Harris Academy Chobham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

Leaders and governors have ensured that recent changes in leadership have not slowed the pace of improvement. Their ambitious plans for the future are well on the way to being achieved because : management systems are robust and applied consistently throughout the academy. They draw on support from the sponsor in an appropriate manner.

The principal, leaders and governors have extremely high expectations for pupils' achievement and personal development. They have ensured that their vision for the academy is shared and understood by all. Consequently, staff are working as one to make the academy even better.

Pupils make o...utstanding progress from their starting points. Ambitious attainment targets are well on the way to being achieved or exceeded across all key stages and in nearly all subjects. Unvalidated results for this year are likely to be well above the national average.

The sixth form is outstanding. In 2014, nearly all young people achieved examination results that were above the national average. Many gained places at top universities.

Teaching is outstanding. Teachers are challenged and supported to deliver learning activities that allow pupils to achieve extremely well. They use effective strategies to assess how well pupils are learning and ensure that any gaps in their understanding are recognised and addressed quickly.

Behaviour is outstanding. Pupils have excellent attitudes towards their learning because they appreciate and respond to the high expectations of staff. Systems for managing behaviour are understood and abided by because pupils know that they benefit from the calm and ordered learning environment that results.

Safety is outstanding. The academy has highly effective systems for recruiting staff. Pastoral leaders, other professionals and agencies work closely together to ensure all pupils are kept as safe as possible.

The Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. Children benefit from high quality teaching and resources. They make excellent progress from starting points which are just below average when they join the academy.

Information about this school

The academy is an all through provider which opened for the first time in September 2013. It is located within the Olympic Park in the London Borough of Newham. It is situated in an innovative, purpose-built facility, previously used as the Olympic administration headquarters during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The academy has grown rapidly in size as families have moved into the new homes in the East Village from all over London and beyond. Pupil and teacher numbers have risen continually throughout the academic year. The academy is now larger than most other schools nationally and will be completely full, with pupils in every year group, from September 2015.

It currently has no pupils in Year 11. Pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic groups. The biggest groups are Black African and those of Asian heritage.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs is recorded as being below average. This is because Newham recognises the needs of most pupils with a disability or special educational needs without using formal assessment.

There are actually a significant number of pupils with a range of disabilities or special educational needs attending the academy, including some with more complex conditions. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding provided for pupils eligible for free school meals and looked after children, is well above the national average. Children within the early years provision attend for 15 hours a week in the Nursery and full time in Reception.

There are no public examination results to measure the school's performance against the government's current floor standards. Pupils rarely attend off-site alternative education provision. Currently, a very small number attends the Eleanor Smith special school and New Directions pupil referral unit.

Pupils are not entered early for examinations in Key Stage 4. The academy is sponsored by the Harris Federation, together with Lend Lease, the company responsible for the design, development and construction of the academy and the East Village on the Olympic Park. The current principal was appointed from within the Harris Federation and took up her post at the start of the summer term 2015.

Also at this postcode