Langley Park School for Boys

Inspection Report

Unique Reference Number 101668

Local Authority Bromley

Inspection number 286143

Inspection date 4 October 2006

Reporting inspector  Anne Wellham HMI

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Telephone number 020 8650 9253

Fax number 020 8650 5823

Appropriate authority The governing body

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

Description of the school

The school is an 11-18 boys' comprehensive with a large mixed sixth form. Nearly all the students live within a one mile radius. It has an excellent reputation in the local area and is heavily oversubscribed. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals is low. The proportion of students with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average and an above average proportion have a statement of special educational needs. There is a facility on site for students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). There are few students from minority ethnic backgrounds and around 5 per cent have English as an additional language. The school has specialist status for mathematics and computing and Artsmark and Sportsmark Gold Awards.

Key for inspection grades

Grade 1           Outstanding

Grade 2            Good

Grade 3            Satisfactory

Grade 4            Inadequate

Overall effectiveness of the school

Grade: 1

Langley Park is an outstanding school. Many features contribute to its success: students who are courteous, well behaved and keen to work hard, a charismatic headteacher and dedicated senior leadership team who strive for perfection, a committed and supportive governing body and parents who want the very best for their children. The school code 'Courtesy, Cooperation and Common Sense' permeates the school ethos.

The school has some exemplary features. There is a strong emphasis on academic success which results in exceptionally high standards and outstanding achievement. Students progress well at all stages and whatever their abilities. Students with ASD and those in need of extra support find a safe haven in the Sunil facility and garden and are given the opportunity to thrive. Parents place a particularly high value on this aspect of the school and praise the efforts of the special education needs coordinator and her team. In one parent's view, 'They deserve the highest rating Ofsted can give'. The majority of parents are very happy with the school although a very small minority feel the communication with and from the school could be improved.

The school has an inclusive atmosphere where newcomers easily settle in. The transition arrangements from primary school are very thorough and many parents of Year 7 pupils describe how quickly their children have settled. Similarly parents of students joining the sixth form from other schools are pleased: 'Our daughter has only just started in the sixth form but is settling in really well and quickly adapting to the routine. She is enjoying the learning environment and has found the school to be very friendly and welcoming.' The message that bullying, racism and other forms of prejudice are unacceptable is shared and reinforced by staff and students.

The school does not only focus on academic success. Students and staff support a culture of achievement which nurtures talent and enthusiasm at all levels. The students' engagement with the curriculum contributes to the excellent standards of behaviour. The excellent curriculum is designed to support achievement and to provide students with increasingly flexible choices as they get older. The extensive range of extra-curricular activities, residential trips and cross-curricular days help develop confidence and maturity amongst the students. They are carefully designed to complement the formal curriculum with the use of experts and coaches working alongside teachers to enhance quality.

Students enjoy their lessons and respond well to their teachers. There is some exemplary teaching but students do not experience this across all subject areas.

The headteacher and senior leadership team are determined to provide students with the best possible education and they analyse and evaluate the school's performance critically. Inspectors agreed with the school's judgement that teaching and aspects of leadership and management are good rather than outstanding. The school has rightly identified the need to improve the role of heads of subjects in monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning.

The previous inspection identified limitations in the accommodation. The school has made some improvements but the games hall remains cramped and there is a lack of sufficient teaching rooms for practical science, technology and ICT. The school is addressing this through a series of bids for funding through its Buildings Master Plan.

Effectiveness and efficiency of the sixth form

Grade: 1

The overall effectiveness of the sixth form is outstanding. The sixth form has more than doubled in size during the past five years and is extremely popular, attracting boys and girls from a range of other local schools. The addition of girls has been of great benefit not just to the sixth form but to the school as a whole. The sixth form is very well integrated into the school with the students making a very positive contribution as excellent role models. The wide range of courses at AS and A level are well matched to the needs of the students. A minority of students pursue vocational courses and a flexible curriculum centred on the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN). Standards in the sixth form are good overall. Students achieve outstanding results at A Level in many subjects. There is an exemplary programme of games, enrichment activities, study visits and educational trips to cater for a very wide range of interests. The sixth form is very well led and managed and a committed team of tutors provide a high degree of guidance and support.

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality and consistency of lesson planning across and within subjects to focus on learning.

• Improve the role of middle managers in monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning.

