SUMMARY OF THE INSPECTION REPORT
THE BRIT SCHOOL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY
Principal: NICK WILLIAMS
Date of inspection:
25 - 29 November 2002
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The school was inspected by 20 inspectors, led by Barbara
Hilton. This is a summary of the inspection report, which
is available from the school.
INFORMATION
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The BRIT School for the Performing Arts and Technology is
a city technology college for 14-19 year olds. The school
is sited in Croydon although students are admitted from boroughs
across London and the south east, including parts of north
Surrey and Kent. The total roll is 825 with 572 post-16 students
and 253 students in Years 10 and 11. Girls outnumber boys
by about 2 to 1 in all years. About 30 per cent of students
are from minority ethnic backgrounds, which is broadly representative
of the home boroughs of students, except that the proportion
of students attending the school who come from black Caribbean
and black African backgrounds is relatively high and the proportion
from Asian backgrounds is relatively low. The attainment of
students on entry in Year 10 is broadly average, although
all are committed to an aspect of performing arts and related
technologies and many are talented or have a particular flair.
The proportion with special educational needs is below the
national average and of these the great majority is dyslexic.
All speak English fluently. As a city technology college the
school is funded directly by the Government, with substantial
support from the British Record Industry Trust (BRIT), which
about 10 years ago established this unique provision in performing
arts and related technology.
HOW GOOD THE
SCHOOL IS
The BRIT School is a very effective school. Teaching is a
strength: good in Years 10 and 11 and very good post-16. Students,
who are highly motivated and enthusiastic, are helped to make
the most of themselves and they progress very well. Recent
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results
have been well above the national average and success on post-16
vocational courses is consistently very good. The school is
very well led and managed and provides very good value for
money.
What the school does well
- Students achieve very well. GCSE and GNVQ results are
rising rapidly and were well above the national average
in 2002.
- Post-16 provision and achievement are very good in many
areas, providing a very good basis for progression into
higher education, performance industries and related technologies.
- Students are highly motivated and respond enthusiastically
to the strong support they receive to make the very best
of themselves.
- Teachers have high expectations and lesson planning
is very good; vocational areas provide a rich range of
inspiring activities.
- The ethos is highly positive and reflects the focus
of the school on performing arts and related technologies,
through outstanding contributions by governors and very
good leadership and management, promoting strong teamwork
throughout.
What could be improved
- Students' achievement up to GCSE in mathematics, design
and technology, and modern foreign languages and in religious
education throughout.
The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors'
action plan.
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED
SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school has made very good progress since the last inspection
in 1996. GCSE results have improved markedly and post-16 results
are also better. Teaching is much better now than at the last
inspection. Substantial progress has been made in several
of the key issues of the last report: raising standards of
achievement in core and foundation subjects; adopting systematic
procedures for monitoring and evaluating student achievement;
the involvement of the governing body in the strategic management
of the school; clarification of the responsibilities and management
arrangements of the school; and the introduction of an appraisal
system. Consistent approaches to improving students' writing
and use of language remain areas for development. A new principal
has been in post since January 2002. Bearing in mind the very
good leadership and management of the school and the highly
effective governing body, the school is well placed to improve
further.
STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by students at the
end of Year 11 and students at the end of Year 13 based on
average point scores in GCSE/GNVQ and A-level/AS-level examinations.
|
Performance in: |
compared with |
|
all schools |
similar schools |
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2002 |
| GCSE/GNVQ examinations |
D |
C |
A |
A* |
| A-levels/AS-levels |
- |
- |
- |
|
Key
A* - very high
A - well above average
B - above average
C - average
D - below average
E - well below average |
(A/AS-level results are not included here because
students took single subjects alongside their major vocational
course.)
GCSE and General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ)
results have improved rapidly over the last few years. Students'
performance in 2002 was well above the national average and
in the top five per cent, when compared with schools with
similar proportions of free school meals. This reflects very
well on their progress since starting at The BRIT School in
Year 10, at which time their attainment was broadly average.
