Inspection Report

Unique Reference Number	101243
Local Authority	Barking
Inspection number	323429
Inspection dates	20–21 October 2009
Reporting inspector	Ken Bush

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

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Type of school	Comprehensive
School category	Community
Age range of pupils	11–19
Gender of pupils	Mixed
Gender of pupils in the sixth form	Mixed
Number of pupils on the school roll	1178
Of which, number on roll in the sixth form	130
Appropriate authority	The governing body
Chair	Mr Joe Fryer
Headteacher	Ms Valerie Dennis
Date of previous school inspection	10 July 2007
School address	Dagenham Road
	Dagenham
	Essex RM10 7UR
Telephone number	020 82704567
Fax number	020 82704545
Email address	office@eastbrook.bardaglea.org.uk

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Age group	11–19
Inspection dates	20–21 October 2009
Inspection number	323429

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The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404045, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way.

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© Crown copyright 2009

Introduction

This inspection was carried out by five additional inspectors.

The inspectors visited forty lessons, and held meetings with staff, governors and students. They observed the school's work, and looked at school policies, development plans and 426 parental questionnaires.

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:

• attainment and progress in all year groups
• the quality of teaching and of assessment attendance
• the quality of provision in the sixth form and the outcomes for students.

Information about the school

In this larger than average comprehensive school most students are from a White British background with a minority from Black or Black British-African backgrounds. The proportion of students whose first language is not English is close to the national average, but increasing. Both the percentage of students eligible for free school meals and the proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities are above the national average. The most commonly identified of these needs relate to moderate learning and to emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is also additional provision for students with speech, language and communication needs. Eastbrook is currently part of the National Challenge programme. In recent years the school has had to deal with a variety of staffing issues and fluctuating student numbers. Some courses for 14-16 year olds are offered in partnership with other providers and vocational courses for sixth formers are offered in partnership with a further education college.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate
Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

Overall effectiveness: how good is the school?	3

The school's capacity for sustained improvement	3

Main findings

Eastbrook provides its students with a satisfactory standard of education. There are signs of rapid improvement but recent challenging times have limited this in some key areas, notably the rate of improvement in student achievement. Care, guidance and support for students are good. An emerging strength of the school, now under its present dynamic leadership, is the quality of its self-evaluation procedures which involve a wide range of stakeholders. These procedures mean that the senior leadership team, other leaders and, increasingly, governors, know the strengths and weaknesses of the school well and have robust plans in place to address areas in need of improvement. Detailed and relevant improvement planning, the success of curriculum reform and rising levels of student achievement reflect a satisfactory capacity for sustained improvement.

The standards reached by students by the end of Year 11 are low, but improving. Whilst currently progress is satisfactory, the rate of progress over time, however, has not been fast enough. Consequently, with the exception of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, a significant proportion of students have not achieved as well as they should have done. The school has now addressed this through a more systematic and, therefore, more effective response to underperformance. This has not yet had a full impact and achievement overall remains satisfactory, but is improving.

The school provides a safe environment in which most students, including the most vulnerable, feel secure. They report that incidents of bullying do occur occasionally but that staff deal with them effectively. Behaviour in lessons is satisfactory, although some instances of students being excessively boisterous were seen during the inspection both in lessons and particularly around the school campus. However, students and parents are generally in agreement that behaviour has improved significantly in the past few years which is contributing to better progress. Although there has been some recent improvement compared with previous years as a result of more intensive monitoring, the proportion of persistent absentees remains too high and the rate of overall attendance is low.

