Harris Lowe Academy Willesden

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well and are prepared successfully for their next academic steps. The school fosters a sense of belonging, mutual respect and ambition among its pupils.

New senior leaders are determined to raise further the academic and behavioural expectations of pupils across the school.

Pupils are happy, make friends easily and enjoy learning. They settle in classes quickly and respond positively to the school's high expectations.

The school follows up quickly and supportively on the rare occasions that pupils do not meet its high expectations.

The school organises extra-curricular activities for pupils that help them to develop their talents and i...nterests. These include chess club, an annual school production and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Pupils take part in competitive sports fixtures, including girls' and boys' football. All pupils learn to swim during Year 7.

The school arranges educational outings that expand pupils' understanding of subjects.

For example, pupils who study drama visited a central London theatre and pupils visited the Houses of Parliament to learn about democracy and government. A level biology students completed fieldwork in the countryside to learn how the environment affects different species.

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

The school has modified and enhanced the curriculum recently.

Pupils now study national curriculum subjects for longer in Years 7 to 9. From Year 10, they have even more subject options from which to choose. The school has also improved the quality of education, as seen in the higher quality of the work that pupils produce in Years 10 to 13 in many subjects.

In the sixth form, students are guided closely to select the best subjects and courses. They achieve well. For example, students who study psychology A-level show a secure understanding of data distribution and sixth-form art students are supported to create quality art portfolios.

The curriculum is ambitious and outlines clearly what pupils should learn and when, across subjects. For example, in modern foreign languages, the curriculum outlines precisely the vocabulary that pupils learn and how often pupils encounter each new word. In class, teaching typically supports pupils to build their curriculum knowledge.

For example, pupils who study GCSE English had a secure understanding of the Shakespeare texts that they study, and they write with fluency and accuracy. Teachers with strong subject knowledge check that pupils understand and remember what is taught. Pupils in examination years are given focused and effective support to ensure that they are fully prepared for their exams.

Teacher subject knowledge shines through in the sixth form, where students are supported by subject experts.

Sometimes in Years 7 to 9, the new knowledge and work provided is not matched to some pupils' prior knowledge. This means that sometimes, for example, these pupils find the work overly challenging and do not progress through the curriculum as smoothly as they could.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly and these pupils are often given the help that they need to succeed. Support for pupils who are learning to read English, or who are developing their reading fluency, is currently being developed. As a result, these pupils do not catch up with their peers as quickly as they could at present and sometimes struggle to understand what is taught across some subjects.

Pupils are regularly focused in class and disruption to learning is rare. The school works closely with the pupils who struggle to meet the school's high behavioural expectations. Staff supervise the school carefully between classes and during break times.

For example, when a few pupils become over-excited during breaktimes, staff intervene swiftly and appropriately. Pupils' attendance at school remains high. This is because the school has prioritised the importance of attendance and punctuality.

In the sixth form, students are mature and work hard.

The school organises a comprehensive careers programme which raises pupils' professional aspirations and widens pupils' understanding of their future career options. As part of the careers curriculum, pupils receive independent careers advice and speak to employers from banking to the armed services.

Those responsible for governance hold the school to account effectively. The trust provides teachers with access to its curriculum expertise, resources and administrative support where relevant. Staff are proud to work at the school and say that the school is mindful of their workload and wellbeing.

Teachers at the early stages of their career are given the training that they need to develop their teaching craft and subject knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The teaching for pupils at the early stages of learning to read English is not as developed as other parts of the curriculum.

Sometimes, these pupils therefore struggle to understand what they have learned. The trust should ensure that pupils at the early stages of learning to read English are supported to catch up quickly with their peers, so that they can access all learning and read with age-appropriate fluency. ? At times, the curriculum at key stage 3 is not routinely adapted to meet the needs of a few pupils.

When this happens, sometimes pupils do not understand fully the subject matter that has been taught or what they have been asked to do. At other times, pupils do not have enough practise to master what they have been taught. The trust should ensure that the curriculum is routinely adapted for the needs of all pupils, so that they can achieve their best.