Chiswick School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers consistently plan activities which closely match the abilities and prior attainment of pupils, particularly the most able
  • teachers develop their use of questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding
  • all teachers are effective in promoting pupils’ skills in oracy across the curriculum
  • pupils know exactly what they need to do to improve their work.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders’ evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment accurately identifies areas that require further development to ensure that pupils make the best possible progress across all subjects
  • leaders and governors evaluate the full impact of additional funding on the achievement and attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • all staff implement the school’s agreed behaviour management policy consistently well.
• An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to ascertain how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Over time, governors and leaders have not reacted with sufficient urgency to address the underachievement of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. While there was clear improvement in pupils’ outcomes at key stage 4 in 2017, too many pupils are not making good progress across a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics.
• A new headteacher was appointed in September 2017. He and his reorganised leadership team have undertaken a thorough and perceptive analysis of what needs to be done to raise standards. This evaluation underpins action planning which is rightly focused on getting the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to good. This vision for the future of the school is supported by staff, parents and pupils. However, the full impact of these plans is yet to be seen across all areas of the school.
• Historically, additional funding has not always been targeted as sharply as it should in supporting eligible pupils across the school. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, these pupils have underachieved since the previous inspection.
• The Year 7 catch-up funding is spent effectively, for example through the provision of bespoke programmes to boost pupils’ reading skills. Pupils eligible for extra support for English and mathematics are beginning to make more rapid progress.
• Several new leaders have recently been appointed to oversee key areas of the school’s work, for example staff professional development. They are in the process of developing their skills in their leadership roles. They have not yet had sufficient time to be able to evaluate the full impact of their work.
• Many new teachers joined the school this year and some are still ‘finding their feet’. The high expectations of leaders are very clear and they have established strong systems to measure what they value. For example, ambitious targets have been set for pupils and their progress is tracked systematically.
• The new leadership team has already begun the process of rigorously monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school. They understand the importance of identifying areas for improvement with precision to ensure that pupils make good progress in all subjects. Joint observations undertaken during the inspection demonstrated the sharp skills that leaders have in evaluating the impact of teaching.
• Leaders provide pupils with a wide range of subjects to study. They enhance the school’s curriculum by offering numerous extra-curricular activities. Pupils enjoy taking part in sporting activities and a variety of clubs. They also benefit from a well-tailored programme of trips and visits.
• Good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is made through the curriculum, extra-curricular opportunities and the school’s assembly programme. Pupils understand the skills needed to be an effective member of the school community.
• A new programme of advice and guidance is supporting pupils to make informed decisions about their options about careers, education and training.