The radical restructuring of the curriculum has made the most marked contribution to the improving trend in achievement and is now one of the school's key strengths. Effective partnerships with other providers have increased the range of vocational courses significantly and many Key Stage 4 students, in particular, are now finding greater success and relevance in their learning. The standard of teaching overall has also improved since the previous inspection. There has been tangible progress made in tackling inconsistent practice across different subjects through such 'mini-inspection' strategies as 'focus weeks'. Some variation in quality persists, for example, progress dips when assessment data is not used well enough to challenge all pupils and in the varied pace of lessons. The best practice evident in the school is not always effectively shared, although this is now being addressed through departments being grouped into formal improvement clusters. Marking remains erratic and students do not always get enough good quality written feedback to guide them in how to improve their work and support high levels of achievement.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve achievement for Year 11 students so that challenging attainment and progress targets, as agreed by the governing body, are met or exceeded in the present and subsequent academic years.

• Improve the attendance of students to 93.0% by the end of the next academic year, and to 93.5% by the end of the following year. Re-engage students who are persistently absent through intensive monitoring and through making best use of support from other agencies. Reduce the percentage of students who are persistently absent from school to 6.5% by the end of this academic year, and to 5.5% by the end of the following academic year.

• Improve the consistency of good and better teaching across the school so that by the end of this academic year at least 50% of lessons should be good or better and 10% outstanding, and by the following academic year 75% to be good and 15% outstanding by:

• effectively sharing good and outstanding practice
• ensuring that leaders and managers monitor the use of assessment information by all teachers so that appropriately challenging work is set for all students
• ensuring that the pace of lessons is sufficient to enable all students to make at least good progress.

Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils	3

Most students behave well in lessons, enjoy learning and are keen to do their best. When tasks are engaging, students' application is good and students persevere well in order to find success. In one Year 7 art lesson, for example, high teacher expectations and careful planning led to some outstanding achievement in portraiture. However, when activities are less engaging some students lose concentration and their behaviour can deteriorate.

In 2009, the proportion of Year 11 students gaining five good GCSEs rose significantly compared to the two previous years, although attainment overall remains low. Standards in English and science are now markedly higher and whilst there was noticeable improvement too in mathematics, there exists a legacy of underachievement in that subject because of former instabilities in staffing. Attainment is consistently high in drama and especially in art and media studies where the A* to C pass rate at GCSE is well above the national average. Although the rate of progress at the end of Key Stage 4 has been too slow in recent years, evidence gathered during the inspection, including in lessons, showed indications that it is now increasing rapidly because of improved monitoring of teaching. As a consequence of well-focused and timely support, students with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other vulnerable groups make good progress.

Students make good use of the range of opportunities to contribute to the school community and to enhance their leadership skills. They show responsibility and give generously of their time in supporting charities, although they are less involved in community activity beyond the school and its immediate locality. The school's commitment to providing comprehensive work-related and vocational learning programmes is making a sound contribution to students' future economic well-being. Students respond well to the range of opportunities to engage in multi-cultural celebrations and most socialise well with students whose ethnic and religious backgrounds are different from their own. For those students with a lower than average attendance, progress slows.

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

¹ The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low

How effective is the provision?

Teaching makes a satisfactory impact upon students' learning and achievement. In the best lessons seen during the inspection, the setting of challenging tasks involving active learning led to high levels of student engagement and rapid progress. In the less successful lessons, work was not matched sufficiently well to students' needs and capabilities, leading to poor motivation and progress slowing. Planning is usually thorough but does not always make effective use of the students' prior learning. There were relatively few examples of high level independent learning seen during the inspection. Whilst the majority of students are aware of their targets, they are not always clear about their current level of achievement or precisely what is needed to improve their work.

Eastbrook now provides a broad, balanced and stimulating curriculum giving students a good foundation for achievement. Clear, strategic planning by key senior leaders has created a good range of pathways. Students are now enabled and encouraged to begin accredited courses when they are ready, which for most is in Key Stage 3. Students in Year 8 are able to exercise some guided subject choices, reflecting their needs, interests and aspirations. Provision is further enriched by 'theme days' and a good range of extra-curricular clubs at lunchtimes. The school is working towards developing its cross-curricular provision, although this is not yet fully established.

