Marriotts School

Marriotts School

Address: Brittain Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8UT Unique reference number (URN): 117534

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders have taken decisive action to improve pupils' achievement. Pupils now typically achieve well. Most pupils progress steadily through the curriculum. The work pupils produce shows that the depth of their learning is increasingly secure and detailed. Typically, older pupils have a deep understanding of what they have learned. Public examination results in 2025 show clear improvement over time. Overall, attainment is now broadly in line with the national averages. Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils have also strengthened recently.

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Achievement Expected standard

In the post-16 provision, students achieve well by the end of key stage 5, across academic and vocational subjects. Consequently, pupils move on to positive and appropriate destinations.

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Achievement Expected standard

The school prepares pupils well for their next steps in education, employment and training, including those who require additional support. Leaders have introduced effective systems to address barriers to reading. As a result, pupils secure the reading skills they need to access the full curriculum

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders prioritise attendance and have a clear understanding of the barriers some pupils face. They work closely with families to reduce these barriers and track attendance carefully, providing appropriate support and challenge where needed. Leaders’ work to support pupils with mental health and emotional needs is particularly effective. As a result, attendance remains broadly in line with the national average. Leaders have established a positive culture around attendance and behaviour. Staff build warm and respectful relationships with pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well across the school and show positive attitudes to learning. Classrooms are calm, orderly and purposeful. Staff establish clear routines that help pupils remain focused in lessons. Pupils’ behaviour around the school is respectful. The school's behaviour systems are built on care, clear expectations, supportive relationships and the school's values 'aim high, work hard, be kind'. Pupils consider behaviour management to be fair. Leaders’ approaches to supporting pupils who need help to improve their behaviour are effective. Any bullying is taken seriously, and pupils trust staff to address concerns quickly. Discriminatory or unkind behaviour is not tolerated. Staff make appropriate adjustments for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that they can meet leaders' high expectations and participate in school life fully.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

There is a broad and ambitious curriculum. It is designed to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills they need for the next phase of their education. Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and have taken effective action to improve it. Teachers design engaging lessons that typically support pupils to learn in depth. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and enables them to explain concepts clearly. Leaders ensure that whole-school teaching approaches, such as structured discussion and consistent routines, help pupils to feel confident and engaged in lessons. While teachers generally check pupils’ understanding, identify gaps in knowledge and address misconceptions appropriately, leaders recognise the need to ensure this happens consistently well across the school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders place a clear focus on securing the basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. They provide additional support for pupils who need to catch up. Reading is a high priority in the school. Leaders have ensured that targeted support is helping pupils to close gaps. Small-group teaching and additional support is also available for pupils. This gives them the skills and confidence to access the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that teachers receive effective training so they can make skilled adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), as well as disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils. This is happening both inside and outside of lesson time. As a result, pupils with SEND access the curriculum successfully alongside their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school promotes an inclusive culture, where every pupil is understood, supported and able to thrive. Leaders carefully identify pupils’ individual needs and put tailored support in place, ensuring all pupils can engage fully in learning. Staff remove barriers to learning and wellbeing through classroom adaptations, targeted interventions and reasonable adjustments. Staff receive regular training. For example, they receive training to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so they know the most appropriate ways to adapt teaching as pupils’ needs change.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders maintain high expectations for all pupils. Leaders ensure that all pupils can engage fully in learning, by ensuring that adjustments are appropriate, timely and considered. They provide pupils with designated areas, where they can access targeted support with key skills and guidance for managing emotions. Calm spaces support pupils with mental health and wellbeing needs. These provisions reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing and reflect the school’s commitment to meeting a wide range of needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Targeted support, including small-group reading and handwriting practice, makes a measurable difference for pupils who need it. Leaders monitor the impact of all strategies to ensure they address pupils’ needs effectively. Leaders use pupil premium funding thoughtfully. It is contributing to ongoing improvements in disadvantaged pupils' achievement and behaviour.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders commission alternative provision when it benefits pupils, enabling those who struggle in the mainstream environment to engage positively with education.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school, its pupils, its context and are ambitious for every pupil. They understand the priorities for further improvement. They have taken effective steps to improve students' approach to learning. This includes established, clear routines, meaning the school is calm and learning is purposeful. Leaders make decisions that focus on the benefits to pupils, especially those who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing. For example, leaders have successfully strengthened support for pupils with mental health barriers or emotional needs so that they can take part fully in school life.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Teachers benefit from high-quality professional training, mentoring and opportunities to develop their expertise. This ensures that teaching is effective and increasingly consistent. Staff feel well supported. They value that leaders prioritise their wellbeing. Leaders have taken appropriate steps to reduce workload.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school's experienced governors play an active role in supporting and challenging the school. They check that leaders' decisions are in pupils’ best interests. Leaders are committed to the school's continuous improvement. While leaders have a secure oversight of all aspects of school life, they recognise the need to develop further some of the ways they evaluate the impact of their work, so that they are fully assured that pupils' needs are being consistently met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. They have designed a wide- ranging programme that helps pupils build confidence, develop important life skills and understand the social and moral values they need for life in modern Britain. Leaders have developed a carefully constructed personal, social and health education curriculum. Through it, pupils learn about relationships, equality, respect, staying safe and making sensible decisions. Pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of discrimination, healthy friendships, consent and managing risk. The school encourages pupils to reflect on their beliefs and values, and celebrate cultural diversity. Pupils enjoy learning about different backgrounds, communities and traditions and regularly discuss issues, such as fairness, kindness and their role in the community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders promote pupils’ personal development further through a growing range of clubs, trips and creative opportunities that broaden pupils’ cultural experiences. Extra-curricular activities, including robotics, sport, drama, breakfast club, charity projects and leadership roles, such as peer mentoring, nurture pupils’ interests, promote civic responsibility and develop social skills. Opportunities such as the ‘Brilliant Club’ raise pupils’ aspirations and have a notable impact on their confidence. Leaders recognise the need to monitor the quality and impact of the personal development programme closely to ensure it meets pupils’ needs consistently.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff provide caring and effective support, helping pupils to form positive relationships and feel safe. Pupils speak positively about the encouragement and care they receive. Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from high-quality pastoral support and access a range of services and professionals that support their mental health and wellbeing. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive tailored guidance that helps them develop independence as they move towards adulthood.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Careers education is effective. Pupils receive clear guidance and benefit from work experience. As a result, pupils are well prepared for further education, apprenticeships, or employment.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the post-16 provision offers a warm, supportive and ambitious environment, where students are prepared well for their next steps. Leaders ensure that there is a broad, appropriate mixture of A levels, and vocational courses for students to study. Leaders take care to ensure that the curriculum meets pupils' needs and supports them with their future aspirations.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

