Eden Girls' School, Slough Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that as the school grows, leaders sustain the excellent educational provision in place by:
  • reducing the few remaining inconsistencies in the quality of teaching
  • further developing the curriculum, including by fulfilling plans to increase the range of subjects offered to pupils in key stage 4.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The principal, senior leaders and governors have a compelling vision for an aspirational, nurturing school with high academic standards, based on an inclusive faith ethos. Staff share this vision. As a result, a culture of high expectations, coupled with effective support, permeates the school. Every child really does matter in this school.
• The principal has established a vibrant and inspiring learning community over the three years the school has been open. He is admired by the pupils, governors and staff for his calm, capable leadership and commitment to empowering others. Ably supported by senior leaders, he has built on the highly successful practices and policies of the trust to create an outward-facing school which meets the needs of its pupils and the local community very well.
• Throughout the school, staff are hard-working and committed to ensuring that pupils thrive, feel safe and achieve well. All staff who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire are proud to be a member of the school and feel well supported. Parents and carers are also full of praise for the school. All parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent.
• Leaders have an accurate view of what they need to do to continue to meet their high standards as the school grows. With each annual influx of new staff and pupils, leaders rapidly establish their high expectations and accurately identify and address teachers’ training needs. Teachers who are new to the profession are supported extremely well. Staff value leaders’ commitment to their ongoing professional development. The school has rigorous and highly effective systems for managing the performance of teachers.
• Leaders set targets for pupils to achieve that are well above the national averages in all subjects. Leaders use rigorous and regular assessment systems to track pupils’ achievement, based on tried and tested systems used in high-performing schools in the trust. Quality assurance by trust specialists and moderation with local schools enable leaders and governors to be confident that the school’s progress data is accurate.
• Subject leaders show strong expertise and a determination to improve the quality of teaching and learning further. They are benefiting from leadership training to hone their skills.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) ensures that funding to support pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is used well. The SENCo identifies and implements suitable provision so that these pupils make very good progress. The SENCo rigorously checks the impact of strategies used and, where necessary, changes the response until the pupil makes the desired progress. This demonstrates strong leadership.
• Extra funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who arrive in Year 7 with below-average attainment in English and/or mathematics is well deployed. A range of extra help enables lower attainers to catch up quickly. Disadvantaged pupils throughout the school make strong progress. However, leaders’ written evaluation of the use of the additional pupil premium funding is not sharply focused on the impact of the expenditure.
• The curriculum provides breadth, given the limitations of the school currently being smaller than the national average for secondary schools. The curriculum is based on the Tauheedul model, which emphasises the EBacc subjects. School leaders enhanced this by introducing drama and music into key stage 3 in September 2017. As the school grows in numbers, leaders plan to offer these subjects at GCSE. Pupils also benefit through high participation in the very wide range of enrichment activities within and outside of the school day. Many pupils spoke enthusiastically about their work in local community projects, to grow their ‘civic leadership’, and the trips they have enjoyed.
• The development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is a strength of the school. Fundamental British values are fully embedded into school life. Pupils are encouraged to share their ideas and they listen actively and respectfully to other people’s opinions. Pupils value democracy, and the school has received recognition for pupils’ high participation in voting for matters considered by the local youth parliament.
• School leaders, governors and pupils all exhibit community leadership. Leaders participate in groups designed to build understanding and cohesion between local communities.

