City of London Academy Islington

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

City of London Academy Islington has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The principal of this school is Laurence Glees.

This school is part of City of London Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Mark Emmerson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Catherine McGuinness.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established a calm and focused school environment with high expectations.

Pupils participate happily in learning and in the wider life of the school. As a result, ...published academic outcomes for pupils at the end of Year 11 are positive. In the sixth form, students are well prepared for their next academic steps.

Pupils' respectful behaviour represents leaders' high behavioural expectations. Pupils move around the school between lessons calmly and purposefully. Usually, they settle quickly, contribute to group discussions and complete work readily.

Pupils build their leadership skills here. Elected student ambassadors and prefects represent the academy at public events and lead school assemblies. Pupils in Year 8 take it in turns to be the school 'concierge', by helping visitors and supporting the school office for the day.

Students in the sixth form volunteer at a local school for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The school organises a range of clubs for pupils to deepen their interests beyond the classroom. These include art, basketball and chess clubs.

Boys' and girls' football teams compete against local schools. Pupils from Year 9 to Year 13 are encouraged to take part in the combined cadet force. As part of this, pupils are taught to work together and to learn new skills through military-themed, adventurous activities.

These include navigation, first aid and camping.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious and broad, including in the sixth form.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge.

Normally, teachers present new information to pupils with clarity. Where necessary, staff model how to answer questions and build successfully on pupils' prior knowledge. In the sixth form, in psychology for example, teachers use questions to probe students' understanding and consolidate students' knowledge.

In many subjects, teachers check that pupils understand their learning and provide pupils with relevant and timely information on how to improve. For example, in English, teachers ensure that pupils refine, redraft and improve their work. In some subjects, however, checks on pupils' understanding are not as clear.

When this occurs, teaching does not pick up on some pupils' misconceptions when they arise.

The school identifies pupils with SEND accurately and provides appropriate support. Typically, teaching and resources are clearly adapted so that pupils build their curriculum knowledge steadily.

In a few subjects, however, teaching is not sufficiently adapted for pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils are given tasks that are too hard and so they do not complete them successfully.

Pupils who require support to improve their reading skills are identified by the school quickly.

These pupils read books matched to their current reading knowledge and skills. They take part in activities to improve their reading swiftly, including reading with an adult. This supports pupils to catch up and gain confidence.

Pupils speak highly of the many opportunities to learn about future careers that the school provides. All pupils have access to independent careers advice. Pupils in Year 10 undertake meaningful work experience activities.

The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum also prepares pupils successfully for life beyond the school. For example, pupils are taught how to respect others and to stay safe online. The school also organises educational outings for pupils.

These help pupils to understand theories that they have learned in class in real life. For example, pupils who study geography in Years 10 to 13 carry out fieldwork off site.

The school and trust have completed much effective work to secure clear expectations of behaviour and conduct.

As a result, pupils know and follow established routines set out by leaders. This encourages pupils successfully to remain engaged in learning during classes. Pupils who struggle to meet these expectations are provided with a range of effective support from within and beyond the school.

However, this support has not had the intended effect for some of the pupils who receive it. The proportion of pupils who are suspended from school for fixed periods has been high in the last few years. While the school has ensured that high behavioural standards are maintained in school overall, when pupils receive repeat suspensions, they are unable to take advantage of learning and struggle to catch up on the work that they have missed.

Pupils' attendance rates dropped after their return to school following the COVID-19 pandemic. The school is doing all that it reasonably can to improve pupils' attendance. The school works closely with families of pupils who are persistently absent.

With support from the trust, the school has renewed and reorganised its attendance expectations this year. Accordingly, punctuality rates have improved. However, it is too soon to see the positive effects of the new attendance measures.

Those responsible for governance hold leaders to account effectively. They challenge leaders, provide support where necessary and gather the views of parents and staff. Leaders consider the workload and well-being of staff when decision-making.

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 instances where pupils receive repeated suspensions, valuable learning is missed and pupils struggle to catch up with their peers. The school should build on its work to support pupils to improve their behaviour so that fixed-term suspensions from school decrease and pupils benefit from all that the school has to offer.

• In a few subjects, work is not routinely adapted for pupils with SEND and is too challenging. As a result, pupils with SEND sometimes struggle to complete work, which hinders them from building their knowledge as securely as they could. The school should ensure that teaching and resources are appropriately adapted for pupils with SEND, so that they are routinely helped to understand and remember what they have learned and build their curriculum knowledge securely.

• Processes to check pupils' understanding are less clear in some subjects. Sometimes, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge or misconceptions that are not identified and addressed. The school should ensure that pupils' misconceptions are identified and addressed routinely across subjects.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 2019.