Blackfen School for Girls

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Blackfen School for Girls fosters a welcoming and friendly environment.

Staff know their pupils well and have high expectations of them. Staff provide daily care and support when needed. Most pupils are polite and respectful towards adults and each other.

Pupils feel and are kept safe and know who they can talk to about any concerns they have. Bullying is rare but, if it does occur, is resolved quickly.

A growing number of pupils attend additional activities such as public speaking, art and volleyball.

The school offers an ambitious range of residential visits including a ski trip to the south of France and opportunities for the pupils to perform at ...Disneyland Paris. Students in the sixth form take on leadership roles such as mentorship of younger pupils. These experiences enrich pupils' lives and help them experience a variety of opportunities beyond the classroom.

All pupils, and students in the sixth form, receive high-quality independent advice on their next steps as part of the exceptionally well-organised careers programme. Many pupils were effusive in their praise for the support they receive in considering future careers options.

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

Pupils learn an increasingly broad curriculum, which matches the breadth and ambition of what is expected nationally.

The school has promoted greater take up of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), including modern foreign languages. This has resulted in a higher proportion of pupils studying the subjects that make up the EBacc. In the sixth form, there is an impressive range of courses for students to choose from.

Students feel very well supported and move on successfully to the next stage of their education or into employment

Across the school, the curriculum is well designed and logically sequenced to allow pupils to revisit, embed and practise important knowledge. Content builds logically on what pupils have learned in their primary schools. Teaching is typically based on secure subject expertise.

Questioning is sometimes used well to check what pupils have learned and to address misconceptions.

The curriculum in some subjects is not implemented with sufficient precision. In these instances, teaching does not check pupils' understanding as carefully.

As a result, some pupils do not develop the same depth of knowledge and understanding and achieve less well, including in national examinations.

The school prioritises the importance of reading. Leaders are systematic in identifying pupils, and students arriving to the sixth form, who may require additional help.

They provide an ambitious and well-structured programme of support to those who require it.

Leaders identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) promptly. Additional support is well matched to the needs of pupils.

Leaders share guidance with staff about how to best support pupils in the classroom. Pupils who attend the resource provision receive high-quality support to access and make progress through their curriculum. However, leaders do not systematically check that pupils with SEND who attend mainstream classes are being sufficiently supported.

As a result, these pupils are sometimes not helped to access the curriculum and achieve well.

In most lessons, pupils behave well, work hard and show a positive attitude to their learning. Leaders have recently revised the approach to managing behaviour.

Many pupils, staff and families recognise the positive impact of these changes. Around the school, behaviour is typically calm and orderly. However, expectations are not consistently applied regarding pupils' use of mobile telephones around the school and the timeliness of which they arrive to lessons.

These inconsistencies cause some disruption to pupils' learning.

The school has improved communication with parents and carers. This is helping improve the rate of attendance.

Specifically, the number of pupils who have been persistently absent has reduced significantly over time. The school recognises that there remain families for whom improving attendance and punctuality is a priority.

Pupils receive caring pastoral support.

Staff know them well. The curriculum ensures that pupils learn how to keep safe and healthy, including when online. Pupils learn how to be responsible, respectful and active citizens with a secure understanding of important issues such as consent and sexual harassment.

Many serve as role models for others in the school. Pupils spoke positively about the 'Discover Days', which build pupils' cultural awareness through, for example, visits to the Barbican.

Those responsible for governance are actively involved in the life of the school.

They have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and have prioritised the right aspects to improve it further. Governors provide strong support to the school and discharge their statutory duties diligently. Leaders and governors are mindful of staff workload and well-being.

Staff acknowledge this and are proud to work at the school.

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 in some subjects is not implemented with sufficient precision.

In these areas, pupils do not develop the same depth of knowledge and understanding and achieve less well, including in national examinations. The school should ensure that the curriculum is delivered with consistent rigour. This includes checking that staff have the necessary subject knowledge to explain ideas with clarity and make effective use of assessment to check understanding, identify and correct misconceptions.

The systems for managing behaviour are sometimes not applied consistently. As a result, there are different expectations, including about pupils' use of their mobile telephones and arriving to lessons on time. The school should ensure that the expectations for behaviour are applied consistently across the school.

• The provision for some pupils with SEND who attend mainstream classes is not consistently matched to their needs and starting points. As a result, these pupils are sometimes not supported to access the curriculum and achieve well. The school should check that the adaptations chosen help pupils learn and remember more.