Governance of the school

• The local governing body has a thorough understanding of the school and the communities that it serves. Governors draw on their expertise and experience to enhance the school’s safeguarding culture and overall effectiveness very well.
• Governors visit the school regularly and are well informed about the school’s work. Consequently, they have an accurate understanding of its strengths and also those areas that need to be further developed as the school grows.
• Governors work closely with the trust to provide appropriate support and robust challenge to school leaders. They monitor the school’s work regularly and use externally validated reports to ensure the reliability of senior leaders’ evaluations of teaching, learning and pupils’ outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school is a nurturing, caring environment in which every pupil is valued. Staff have very positive relationships with pupils and know them well. This means that staff are alert to any changes in pupils that may indicate a concern. Pupils feel safe in school. They are confident in knowing there is always a trusted adult they can speak to in school if they are worried about something. Staff have received appropriate training for their roles and responsibilities and know what to do if they have a safeguarding concern.
• The school has well-developed systems in place to secure the well-being and safety of pupils. Safeguarding records are up to date and referrals are followed up promptly and are well documented. The school’s leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to help pupils receive the support they need.
• The school’s curriculum on safeguarding is thorough and helps pupils to stay safe in or out of school and when online. Leaders are well aware of local risks, such as radicalisation, gangs and children missing in education. Year 8 pupils devised a drama performance about child sexual exploitation which has received accolades locally and nationally.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teaching is extremely effective. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and create a positive and ambitious climate. Relationships are strong and pupils really enjoy learning. Pupils work well together and particularly enjoy the opportunities given to discuss questions and share ideas.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have strong subject knowledge. They use this well to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills. Teachers’ adept questioning is used to probe pupils’ understanding and deepen their thinking. Pupils are confident to answer questions in class because they feel secure and know that if they make mistakes, teachers and other pupils will support them to find a better answer. During the inspection, Year 10 pupils illustrated this very well when grappling with complex numerical problems in a mathematics lesson.
• During lessons, teachers check pupils’ understanding and respond to their needs, providing additional support or challenge as required. Teachers give very effective feedback to pupils about their learning and are quick to pick up and address any misunderstandings. Teachers also give helpful written feedback to pupils about their work. In accordance with leaders’ expectations, teachers indicate where pupils have been successful and set out their next learning steps. This consistency makes an effective contribution to pupils’ excellent progress.
• Pupils’ achievements are reviewed regularly to check how well they are progressing towards the standards expected of their age. Where pupils are found to be falling behind, leaders set out to identify the barriers to the pupils’ learning. Leaders, including the SENCo, oversee a programme designed to close the learning gaps of low-attaining pupils and meet the individual requirements of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. This carefully planned provision enables pupils who are in danger of falling behind to keep up and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to progress well from their starting points.
• Most pupils in the school speak English as an additional language. Staff use a range of activities to increase pupils’ exposure to spoken and written English, including trips to the cinema. There is a consistent focus across the school on developing pupils’ literacy further. Pupils are expected to speak audibly and clearly when explaining their viewpoints. Year 7 pupils told inspectors how these high expectations have improved their confidence to speak in public since joining the school.
• Pupils thoroughly enjoy reading and are given appropriately challenging texts. Many are motivated to read by taking part in competitions running in the library.
• As the school grows and new staff join the school, leaders provide careful induction and training. At this stage of the school’s development, some lessons are taught by teachers who are not subject specialists. Joint lesson planning is used effectively to provide subject expertise. Nevertheless, there is some variability in the quality of teaching and learning as teachers acquire new skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders have created a happy and secure environment, and pupils love coming to school. Many parents commented on how happy their children are at school. One parent spoke for many when saying, ‘the school is like an extended family.’
• Staff have established strong relationships with pupils and families. This helps pupils to feel safe and trust staff. Leaders encourage pupils to openly discuss matters which might be troubling them. Pupils are supported well by pastoral staff. Pupils are confident that any concerns they may have would be dealt with sensitively and effectively. There are very few incidents of bullying, and those that do occur are dealt with successfully. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the work of their ‘anti-bullying’ ambassadors, who they sometimes turn to for support.
• Staff in the school show relentless determination to help every pupil overcome the difficulties they face. They make sure that vulnerable pupils receive the right emotional and practical guidance and support. The school’s pastoral support teams work effectively with a range of outside agencies to ensure that pupils receive the care and support they require.
• The systematic programme of activities to help pupils learn about risks, including when online, means that pupils are confident about how to keep themselves safe. They were adamant that they know how to respond to anything suspicious. All pupils have had ‘Prevent’ training so that they can recognise and protect themselves from radicalisation and extremism.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils take great pride in their school.
• Pupils are highly articulate and keen to learn. They display exemplary behaviour in lessons and around the school. In lessons, they move swiftly from one activity to the next and eagerly settle to learn.
• Incidents of poor behaviour are rare. Good behaviour is frequently celebrated, and pupils are motivated to behave well. Pupils explained how they gain accreditation when they show the four ‘STAR’ values: ‘service, teamwork, ambition and respect’. Pupils demonstrated these values very well when they invited others to contribute to group discussions, to share ideas and reach convincing conclusions.
• Pupils also listed the school’s rules with gusto: ‘be kind, responsible, prepared, safe and calm’. Inspectors found that pupils adhered to these rules fully.
• Attendance is above national levels and improving. Pupils arrive to school and lessons on time, well prepared and ready to begin working.
• Pupils receive impartial and useful careers information and guidance to support their next stage of development. They experience a range of advice to help them consider their future pathways. All pupils have a meeting with an independent careers adviser in Year 10, and this fires pupils’ ambitions further. One pupil captured the prevailing ethos when she said, ‘the school builds us up to be the great role models we need to be.’