GCSE results were high in English, well above average in art
and design, dance and humanities, and above average in sociology,
science and theatre studies. Results were below average in
mathematics, French and German and well below average in religious
education. Students achieved very well on vocational courses
at intermediate level in performing arts, well in art and
design and satisfactorily in media. Inspection evidence is
that standards overall in Year 11 are above average and broadly
in line with results. Students with special education needs
progress very well, in line with others. Standards of literacy
are good and numeracy is satisfactory. Students use information
and communication technology (ICT) very effectively.
Post-16 students consistently achieve very good results in
advanced-level vocational courses. In 2002, results were high
in the Business and Technician Education Council (BTEC) National
Diploma in production and in musical theatre, very good in
theatre, dance and music. Results in the Advanced Vocational
Certificate of Education (AVCE) in art and design and in media
were also good. Alongside the vocational courses a significant
number of students take a GCE subject at A2 or AS-level. The
popular subjects are performing arts and creative subjects,
in which results are usually good. The number of entries and
results are lower in history, mathematics, psychology and
sports science. A-level results have improved since the last
inspection. Inspectors found standards in lessons and work
seen to be generally well above average in vocational areas
and good, sometimes satisfactory, in other subjects. Students
communicate and use information technology well. Their numeracy
skills are adequate for their courses. Students with special
educational needs are helped to progress very well. Good use
is made of challenging targets to raise standards and results.
Nearly all students stay for the full length of their courses:
retention is high.
STUDENTS' ATTITUDES AND
VALUES
| Aspect |
Comment |
| Attitudes to the school |
Excellent. Students are highly motivated and enthusiastic
about the school. |
| Behaviour, in and out of classrooms |
Exemplary. Students behave with consideration and
courtesy. |
| Personal development and relationships |
Excellent: students' personalities develop very well.
They respond extremely well to all the opportunities
provided in the school. |
| Attendance |
Good in Years 10 and 11 and satisfactory in other
years. Significant numbers of older students have difficulty
arriving on time: a better registration system is needed. |
Students contribute wholeheartedly to the school's ethos of
respect, trust and creativity. Respect for feelings, values
and beliefs is an outstanding feature of the school, which
has a diversity of cultures and interests. Post- 16 students
are happy and proud to be at the school.
TEACHING
AND LEARNING
| Teaching of students: |
Years 7 - 9 |
Years 10 - 11 |
Years 12 - 13 |
| Quality of teaching |
n/a |
good |
very good |
Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range:
excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory;
poor; very poor. 'Satisfactory' means that the teaching
is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
Teaching is very good overall with examples of excellence
on vocational courses. Students learn very well: they are
highly motivated by the relevance of the work to their own
interests and the performing arts industry. The adult environment
and the many opportunities they have for participating in
aspects of the life of the school help them to take responsibility
for their own progress. Committed teachers and very good
planning enable students to make the most of themselves,
including those with special educational needs and the gifted
and talented. Very good teaching in Years 10 and 11 enables
students to make great strides in performing arts subjects
(dance, music and theatre), also in art and design, sociology
and citizenship. Students are taught and learn well in most
other subjects, including English, mathematics and science.
Teaching and learning are good in religious education lessons
but students do not achieve well enough because of shortage
of time. Learning in design and technology and modern foreign
languages is satisfactory: a more varied range of activities
would assist progress in both subjects.
Marking and assessment are well used in many subjects but
practice is uneven and not consistent enough in some subjects,
including mathematics and modern foreign languages. In these,
teachers do not make enough use of assessment in planning
suitably challenging work. The use of homework is also inconsistent.
Much involves rehearsal and practical activity and demands
on students are uneven. Subject teachers are attentive about
students' use of literacy and numeracy (and the key skills
of communication and numeracy post-16) although approaches
are not consistent across the curriculum. Students' use
of information and communication technology is good throughout
and in several vocational areas they make excellent use
of specialised equipment and software.
Post-16, the great strengths of teaching are in performing
arts and related technologies; history teaching is also
very good. Other subjects are mostly well taught, but in
mathematics too many students are not interested in their
GCSE re-sit classes and this is affecting their progress.
Overall, students work very hard and take significant responsibility
for their own learning and collaboration with others.
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