Achievement and standards

Grade: 1

Grade for sixth form: 1

Students perform exceptionally well in public examinations and the standards they achieve are outstanding. Almost half of students enter the school with above average ability but whatever their starting points, nearly all make outstanding progress at all key stages. Provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities is excellent and this enables them to make outstanding progress.

Personal development and well-being

Grade: 1

Grade for sixth form: 1

The personal development of the students, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Students understand and tolerate differences and care for one another. Infrequent misbehaviour is dealt with firmly and promptly. Social and cultural development is furthered through the wide ranging programme of enrichment. Students adopt safe practices and healthy lifestyles and are aware of the dangers of alcohol and drugs. Students make an excellent contribution to their school and wider communities. They express their opinions through the school council and a range of surveys and questionnaires. Students enter many national competitions and take part in outdoor education and residential trips. Staff give freely of their time and expertise and this helps to form the strong bond that exists between staff and students. Students enjoy their education and are well prepared for their future economic well-being.

Quality of provision

Teaching and learning

Grade: 2

Grade for sixth form: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall. Lessons in some subject areas are taught enthusiastically by teachers with good subject knowledge and considerable skills. They make good use of the comprehensive assessment data that is collected by the school and their own knowledge of each student to inform their planning and help them assess their learning. However, this is not the case across all subjects as some lessons lack pace and challenge and there is too little emphasis on what students are expected to learn. Students confirm that they like lessons where they are involved in their learning but they do not enjoy lessons where they copy a lot from the board or have to answer lots of questions from books or worksheets.

Curriculum and other activities

Grade: 1

Grade for sixth form: 1

The school provides an outstanding curriculum. The vast majority of learners' needs are met by a broad and balanced curriculum with enhanced access to mathematics and computing. At Key Stage 3, the number of teaching sets are increased to take account of student's differing needs. At Key Stage 4 vocational courses have expanded in response to the changing needs and interests of the students. ASDAN enriches the curriculum for students with learning difficulties pioneering the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (COPE). All students take a qualification in computing at Key Stage 4. Students with an aptitude for science can study triple science and those with an aptitude in mathematics are able to take statistics as an option. Students identified as gifted and talented are offered an additional level of challenge through 'master classes' and the extensive extra-curricular programme. The range of activities on offer outside of lessons is exhaustive, ranging from high level competitive sports to rock music and salsa dancing. Visitors with diverse skills and experiences and a range of additional adults work with and coach students, which further develop students' personal and social skills.

Care, guidance and support

Grade: 1

Grade for sixth form: 1

Students receive an outstanding level of care guidance and support, which contributes to their personal development and well being. Students feel safe and enjoy school which is evident from their high levels of attendance and excellent behaviour. A parent of a child with ASD wrote 'the school has transformed my son and greatly enhanced the prospects for his future'. Another parent described how her son with Asperger's had developed his self-esteem through attending the facility. In Year 7 he did not have the confidence to enter the playground but in Year 9 he is attending after school clubs and hopes to go on the geography trip to Iceland.

Leadership and management

Grade: 1

Grade for sixth form: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding overall. Although the senior leaders set a clear direction for improvement this is not evident from all managers. There is not a shared understanding about what constitutes good teaching and learning amongst middle leaders. Senior leaders recognise the monitoring and evaluation of teaching by heads of subjects is an aspect that needs further development. The school's capacity for improvement is excellent.

Inspection judgements

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

School Overall

16-19

Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners?	1	1
How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being?	1	1
The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation	1	1
The capacity to make any necessary improvements	1	1
Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection	Yes	Yes

Achievement and standards

How well do learners achieve?	1	1
The standards1 reached by learners	1	2
How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners	1	1
How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress	1

Personal development and well-being

How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners?	1	1
The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development	1
The behaviour of learners	1
The attendance of learners	1
How well learners enjoy their education	1
The extent to which learners adopt safe practices	1
The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles	1
The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community	1
How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being	2

The quality of provision

How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs?	2	2
How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners?	1	1
How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?	1	1

Leadership and management

How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners?	1	1
Howeffectivelyleadersandmanagersatalllevelssetclear direction leading to improvement and promote high qualityof care and education	2
How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets	2
How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can	1
How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money	1
The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities	1
Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements?	Yes	Yes
Does this school require special measures?	No
Does this school require a notice to improve?	No