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• As a member of TET, the school sets highly ambitious targets. No pupils have yet completed GCSE courses, so there are no published outcomes for this school. To check that information about pupils’ outcomes is reliable, leaders ensure that pupils’ work is carefully moderated by subject experts both within and beyond the trust.
• The school’s performance information and work in books show that pupils attain highly and make extremely strong progress from their broadly average starting points right across the curriculum. This is due to the high expectations established by leaders, exceptional support for pupils’ well-being and learning needs, and strong teaching.
• Across all year groups, the quality of pupils’ work in virtually all subjects is well above average. Pupils’ determination to succeed and teachers’ high aspirations mean that pupils generally rise to the challenges presented. Carefully designed resources and teaching strategies allow pupils who need more support to access the same subject content as the most able pupils. Just occasionally, learning activities move on before some pupils have a secure understanding. When this happens, pupils try to complete tasks without fully understanding them.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress from their varied starting points. Additional, effective support enables these pupils to make rapid gains because it caters precisely for their individual needs and links very well to work in class. The excellent support provided by teaching assistants under the determined leadership of the SENCo improves pupils’ self-belief and the progress they make.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able, make outstanding progress compared with other pupils nationally with the same starting points. Assessment information shows that all minority ethnic groups achieve equally well in most subjects.
• Pupils are extremely well prepared for their next steps. They show resilience and confidence, as well as a strong command of English and mathematics.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141970 Slough 10046606 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Academy free school 11 to 18 Girls 387 Appropriate authority Tauheedul Education Trust Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address Dot Thomson Karim Murcia 01753 351010 www.edengirlsslough.com info@edengirlsslough.tetrust.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school opened as a new free school in September 2015. It is sponsored by the Tauheedul Education Trust (TET) and has a local governing body.
• The school has an Islamic ethos and welcomes girls of all faiths and none.
• The school is smaller than average and presently has pupils in Year 7 to Year 10. A sixth form is due to open in 2019. There is no published performance information for the school because no pupils have completed key stage 4.
• No pupils attend an alternative provision.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is well above the national average.
• Most pupils speak English as an additional language.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 26 lessons across all year groups. Ten of these were jointly observed with senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work in lessons and a further selection of pupils’ books was scrutinised. Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons, around the school and during breaktimes.
• Inspectors held meetings with the principal, senior leaders, middle leaders, teachers, the chair and vice-chair of the local governing body and the director of education for TET.
• Inspectors took into account 33 responses to the confidential questionnaires received from staff and also met with individuals and groups of staff.
• The views of pupils were taken into account, and inspectors met with groups of pupils from each year group.
• Inspectors considered the views of parents, taking into account 62 responses to the online Ofsted parent questionnaire, Parent View, including 36 free-text responses.
• Inspectors evaluated a wide range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, attendance information, safeguarding records, information on pupils’ progress, minutes of governors’ meetings and quality assurance reports.

Inspection team

Theresa Phillips, lead inspector Anne Turner Ross Macdonald

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector