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Westminster Academy |
Academy is slammed by Ofsted inspectors
‘Standards in sixth form are very low’, says report
OFSTED inspectors have blasted Westminsnter Academy in the first official report on the school since it opened two years ago.
The report, following a visit by inspectors in June, focuses on the sixth form revealing “boisterous behaviour” was disrupting lessons and standards fell “well below the national average”.
The report said: “Progress in the sixth form is inconsistent between different subjects and between individual students on the same course.
“This is because of a combination of variable teaching quality, inconsistent academic guidance and the low attendance of students. Standards in the sixth form are very low.”
“Too many students fail to attend lessons in the sixth form and those that do have a relaxed attitude to timekeeping. Students are clearly unused to being active participants in learning and are often passive recipients of information rather than enthusiastic seekers of knowledge.”
It added: “In the sixth form, some students have followed courses of study that they have found challenging and they have become disengaged from their learning.”
Westminster Academy was created in September 2006 following the closure of North Westminster community school. NWCS was put on special measures following an Ofsted report and eventually replaced by three academies including Westminster in Harrow Road.
Headteacher Smita Bora told the West End Extra the school was improving and that the sixth form was set to undergo a radical transformation, pioneering new kinds of exams next year.
She has replaced traditional A-level exams with the International Baccalaureate, used in more than 2,000 schools across Europe, and expected to become the leading university entrance course in this country.
Ms Bora said: “We are recognising through adopting the IB that students must be prepared for a globalised society. They need qualifications that can be used all around the world. The curriculum should prepare students for the 21st century. We feel the diploma will do that.”
Westmisnter Academy’s GCSE results improved dramatically this year – rising to a 40 per cent average for A*-C grades including English and maths.
Ms Bora said: “What I am most pleased about is that so many of our students will progress into our new diploma programme next year.” |
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