Governance of the school

• The governing body took seriously the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. As a result, their understanding of information about the progress that different groups of pupils make has improved considerably. Governors are increasingly effective in using this information to question leaders about the quality of teaching and learning in different subjects.
• Governors have a broad range of skills and experience. They use this, together with relevant training, to improve their effectiveness. Governors have a clear and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths. They know what the school needs to do to improve further.
• The governing body provides a balance of challenge and support to the school’s leaders. Governors assure themselves that leaders are making accurate evaluations by gathering information first-hand. However, the governing body has not evaluated in sufficient detail the full impact of pupil premium funding and the funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, the links, if any, between the dip in attendance and rise in exclusions last year and the achievement of these key groups are not currently clear.
• Governors are well trained in safeguarding and monitor the school’s provision effectively, including through visits to check how well the arrangements are working.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have ensured, through appropriate training, that staff have a good knowledge of the risks that pupils may face, including radicalisation and child sexual exploitation. Relevant staff have been trained in all aspects of safer recruitment and checks on new staff and volunteers are rigorous. Staff work well with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils get the support they need when they are at risk.
• Pupils have wide-ranging opportunities to learn how to stay safe, both through the subjects they study and through assemblies. Pupils told inspectors that they regularly learn about how to stay safe online.
• Those pupils who inspectors met said they have staff they can go to if they have any concerns. They were confident that adults would listen to their concerns and take appropriate action.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers’ use of the school’s assessment system is inconsistent. Leaders’ clear expectations for assessment are not embedded in all subjects. It is difficult, therefore, for pupils to know precisely what they need to do to improve their work.
• Teachers do not use all the assessment information they have about pupils to ensure that the work is set at the right level. Too often, the work set for the most able pupils is not sufficiently challenging. For example, these pupils have insufficient opportunity to apply their reasoning skills to solve problems in new contexts. As a result, they do not reach high enough standards.
• Many teachers use their strong subject knowledge to ask pupils challenging questions. They encourage discussion and thinking among pupils. For example, in a history lesson, the teacher used skilful questioning to make pupils think harder. Pupils’ understanding of the link between two historical events was successfully deepened as a result.
• However, teachers’ use of questioning to identify gaps in pupils’ learning and deepen understanding is not consistent. Consequently, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• The school has clear expectations for the promotion of pupils’ literacy skills, including oracy, across the curriculum. Some teachers embed these opportunities in their lessons and pupils’ engagement deepens as a result. On the other hand, there are many cases where teachers do not clarify key terms well enough or support pupils in developing better explanations.
• There are pockets of stronger teaching. These are not concentrated in just a few subjects; indeed, instances of strong practice are found in the majority of subjects. In these lessons, teachers plan to meet the needs of pupils’ different abilities effectively. This leads to purposeful learning activities and contributes to pupils making more rapid progress on these occasions. As a result, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities made stronger progress in the previous academic year.
• Pupils enjoy warm, positive and supportive relationships with most teachers. A calm and purposeful atmosphere prevails in the majority of lessons. In a practical lesson in science, for example, pupils made important decisions about their investigation with maturity and patience.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils speak positively about their school, engage well with after-school activities, and the vast majority display good attitudes.
• Instances of bullying are rare. Pupils told the inspectors that staff deal with them swiftly if they do occur.
• Leaders address pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the taught curriculum and through a range of other enriching experiences. Leaders are effective in promoting fundamental British values, and pupils know how to be good citizens. Pupils are encouraged to become confident adults who can make a positive contribution to society.
• Pupils are positive about their experiences at school. They feel valued and recognise that many staff ‘go the extra mile’ for them. They appreciate staff’s efforts to help them to succeed.
• Pupils have a good understanding about how to keep themselves safe. There is a comprehensive programme of personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils learn how to improve their lifestyles, build effective relationships, take care of their health and manage finances. Pupils take part enthusiastically in the many physical education activities available to them.
• Pupils value having a mentor to make sense of their experiences and boost their self-esteem. This helps many pupils to address some of the learning challenges they might face in some parts of the curriculum.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• The introduction of a new behaviour management policy in September 2016 has led to improvements that are recognised by staff and pupils. However, the policy is not consistently applied throughout the school. Some pupils do not fully understand the consequences of poor behaviour.
• Pupils behave well in the majority of lessons and demonstrate a strong desire to learn and make progress. In these instances, low-level disruption is rare. However, where teaching is weaker, pupils engage in off-task behaviour. This happens in a small minority of lessons, particularly where teachers are new to the school.
• Attendance dipped to below the national average in 2016/17. Staff from the pastoral team have had some successes in reducing the absence rates of some disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, the number of pupils who are persistently absent is above average.
• The number of exclusions has reduced at the start of the current academic year but remains above the national average. The school is increasingly effective in reintegrating pupils back into school after a period of exclusion.
• Pupils’ conduct around the school is orderly and calm. They welcome visitors and show good manners at all times.
• Pupils in the Chiswick centre behave well, for example by being responsive when adults give them instructions. Good relationships are based on mutual respect between adults and pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress varies too much between subjects because the quality of teaching is inconsistent.
• From their different starting points, pupils leaving Year 11 in 2016 did not make enough progress in English, science and languages. This was especially true of boys, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Not enough has been done to ensure that these pupils make consistently good progress throughout the school.
• Not enough pupils who join the school with standards that are above average achieve the top grades in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics.
• Teaching is not consistently effective in stimulating the fertile minds of the most able pupils. Consequently, too many of these pupils do not make rapid progress and achieve their full potential in many subjects.
• Currently, the school’s system for using information about pupils’ achievement during the school year is beginning to support faster progress for pupils across most subjects. The indicative data for 2017 shows that pupils in key stage 4 made stronger progress in English and mathematics and reached higher standards than the previous year. This includes disadvantaged pupils, resulting in achievement gaps diminishing compared to other pupils nationally.
• Improved outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in 2017 indicate that pupil premium funding was used more effectively compared to the previous year. Leaders recognise however, that there is much work to do to ensure that these pupils make good progress across the school.
• Boys, and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, also made better progress in 2017. This was partly the result of more effective ways of analysing gaps in pupils’ learning and ensuring that teaching plugs these gaps successfully.
• The school’s current assessment information indicates that standards of attainment and progress are generally improving across the school. Evidence from this inspection supports this picture of improving outcomes.
• Throughout the school, pupils’ learning is showing signs of improvement and they are making faster progress. This is the case in English, mathematics and in humanities subjects. Pupils achieve well in art and design because teaching in this subject is more consistent.
• Pupils’ reading and communication skills are promoted well in the school. Pupils with previous weak reading skills are provided with specific support to help them read fluently and with understanding. Small-group teaching sessions, focusing on inference skills, for example, have improved pupils’ reading comprehension skills. The library is used well and teachers encourage the love of reading during tutorials.
• Pupils in the Chiswick Centre make steady progress in most subjects. The programmes on offer are effective in developing their social, emotional and communication skills. This prepares them well for a smooth transition back into the main school.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The leadership of the sixth form is effective. Leaders have a clear vision for the development of the sixth form, which they communicate clearly. For example, leaders have a clear plan of action to boost the number of students studying science subjects in the sixth form.
• Since the previous inspection, students’ achievement in the sixth form has been consistently good. The progress of students currently in the sixth form is accelerating and they are making good progress in a wide range of academic and vocational subjects. Disadvantaged students make equally strong progress.
• Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to enthuse students in lessons. They provide students with good opportunities to apply their learning in different contexts. As a consequence, students are able to make better links between different but related topics.
• Students know how to stay safe. They are taught about a wide range of topics, including alcohol and drug awareness, e-safety and radicalisation. Students told inspectors that they can speak with staff if they have any concerns.
• A minority of students join the sixth form without high enough GCSE attainment in English or mathematics. The school works diligently to ensure that most of these students improve their grade before they finish their courses.
• The personal development, behaviour and welfare of students in the sixth form are good. Students take pride in their school and in their work and are committed to doing well. They conduct themselves in a mature and responsible way. The attendance and punctuality of some students is not as high as it should be; the school is working diligently to turn this round.
• The school meets the requirements of the 16 to 19 study programme. Students are well informed about the world of work, including participating in work experience. They are also guided effectively through the process of choosing and applying to a university.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137907 Hounslow 10036370 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Academy converter 11 to 18 Mixed Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,277 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 200 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Nicholas Lee Philip Masterson 02087470031 www.chiswickschool.org phm@chiswickschool.org Date of previous inspection 3–4 November 2015