The school's good pastoral care for students through its effective tutorial system is a feature of provision highly valued by students and parents alike. One parent commented, 'We are really pleased with how quickly our daughter has settled in at Eastbrook. We feel staff make a real effort to get to know the children as individuals.' However, the use of tutorial time as seen during the inspection was too variable. The quality of information, advice and guidance is good, enabling students to make well-informed choices at transition points such as the end of Key Stage 3. Vulnerable students are especially well supported and nurtured, which allows them to make good progress and a full contribution to the life of the school. The Inclusion Centre is an important facility in successfully promoting the importance of good attendance for those students and their families in most need of intensive support.

These are the grades for the quality of provision

How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher provides the school with clear and effective strategic leadership and direction. She is well supported by senior leaders and governors who share a commitment to improve the outcomes achieved by all students. Middle leaders are becoming more proficient in monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision and students' progress, notably in identifying underperformance and providing appropriate intervention strategies. At present, they are less successful in sharing effective strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning, although this is now being addressed. There is a burgeoning sense of collaboration and a strong team ethic in evidence in the school. Progress has been made in raising the overall standard of teaching, although the significant investment in professional development in this area has yet to have a full impact on students' progress.

Inclusive practice and equal opportunities are vigorously promoted and the school exploits its extended services provision effectively to make a good contribution to community cohesion. For example, working with a local community centre, the school contributed to a community cohesion breakfast to encourage greater engagement with local senior citizens. Although governors have not yet developed their monitoring and evaluation role fully, they are making an increasingly important contribution to improvements by holding senior leaders to account for the school's performance. They have ensured, for example, that safeguarding requirements are securely in place and that policy and procedures in that area are regularly scrutinised and consistently applied.

These are the grades for leadership and management

Sixth form

Attainment in the sixth form is broadly average, but improving, with some variation between subjects. Sociology, law and media studies have been consistently successful, whilst attainment in mathematics and science less so. This variability explains why outcomes for students are satisfactory. Students report they enjoy school and appreciate the wide range of options available to them at both intermediate and advanced levels, partly as a result of consortium arrangements and also through collaboration with other local providers. Students' contribution to the school and wider community is good with some acting as mentors for younger pupils. Students have a mature outlook, are ambitious, and are keen to do well in their studies. The proportion of Year 13 students going on to higher education has risen markedly since the previous inspection. Progression rates from AS to A2 are satisfactory, but improving.

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, but of an inconsistent quality across the range of the curriculum, mainly because opportunities for independent learning are insufficient. However, students feel that most of their teachers go out of their way to help and guide them in their studies. Assessment is thorough and students get effective feedback which enables them to improve in most subjects. Leadership and management in the sixth form are satisfactory, with improving systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision and more effective tracking of students' progress. Progress has been made since the previous inspection in establishing a clearer long-term strategy for the development of the sixth form, although this has not yet had a full impact upon student outcomes.

These are the grades for the sixth form

 

Views of parents and carers

The majority of parents and carers are supportive of the work of the school and appreciate the efforts made by the headteacher and other staff to bring about improvements. Many commented favourably on the quality of pastoral care as well as the support given to vulnerable students and those with additional needs. A few parents raised concerns about disruptive behaviour in lessons and inconsistent behaviour management by staff. Inspectors found that while there were a few instances of unsatisfactory or inconsiderate behaviour, especially at lunchtime or at lesson changeovers, behaviour overall is satisfactory.

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Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Eastbrook Comprehensive School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school.

In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

The inspection team received 426 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 1178 pupils registered at the school.

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

Overall effectiveness of schools inspected between September 2007 and July 2008

 

 

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously.

The data in The table above were reported in the Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills 2007/08.

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.
 

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Achievement:	the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.
Attainment:	the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.
Capacity to improve:	the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.
Leadership and management:	the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.
Learning:	how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.
Overall effectiveness:	inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.
	The school's capacity for sustained improvement. Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils. The quality of teaching. The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs,  including, where relevant, through partnerships. The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.
Progress:	the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.