Elangeni School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Elangeni School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this welcoming and inclusive school. Their experience is reflected in the meaning of the school's name, which is, 'where the sun shines through'. One parent summed up the views of many parents and carers in saying, 'My child's education has been an incredibly positive journey filled with warmth, support and ambition.'

Pupils talk with confidence and enthusiasm about their school's values. These values help them to make good choices in all that they do. They know that there is always someone to talk to and that staff will resolve any worries quickly.

They rightly say... that this strong culture of care helps them to feel very safe.

Pupils take learning seriously. They are ambitious and work hard in their lessons.

Pupils talk confidently about how they will use their developing knowledge and skills in the future. Pupils know that staff will support them to be successful. They recognise, and meet, the high expectations that staff have for both their academic and pastoral development.

Pupils enjoy learning about different cultures. They have a deep understanding of fairness and equality. Pupils value differences in other people and the opportunity to learn from them.

They are polite and respectful towards each other.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has a culture where reading is highly valued. Thoughtful cross-curricular reading opportunities invoke pupils' curiosity and foster their love of reading.

Teachers make good use of information from ongoing checks on pupils' learning. Pupils at risk of falling behind are identified quickly and receive effective support to help them catch up. Staff make sure that pupils read widely and often and that there is lively and enthusiastic discussion about books throughout the school.

The school has a carefully considered, broad and ambitious curriculum. It is well sequenced across nearly all subjects. The school makes sure that resources and activities are of a high quality and help pupils to learn well.

Teachers explain ideas clearly. They prioritise developing pupils' vocabulary. For example, in mathematics, pupils are routinely asked to explain their thinking using precise mathematical language.

Pupils build well on what they already know and develop increasingly sophisticated understanding. This is particularly strong in English and mathematics, where pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve very well.

In a few subjects, however, the curriculum is not designed with the same high expectations and degree of precision.

This means that teachers are not always clear about how pupils' learning builds towards challenging curriculum goals. Consequently, this has led to some gaps in pupils' knowledge, which mean that they do not always learn as much as they could.

The school has a robust system in place to identify the needs of pupils who need additional help.

This includes pupils with SEND. Although most pupils are supported very well, the needs of a few pupils with SEND are not met fully. In the teaching of early reading skills and in some of the wider curriculum subjects, staff do not always adapt teaching consistently well.

This means that a small group of pupils do not always achieve as much as they could.

Pupils' wider development and pastoral support are at the heart of the school. The school fosters pupils' talents and interests through a range of activities, such as organising visits from inspirational leaders and thinkers.

Pupils explain confidently how building resilience helps them to achieve their personal goals. Pupils take pride in their elected leadership roles, such as those of school councillor and eco-leader. Older pupils enjoy designing and leading clubs for younger pupils, such as the popular debating club.

School governors are knowledgeable and committed to making sure that pupils succeed in every aspect of school life. The school actively seeks out opportunities in the local community that will benefit pupils and their families, such as family sports activities and concerts. Staff enjoy working at the school.

They feel valued and supported to do their job well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not designed or sequenced as well as it could be in some subjects.

This means that teachers are not always fully clear about what to teach and when, which has an impact on pupils' learning. The school should ensure that the curriculum is designed and implemented in a way that helps pupils achieve well in all subjects. The needs of a few pupils with SEND are not consistently met as well as they could be.

As a result, a few pupils do not develop their knowledge as well as they could across all subjects. The school should ensure that learning is adapted effectively for all pupils so that they achieve consistently well.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2019.

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