In lessons, teachers use their subject knowledge effectively. They generally check understanding carefully and support pupils to deepen their learning and produce high-quality work. Students value the support they receive and they recognise the extent that teachers go to, to help them. Students generally achieve well, including in national tests.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

Leaders ensure students receive comprehensive careers advice and guidance. Students benefit from work experience and one-to-one support with applications for university, apprenticeships or employment. Many students take on leadership roles, including as mentors to younger pupils or in international charity work. These help students to develop character, social awareness and important life skills.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

Staff provide high-quality pastoral care. Students receive tailored support that helps them make progress from their starting points. This give students the confidence and knowledge to progress to appropriately ambitious next steps.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils at The Marriotts School experience a clear sense of belonging, supported by the school’s vision of ‘360-degree care’. Pupils speak warmly about the inclusive culture and the positive relationships they have with staff and peers. They are encouraged to ‘aim high, work hard, and be kind’. Pupils describe the school as a ‘family’, valuing the encouragement they receive to participate fully in school life. A wide range of clubs, visits, and enrichment activities provides pupils with rich experiences beyond academic study. Sixth-form students model this sense of belonging by mentoring younger pupils and contributing actively to the wider school community.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils generally attend well. They enjoy their learning, which is characterised by clear routines and teachers who know and care for them well. Across subjects, pupils benefit from a broad and increasingly well-designed and taught curriculum. Sixth-form students speak positively about the school’s high aspirations for them, the expertise of their teachers and the support they receive. Many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well and make secure progress from their starting points. Teachers use the school’s ‘blueprints’ to understand pupils’ individual needs and they target support effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Well-established pastoral systems and targeted interventions reduce barriers to learning. Enrichment opportunities, such as mentoring, the scholars programme, trips, project work, and careers guidance, help pupils grow in confidence and prepare successfully for their futures.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is typically calm and respectful. Positive, supportive relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils feel safe and well supported. Pupils know that staff act quickly and effectively to resolve concerns, including incidents of bullying. The school teaches pupils how to stay safe, respect equality and engage confidently as citizens in modern Britain.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teachers identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge consistently well across all subjects, so that pupils secure and deepen their knowledge and achieve highly. Leaders should further develop their systems for monitoring and quality assurance so they evaluate more precisely the effectiveness of their actions, and take appropriate steps to ensure a high degree of consistency across all aspects of the school's work.

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About this inspection

The headteacher of this school is Bethany Honnor.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Melany Knowles.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with members of the school's leadership, a representative from the local authority and members of the governing body, including the chair, during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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About this inspection

The school makes use of 11 alternative provisions, including 6 that are unregistered.

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Team inspectors:

Daniel Leonard, Ofsted Inspector Ahson Mohammed, Ofsted Inspector Kim Pigram, Ofsted Inspector James Chester, Ofsted Inspector Paul Lawrence, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England. National average: 1,153

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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English and maths GCSE

Percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Attainment 8

A measure of pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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(provisional)

2022/23 (final) 42.4 46.3 Close to average

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Progress 8

How much progress pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

2022/23 (final) -0.11 -0.03 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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(provisional)

2023/24 (final) 17.5% 25.8% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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(provisional)

2022/23 (final) 34.0 35.0 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

2022/23 (final) -0.61 -0.57 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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A-level average point score

The average points that students achieved per A-level entry.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 37.09 34.99 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 31.44 34.16 Close to average

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A-level value added

A score showing students’ progress between the end of key stage 4 and the end of their academic qualification studies.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 0.0 0.0 Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (revised) -0.1 0.0 Close to average

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 9.3% 8.1% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 9.9% 8.9% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 9.6% 9.0% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 24.8% 21.9% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 27.2% 25.6% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 26.0% 26.5% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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