INSPECTION REPORT MARLWOOD SCHOOL Alveston, Bristol LEA area: South Gloucestershire Unique reference number: 109325 Headteacher: Keith Geary Lead inspector: Ian Stuart Dates of inspection: 4 – 8 October 2004 Inspection number: 268852 Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2004 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Marlwood School - 2 INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Type of school: Comprehensive School category: Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils: 11 – 18 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 1354 School address: Vattingstone Lane Alveston Bristol Postcode: BS35 3LA Telephone number: 01454 862525 Fax number: 01454 862550 Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs M Streatfield Date of previous 25 January 1999 inspection: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL Marlwood is a large school serving an extensive area to the north of Bristol; a high proportion of pupils come to school by bus. The school had its origins as Thornbury Grammar School 400 years ago, and moved to its present site when it became a comprehensive school in 1972. The Thornbury Grammar School Trust still plays a part in some of the school’s traditions, and the school has the status of a Voluntary Controlled school through the Foundation, though there are no religious affiliations. The school is heavily over-subscribed. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances, but, overall, the socio-economic circumstances of pupils are more advantageous than average. Relatively few join or leave the school other than at the usual times of admission or leaving. Pupils’ levels of attainment on entry cover the full spectrum and are a bit above average overall. The number of pupils identified as having special educational needs is below the national average, though the percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs is broadly average. The most common needs are moderate learning difficulties. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is low, and most pupils come from white British backgrounds. The school has been a Beacon School and became a specialist Science College in September 2003. It also has the Investors in People and the Sportsmark awards, and, in September 2004, it became a Leading Edge school. Marlwood School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities 19298 Ian Stuart Lead inspector 9391 Norma Ball Lay inspector 23393 Brian Dower Team inspector English; post-16 English 15268 John English Team inspector Mathematics; post-16 mathematics 1248 Joseph Edge Team inspector Science; post-16 chemistry 31441 Margaret King Team inspector Post-16 physics 10385 Keith Hopkins Team inspector Design and technology; post-16 design and technology 18638 Christopher Shaw Team inspector Information and communication technology (ICT); citizenship 27666 John Dockrell Team inspector Modern foreign languages 10759 Lynn Bappa Team inspector Religious education; post-16 sociology; English as an additional language 30743 Neil Cowell Team inspector Geography; special educational needs 11672 Peter Harle Team inspector Art and design; drama 31673 John Gwyer-Roberts Team inspector Music; work related learning 20192 Terry McDermott Team inspector Physical education; post-16 sports science 13122 Stephanie Matthews Team inspector History; post-16 history; business studies; post-16 business studies The inspection contractor was: Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Marlwood School - 4 Inspections’, which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Marlwood School - 5 REPORT CONTENTS Page PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7 PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 12 Standards achieved in subjects and courses Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 18 Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 27 WORK RELATED LEARNING 30 PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN SUBJECTS AND COURSES 32 SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN KEY STAGES 3 AND 4 SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN THE SIXTH FORM PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 69 Marlwood School - 6 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT OVERALL EVALUATION Marlwood is a good school with many very good features. It provides good value for money. Overall, standards are well above average and most pupils and students achieve very well. It is building on the major strengths it has had for many years, and is well placed to become even more effective as new developments progressively have an impact. The school has a very caring atmosphere which provides a strong foundation to support achievement and personal development. Overall, teaching and learning are very good. Leadership and management are very good in promoting a common sense of purpose and in planning continual improvements. The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: · Pupils achieve high standards because the overall quality of the teaching they receive is high. · The headteacher, senior managers and governors have a very clear and coherent view of necessary developments, and are ably supported by middle managers and other staff. · Pupils are very well cared for, a process that starts with very good induction procedures. · Pupils have a strong sense of trust and respect for their teachers, and are much involved in the life of the school. · Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below those of other subjects. · Support for pupils with special educational needs is very good within the school’s strong culture of inclusion. · The behaviour of a minority of pupils is not good enough, holding back their and others’ progress at times. · There are very good opportunities for enrichment and extra-curricular activities to extend learning and promote pupils’ personal development. Improvement since the last inspection and recently has been good. There have been some fluctuations in standards, but, generally, high standards have been maintained. The proportion of very good and excellent teaching has increased since the last inspection, indicating success of policies to evaluate and improve teaching. There are still some inconsistencies in using assessment data as a way of helping pupils to improve, but, in general, improvements to the curriculum mean that it is now better meeting the needs of most pupils. STANDARDS ACHIEVED all schools similar schools Performance compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 Year 11 GCSE/GNVQ examinations A A A B Year 13 A/AS level and VCE examinations A A A Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average For Year 11, similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 9. Marlwood School - 7 Overall achievement is very good. Pupils’ attainment in the tests taken in their last term at primary school is above average, but standards in many subjects across the whole curriculum are average when pupils enter the school, as is the overall quality of their written work. Standards in most subjects rise quickly, and there is much success at improving the quality of writing in Years 7 to 9; this makes a significant contribution to the very good achievement that takes place. The Year 9 results were well above average in 2004, with English showing a marked improvement. Present standards in Year 9 in most subjects are above average, and in some, including English, mathematics and science, they are well above average. Very good achievement is sustained by most pupils in Years 10 and 11. Although there was a dip in the number of higher grades in 2004, overall results remained well above average. Science results have been very high in most recent years, with a high proportion of A* and A grades. However, there are variations in performance between subjects, some of them marked, both in overall results and in the number of very high grades obtained. In work seen during the inspection in Years 10 and 11, it is clear that well above average standards are being reached in many, but not all, subjects. Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. The good and very good behaviour by most pupils is spoiled by a number of pupils whose self-discipline is poor. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory. QUALITY OF EDUCATION The quality of education is very good. Overall, teaching is very good, though there are variations in its quality, including a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching. Teachers’ very good subject expertise is a great strength and this often leads to very interesting lessons, with pupils keen to learn. The best lessons challenge pupils of all abilities very well, stretching them to reach their full potential. Where this degree of challenge is lacking, or when there is insufficient attention to meeting the needs of all pupils within the class, learning is less successful because not all pupils are motivated. There has been a concerted effort to improve assessment as a tool for learning, but the use teachers make of the information in their teaching strategies is not consistent. The curriculum is good and improving.