Kings Langley School: read the school's full Ofsted report

Kings Langley School, in Love Lane, continues to be a ‘good’ school after its most recent Ofsted report was published on Monday (May 13).

Headteacher David Fisher said the school is “really pleased” with the many positives inspectors outlined in the full report below.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending school. Staff know pupils well. Pupils benefit from warm and positive relationships.

This supports them to be confident to share how they feel and seek support when they need it. Pupils know that staff are there to help them. This helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

All pupils, including students in the sixth form, learn about what good character is. They do this through the school’s effective character development programme. This teaches pupils about how to make positive choices. As a result, pupils independently behave in a calm and civilised way.

Pupils access a broad, interesting range of subjects that challenge them academically. They typically achieve well. On occasions, pupils do not have the chance to extend and deepen what they learn. This can limit how well pupils learn more complex knowledge.

Pupils enjoy a wealth of personal development opportunities. This includes activities week at the end of the school year. This brings everyone together. Every child has a meaningful opportunity to be a leader. Leadership roles include wildlife, sports, diversity and inclusion, music and the school council. There is something for everyone to be involved with.

Kings Langley School headteacher David Fisher. (Image: Kings Langley School)

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

The Curriculum:

The school has carefully thought through and planned the knowledge pupils should learn in each subject. The school has ensured that its curriculum planning is ambitious and builds the complexity of what pupils learn over time. For example, in mathematics, when pupils join the school, they revisit their understanding of number. This ensures they have the foundations needed to study algebra. By sixth form, students have the skills to understand more complex mathematical concepts.

Teaching:

Leaders have defined how teaching approaches best support pupils to retain knowledge. Teachers are knowledgeable and provide clear explanations that help pupils understand topics. For example, ‘quick start’ activities help pupils to connect previous learning and allow teachers to spot and address any gaps in pupils’ understanding effectively.

The school has trained staff in these approaches and checks how well they are working. This has ensured that teaching typically supports pupils to achieve well. In a few instances, some staff do not routinely provide activities to enable pupils to engage in deeper discussion or explore learning in more depth. When this happens this limits how well pupils develop a secure understanding of more complex knowledge.

SEND Pupil Support:

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to help them make progress. The school clearly identifies the needs of pupils with SEND and the adaptations they should receive. Although there is some minor variation, staff typically provide effective support for pupils with SEND so that they achieve well.

Reading:

Reading is a real strength of the school. Those pupils at the earlier stages of reading get precisely targeted support to help them catch up. All pupils are encouraged to read widely. Teachers carefully consider how the texts they use further develop pupils’ comprehension. As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Behaviour:

The school has ensured pupils’ behaviour is managed successfully through a culture of warm and positive relationships. Staff support pupils to manage their emotions successfully. Pupils are typically focused and engaged in lessons. Behaviour around the school site is respectful. The school has suitable systems in place to ensure good attendance.

Careers and opportunities:

Pupils receive effective careers guidance, across the school, to help them make the best choices to support their next steps. For example, sixth-form students who wish to apply for prestigious apprenticeships or universities get highly useful additional support. As a result, many students are successful in achieving places.

Kings Langley School sixth form block. (Image: Kings Langley Secondary School)

Personal development:

Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in their personal development. This is a very effective aspect of the school’s work. Pupils benefit from a vast range of enrichment opportunities. Across key stage 3, pupils go on two residential trips and then trips abroad in Year 9. These build bonds between pupils and develop their character and teamwork. Trips enhance the curriculum and develop pupils’ understanding of society and culture. For example, pupils visited Berlin to deepen their knowledge of the Holocaust. An extensive range of sporting fixtures extends those who enjoy sport. Sports teams have achieved a variety of successes at district and county level.

Trustees:

Trustees know the school well. They provide effective challenge and support for leaders. Leaders have ensured there is a comprehensive programme to support staff’s workload and well-being. Staff highly value this programme and feel every key decision is made with workload in mind.

Safeguarding:

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, some teachers do not make the most appropriate teaching choices. Where this is the case, pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to develop and extend their knowledge. This then limits how well they consolidate more complex knowledge. The school needs to further ensure all staff are able to implement highly effective teaching strategies consistently well.