The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your strong and effective leadership has ensured that the school continues to improve. Leaders communicate a clear vision of a learning journey for all pupils as they progress through the school. Since the last inspection, the sixth form has grown steadily. In 2017, all those students who left the school secured places at university or were accepted onto apprenticeships. Just under one in five students went to Russell Group universities, with one student gaining a place at Oxford University. This impressive figure is above the London average. Your leaders have focused on improving teaching by visiting classrooms and providing effective advice and guidance to teachers to improve their practice. Inspectors observed that pupils are now more confident in expressing themselves orally, so that pupils of different abilities progress well. Consequently, pupils continue to achieve very well at GCSE and progress is strong in most subjects. The proportion of strong passes in both GCSE English and mathematics continues to be above national averages. However, visits to classrooms and scrutiny of pupils’ work showed that, sometimes, lower ability pupils were not always supported effectively enough to ensure that they achieved their best. Also, progress in history and geography has been significantly weak for the past three years and we agreed that this would be one focus for the inspection. When speaking to inspectors, pupils were appreciative of the range of opportunities available to them both within the curriculum and in the enrichment sessions after school. You have created a strong learning culture in the school whereby most pupils understand the importance of behaving well. Inspectors found pupils to be both courteous and respectful. They usually conduct themselves in an orderly way around the school. However, some teachers do not always apply the school’s behaviour management procedures consistently. When this occurs, this leads to inattentive behaviour by a minority of pupils. You and your leadership team are well supported by an effective team of governors, who have a solid working knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They regularly visit the school to meet with staff and observe learning with leaders. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and governors have led the creation of a strong safeguarding culture. Staff, when surveyed, confirmed this. All the pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they felt safe and well looked after. They reported that bullying is very rare and when it does occur, it is effectively dealt with. Your curriculum covers safeguarding issues thoroughly. As a result, pupils were able to tell inspectors about threats they might face and how to keep safe. Leaders have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed. The recruitment checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are comprehensive and up to date. Leaders have developed strong partnerships with external providers and other schools to ensure that child protection cases are dealt with effectively. Inspection findings We first decided to investigate how leaders were reducing levels of exclusion, particularly among boys. Between 2014 and 2016, rates of fixed-term exclusion, while declining, were above the national average. In 2016, just over three quarters of all exclusions were of boys. Senior leaders have put in place effective strategies, including the ‘four-star standard’, through which pupils work to achieve stars and can also lose them through poor behaviour. When speaking to inspectors, pupils were strongly supportive of this strategy. One pupil reported, ‘The four-star system is really good because it makes us want to stay on target and improve our behaviour.’ Achievement coordinators, linked to every year group, rigorously monitor lowlevel behavioural incidents. They then intervene promptly with the offending pupils. As a result of these strategies, there are fewer pupils in detention, and fewer meetings with parents and carers to discuss poor behaviour. The number of more serious incidents has reduced significantly too. Because minor incidents are being effectively tackled before they escalate, exclusions, for more serious incidents, were below the national average last year.