Information about this school

• Chiswick School is a larger than average-sized secondary school. It converted to academy status on 1 March 2012 and is the only academy in the Chiswick School Academy Trust.
• The school runs its own off-site provision, the Chiswick Centre. This caters for vulnerable pupils at risk of permanent exclusion from the main academy, and currently supports two pupils.
• Currently, four Year 11 pupils attend the Fresh Start Course at West Thames College and are on dual roll.
• There have been several staffing changes since the previous inspection. 25 new staff joined the school at the start of the current academic year. This includes the headteacher, who commenced post on 1 September 2017. It also includes two members of the new senior leadership team.
• The school is culturally diverse, with a below-average proportion coming from White British backgrounds. The remainder of the school population comprises smaller groups of other ethnicities and backgrounds, including those of Black African heritage and Other White backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and receive support from the pupil premium is above the national average. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is well above the national figure. However, very few are at the early stages of learning English.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11.
• 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.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 46 lessons. Some of this learning was observed jointly with senior leaders.
• Discussions took place with school staff and members of the governing body, including the chair.
• The inspectors met with three groups of pupils and talked to pupils informally. They also observed tutor time, social time and one assembly.
• Inspectors listened to some pupils in Years 7 and 8 reading.
• Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a broad range of evidence, including the school’s analysis of its strengths and weaknesses; planning and monitoring documentation; the work in pupils’ books; records relating to attendance and behaviour; and the school’s information on pupils’ current attainment and progress in a range of different subjects.
• The 111 responses submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were taken into account. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey from staff or pupils.
• The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were also scrutinised.

Inspection team

Nasim Butt, lead inspector Yvonne Chisholm Louise Voden Alison Moore Jenny Gaylor

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector