Isleworth and Syon School for Boys

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of this rich and inclusive school community.

They appreciate the opportunities and support provided by staff. Most pupils work hard in lessons and achieve well. Leaders, at all levels, are ambitious for pupils and expect them to do well.

Pupils, and students in the sixth form, follow an ambitious curriculum. They work hard and produce work of good quality. In most subjects, pupils and students learn and remember over time.

They are well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

Pupils are happy and kept safe. They contribute to, and benefit from, the school's friendly and respectful culture....r/>
Pupils' behaviour is calm and purposeful. Bullying of any kind is not tolerated and staff deal with any incidents swiftly and effectively. Pupils feel listened to.

For example, they speak highly about the opportunities provided by the school leadership council and school ambassador programme.

Pupils access a range of additional opportunities. For example, the 'I&S Inspires' programme enables pupils to listen to talks from notable guest speakers.

Pupils engage well in sports clubs and whole-school drama and music productions. Sixth-form students participate in a regular enrichment programme. This includes a range of additional activities and community work.

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

Pupils, and students in the sixth form, study an ambitious and broad curriculum that prepares them well for the next stage of their education. Leaders have identified what pupils need to learn and when. This is well-sequenced so that pupils return to, practise and embed important concepts.

This supports them to tackle more complex ideas later on. For example, in history, pupils develop a chronological understanding of the early twentieth century. This supports them to understand how the Treaty of Versailles contributed to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Similarly, in Spanish, pupils learn a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. This supports them to speak, listen, read and write with increasing complexity as the curriculum progresses.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and deliver subject content with clarity.

Assessment is typically used well to check what pupils have learned so that any errors can be identified and corrected. This helps pupils to develop a secure body of knowledge in different subjects. For example, in drama, pupils' understanding of technical vocabulary is checked.

This helps them to build their appreciation of different techniques over time. Students in Year 13, draw on this rich body of knowledge to explore the performance and characterisation in different plays.

However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is less well implemented.

In these instances, the activities that pupils complete do not consistently match the ambition of the planned curriculum. Similarly, pupils' understanding in these subjects is not checked as carefully, so misconceptions are not swiftly identified or corrected. This leads to gaps in some pupils' understanding, meaning they are less well-prepared to tackle more complex work.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and well-supported. Staff make appropriate adaptations to tasks so that pupils can access the same curriculum as their peers, whenever this is possible. For pupils with more complex needs, 'The Link' provides more specialised and bespoke support.

Leaders have a coherent programme designed to support those who struggle to read well. Targeted reading interventions are having a positive impact on pupils' confidence and fluency. Across the school, pupils are encouraged to read for enjoyment.

Pupils' attitudes to learning are positive and most are enthusiastic learners. A new behaviour system has resulted in disruption to learning being minimised. Leaders have effective systems in place to manage attendance.

Attendance is very high. Leaders follow up any issues with families where this is a priority.

Pupils are provided with a range of extra-curricular opportunities to develop their skills and passions.

This compliments the wider curriculum and pupils' character development. The curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils are well informed about how to stay safe and be respectful of others. This helps them to develop as responsible young people, preparing them well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils receive informative careers guidance. Sixth-form students are appreciative of the support and advice that they are given to prepare them for university applications and future employment.

The trustees are knowledgeable about the school's work.

They share leaders' vision and strategic direction for the school. The trustees provide appropriate challenge and sufficient support to leaders to ensure that decisions are consistently taken in the best interests of the pupils. The trustees understand and carry out their statutory duties effectively.

Staff feel well supported by leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the curriculum is implemented less consistently.

In these areas, the tasks provided are not as ambitious as the curriculum would suggest. Similarly, assessment is not used as effectively, to check pupils' understanding. The school should ensure that the planned curriculum is consistently implemented so that pupils develop a deep body of knowledge and understanding across the subjects they study.

Also at this postcode