Friday 16th March 2012
Dear parents / guardians,
RE: Out of ‘Special Measures’ in record time!
We are delighted to announce that The Eltham Foundation School has now officially been taken out of ‘Special Measures’ by Ofsted, who inspected the school on 29th February – 1st March 2012. The school has been improving rapidly over the last year and the inspectors had no hesitation but to judge the school satisfactory overall with many elements of good and outstanding.
Of course, we are very proud of the students and staff, who have been working incredibly hard to turn the school around: it really is unrecognizable from the school it was 14 months ago.
You may read the full report on our school website, but please find below a short summary of their findings.
Achievement of pupils
The school is experiencing “rapidly accelerating progress…Students’ attitudes to learning are positive; their confidence and resilience are increasing”. In the best lessons, “inspirational teaching was giving them the confidence and self-belief to push for higher results.”
Literacy across the curriculum is really developing and students “used technical vocabulary accurately and expressed their learning with growing sophistication.”
“Systems of tracking, monitoring and intervention areextremely robust. The proportion of students achieving five or more GCSEs at grade C or higher is well above the national average. In English, almost all groups of students are making progress well above expectations.”
Quality of teaching
“Students consistently say that teaching is greatly improved. They describe lessons as more engaging andinteractive.” There is “detailed evaluation of students’ individual needs…pace is brisk…lessons start promptly…avariety of assessment methods”.
“Previous weaknesses have been eradicated…muchteaching is now good. The curriculum is planned to foster resilience, pride and a love of learning. Students assess one another with accuracy, sensitivity andrespect.”
Behaviour and safety of pupils
This has become a real strength of the school. “Students are rightly proud of the improving reputation of their school. They describe behaviour as having changed dramatically…they feel exceptionally safe…they are proud of how well students from different backgrounds mix…they describe bullying as rare.”
There are successful and consistently applied strategies to promote and reward good behaviour, attendance and punctuality. The school has seen “persistent lateness plummet. Attendance is improving across all groups…although the proportion of pupils persistently absent is still too high…students increasingly take responsibilityfor their own behaviour.”
There was no inadequate behaviour seen in lessons – much behaviour seen was good or outstanding - and no lateness at all to lessons.
Leadership and Management
“The executive headteacher, head of school and thesenior management team have brought a renewed sense of pride and aspiration to the school. The mantra of‘pace, purpose, pride’ permeates school life.
Middle leadership is strengthening. A team of advanced skills teachers is supporting improvements in teaching and learning. The governing body is increasingly involved in challenging the school. Arrangements for safeguardingstudents are secure and well managed.
The senior team is highly cohesive and effective. Senior leaders model outstanding teaching and continuallyevaluate the impact of teaching and learning.” There is “meticulous tracking and forensic interpretation of assessment information to ensure that no group orindividual is left behind. Students are given ambitious targets and feel determined and well equipped to meet or exceed them. The capacity for further improvementis strong.”
There is a “relentless and uncompromising drive forimprovement” which has “transformed attitudes andexpectations…aspirations are high; there is intoleranceof low expectations”.
We both feel immensely proud and privileged to have led the school through such a period of rapid growth. However, it will not surprise you that we are not happy with just being satisfactory, albeit with such a positive report. This summer we are very confident that we will hit 65% 5A*- C including Maths and English (more than doubling the 2010 results in only two years) which would make us the most improved school in Greenwich (again), the most improved school in England, and in the top 4 schools in Greenwich. We have already achieved 58% after the January exams so we are very close to exceeding our extremely ambitious targets in the summer.
We are also becoming a Harris Academy in September 2012 so there is much to be excited about in the next few months.
Our vision is to create a unique and outstanding place of learning for everyone. This time next year, we aim to be at least ‘Good’ in every category. In two years, we will be Outstanding in every category. This is what you, your child and the local community deserves.
Click HERE to view Ofsted report.
Yours faithfully,
George McMillan Dr. Chris Tomlinson
Head of School Executive Headteacher