summer, when the break is much shorter than for other secondary schools. This poses issues for those with siblings and friends elsewhere.
• Almost a fifth of pupils have been involved in an incident resulting in a fixed-term exclusion during the last academic year. This is partly due to the new associate principal’s zero-tolerance approach to particular types of behaviour. Consequently, there has been a decline in pupils being excluded due to poor behaviour over the last few months.
• Due to the low numbers on roll and sporadic attendance, few pupils are on site at any given time. The majority of those who are show respect and tolerance towards each other. Recreational times are quiet and calm. Pupils mix well with each other and the staff. The atmosphere is polite and cordial. Pupils who spoke to inspectors said they enjoy school. One remarked, ‘We are all friends here.’

Outcomes for pupils

• Many pupils arrive in the first year of key stage 4 with achievement that is significantly

Requires improvement

below the national average. Many arrive mid-year, with gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Literacy and numeracy levels are very low for many pupils on arrival.

• In 2016, just under a fifth of pupils achieved grade C or above in both English and mathematics, which is significantly below average. Equally, across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics, pupils made significantly less progress than pupils did nationally. This is particularly true of disadvantaged pupils, who made up the majority of this cohort. Middle- and low-ability pupils in this group made far less progress than pupils did nationally across a range of subjects.
• The tiny proportion of most-able pupils on entry made less progress than nationally in 2016. Equally, the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities was lower than pupils nationally from similar starting points across a range of subjects.
• The new cohort of pupils have just arrived and completed a two-week induction programme. They began formal lessons at the start of the inspection week, so no work was available for these pupils. However, school leaders presented work from those in their second and third year of key stage 4 and post-16 courses. This indicated a more consistent approach to teaching, particularly in English, mathematics and science. There was clear evidence of extended writing and a focus on improving literacy. Work in books was well presented, showed attention to detail and in many cases indicated some progress. While school leaders are anticipating better progress for the 2017 cohort, they acknowledge that it will still not be in line with pupils nationally.
• School leaders have appointed literacy and numeracy leads. They are enthusiastic and knowledgeable practitioners who have worked hard over the past year to give all staff confidence and a consistent approach to incorporating literacy and numeracy across curriculum subjects. They run staff training sessions and give bespoke advice and guidance to teachers. There is a small school library and pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure. However, support and strategies for those at the early stages of learning to read or those learning to speak English are less effective.

16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

• Few pupils leave Year 11 with qualifications that allow them to access the trust’s wider post-16 offer. Consequently, the sixth form is extremely small and, as a result, numbers on some courses inhibit students’ opportunities to work and learn together. For instance, there is only one student doing level 3 BTEC in construction this year. Retention into the sixth form is poor and because there is no formal strategy to recruit students from outside the trust, numbers remain very low.
• There are limited strategies currently to address students’ literacy and numeracy needs in the sixth form, even though many have not achieved grade C at GCSE in English and mathematics.
• While some students complete relevant courses and successfully move on to the next stage of their education or training, some students leave midway or do not complete the qualification at the end, with some having to redo a year.
• For those studying in the sixth form, low numbers mean that students receive bespoke support and advice from staff. Students’ conduct is appropriate, they are keen to do well and they work hard. Relationships between staff and students are highly positive. Consequently, outcomes for some students are good.
• Leaders have formed some links with local employers and universities, which mean that students are able to access appropriate work placements and visit different colleges. However, leaders accept that more links could be forged to strengthen this area.
• Leadership of the sixth form ensures that the provision meets the requirements of the 16 to19 programmes of study. The associate principal works closely with the sixth-form leader to ensure that expectations around teaching and learning post-16 are as consistent as in the rest of the school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 138368 Hillingdon 10032012 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 school 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 studio school 13 19 Mixed Mixed 116 14 Appropriate authority The academy trust Chair CEO trust Executive Principal Associate Principal Telephone number Website Email address Nicole Heard Clive Neathey Ian O’Connor Karina Porter 020 8573 2097 www.parksidestudiocollege.co.uk rosedalehewens@gmail.com Date of previous inspection February 2014

Information about this school

• Parkside Studio College is a studio school aimed at 14 19-year-olds and part of the Rosedale Hewens Academy Trust.
• The school has the capacity for 300 pupils. Over time, there has been on average 100 pupils per year. Currently there are 116 on roll.
• Over half of the pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is above average.
• Over a third of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, which is higher than the national average. The largest groups are Indian, Black Caribbean, Black African and ‘Any other White background’.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.
• Almost a fifth of pupils receive special educational needs support.
• Pupils who have a statement of special educational needs and/or disabilities or an education, health and care plan amount to 1.9%, which is just above the national average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• No parents responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and no pupils responded to their online survey.
• No pupils attend alternative provision.
• There are no middle leaders currently working at the school.
• Stability at the school is extremely low at 38%. Pupils arrive and leave throughout the school year – the majority from within the trust’s schools.
• The school’s academic year starts in July. Holidays are at different times from maintained schools.
• The trust does not have a ‘Year 9’. Pupils from Year 8 progress into Year 10. They do either a two-year or a three-year GCSE course. The majority of pupils at Parkside Studio College do a three-year course. This involves them redoing either Year 10 or Year 11.
• Retention into the sixth-form provision is very low.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching, learning and assessment in 15 parts of lessons on day one. They looked at pupils’ work and spoke informally to pupils on day two, because it was sports day.
• Inspectors spoke with the chair of the local advisory board and the chief executive officer of the trust. They spoke to the executive principal, the associate principal, the trust’s special educational needs coordinator, and the numeracy and literacy leads.
• Inspectors considered the 12 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil or parent survey.
• The inspection team scrutinised a wide range of documentation including records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance, minutes of meetings, information on the progress made by pupils, the school’s self-evaluation and the school’s assessment system.
• Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, and policies and procedures, including incident logs and records relating to pupils’ admittance and departure from the school.

Inspection team

Helen Matthews, lead inspector Peter Nelson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector