William Perkin Church of England High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. William Perkin is an exceptional school. Leaders at all levels have laid a strong foundation for providing students with an outstanding education.

Students enter the school with average standards, but achieve extremely well. The quality of leadership and management at all levels is exemplary. The executive headteacher works very well with the associate headteacher.

They are highly proficient at maintaining the vision for high achievement and planning for the school's future development. Behaviour and safety are outstanding. Students feel safe and respond positively to the strong work ethic.

Students are deeply involved i...n their learning, and apply themselves with tenacity during the long school day. They are determined to achieve well. The quality of teaching is outstanding.

Teachers are highly skilled; they plan activities to stretch students' knowledge and understanding and develop their critical thinking. The school's approach to evaluating and monitoring students' progress is exemplary. The curriculum is innovative and exciting.

Students are appropriately stretched academically and socially. Ample opportunities are available to develop students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, their personal development is outstanding.

Provision for disabled students and those who have special educational needs is highly effective. The academic achievement of students is exceptionally high. The high level of challenge drives the most-able students to excel.

Disadvantaged students exceed expectations. Differences in the progress students make are marginal. The school ensures that no child is left behind.

Partnership work with parents and other schools and a teacher training provider, is excellent. Parents are highly positive about their children's achievement. Partnership work is used extremely well to spread the benefits of the school's ethos and ethic to others.

Information about this school

William Perkin opened as a new free school in September 2013. It is one of two schools within the Twyford Church of England Academies Trust. The school opened as a result of local demand for more school places.

The school is housed in a new building. The school is presently much smaller than most secondary schools. Since opening, it has been heavily oversubscribed.

Two year groups, Year 7 and Year 8, are on roll. Each year, a new year group comprising of 190 students is expected to join, until the school reaches capacity of 1,330 including the sixth form students. Twyford Church of England High School is the main school in the trust which William Perkin uses to model and benchmark the quality of its work.

The student population is ethnically diverse and drawn from different faiths and cultures. The four largest groups include White British, other Asian, White Eastern European and students of Indian heritage. The proportion of students who are of a minority ethnic heritage is high, as is the proportion of those who speak English as an additional language.

However, few are at the early stage of learning English. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is low. The proportion of students eligible for the additional government funding provided for students known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority is below average.

The school will be opening an additional resource provision (ARC) in September 2015 for students with Autism. The ARC provision expects to have a maximum of 30 students. The new intake in September 2015 is expected to have a large number of students with special educational needs.

The school does not have any links with alternative providers. A special school uses the second floor of the building during the refurbishment of their own school. The shared arrangement will end in September 2015.

The school's main specialisms are science and languages. The school has developed curricula links with three local primary schools, Horsenden, Oldfield and Edward Betham in relation to the specialisms. All key appointments have been made.

Further staff will be appointed as the number of students on roll increases each year. As a new school with the first group of students in Year 7 and Year 8, it is too soon to report on students' attaining the minimum standard expected by the government in the GCSE examinations. These will be taken in three years' time.

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