Sedgemoor Manor School

MARK COLLEGE

Dates of inspection: 26 th to 27 th November 2001

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MARK COLLEGE

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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.

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MARK COLLEGE

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. Mark College - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Blackford Road Mark Near Highbridge Somerset

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 14 th - 17 th April 1997 Mark College - 4

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Team members

21081 C. Hackett Registered inspector 19552 P. Butson Lay inspector 29960 W. Hug Team inspector 19386 T. Watts Team inspector

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Team members

Ibsley 4 West Cliff Road Dawlish Devon EX7 9EB

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Mark College - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved? How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Mark College is a secondary school for boys between the ages of 11 and 16 who are of average and above average ability and have specific learning difficulties (Dyslexia). Because of their specific learning difficulties, pupils’ level of attainment when they join the school are usually very low, particularly in English. Currently there are 82 pupils on roll (70 boarders and 12 day boys). Pupils come from all over England and abroad. At present pupils on roll include two pupils of Caribbean and African origin and one each from Pakistan, China and Australia. There are 6 pupils for whom English is an additional language. Of the current population, 38 pupils have statements of special educational need.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school has been designated Beacon School status and offers in-service training to other schools in the teaching of mathematics to pupils with specific learning difficulties and in the use of computers to aid learning. Senior staff lecture on the teaching of mathematics internationally.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Mark College is a very effective school. By the time they are ready to leave school pupils’ achievements compare very favourably with those of pupils who have attended mainstream schools. Given their specific learning difficulties, this represents excellent progress. This progress is due to pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and the very good quality of teaching within the school. The Principal and Headteacher lead the college very well, ensuring that staff and pupils feel valuable members of its community. All staff strive to do their very best for pupils. Given the relatively low fees charged, the school provides excellent value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many subject areas are above the national average. • The quality of teaching is very good. Teachers have a high level of subject knowledge combined with expertise in working with pupils with specific learning difficulties. • The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management. They ensure the quality of the work of the school is of the highest standard. • Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is excellent. • Opportunities to take part and be successful in a variety of sports are very good.

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What could be improved

Within the context of this being a very good school the following two aspects could be further developed ; • Planned opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual awareness, including being able to follow a structured religious education programme. • Opportunities for pupils to understand and appreciate that they are members of a multi-cultural society. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The previous inspection was in April 1997. At that time the College was described as a very good school which achieved its main aim of providing high quality education and care for pupils with specific learning difficulties. Since the inspection the school has made satisfactory improvements. Many of the issues identified as weaknesses previously have now been improved. Music has been extended to Year 9 pupils. ICT (the use of computers and other forms of modern technology) is used in the majority of subject areas and is having a positive impact on pupils’ ability to understand and record their work. Careers education has been improved. Key Stage 3 statutory tests (SATS) for pupils at the end of Year Mark College - 7 9 are taken and results reported to parents. Annual reviews and transition plans have been re-vamped and these are now much better and meet legal requirements. Pupils’ individual education plans (IEPs)

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

have been improved and the majority of the health and safety issues that existed have been dealt with. However, the school has not made sufficient progress in providing religious education and the curriculum for design and technology still does not include food technology and working with textiles. Improvements have been made to the personal, social and health education programme (PSHE) but it does still rely very much on the use of videos and would benefit from further development. There have been insufficient developments in promoting pupils’ spiritual development. The school has improved the amount of information provided to parents but pupils’ reports lack sufficient details in many subjects as to what the pupils can do and what they know as a result of their studies.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets.

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11

Mathematics A Unsatisfactory D Personal, social and health education C Poor E Other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* B

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11

Pupils’ achievements are very good. They make excellent progress throughout their time at the school. Last year’s cohort of pupils achieved at least 6 GCSE passes, including English and mathematics.

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11

These achievements are of a higher standard than at the time of the previous inspection. 42% of last year’s pupils achieved at least five passes in the range of A to C grades. These are very impressive statistics given pupils’ specific learning difficulties. Results in English (26% received grade C or above) are, as expected given pupils’ difficulties, of a lower standard. The grades achieved in other subject areas are outstanding. These include mathematics, design and technology, science, geography, history, art and drama. Results are particularly impressive in geography where for the last two years 100% of pupils entered have achieved grade C and above. In history last year all pupils entered achieved grade C or above. In mathematics more than 80% of pupils have achieved grade C or above, for the last three years.

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11

The school does not set formal targets for pupils’ achievements. However, it does monitor carefully the results of pupils in tests as they prepare for external examinations and makes clear predictions as to the anticipated grades pupils will achieve. This is effective and ensures that the school is appropriately challenging pupils to achieve their best.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Outstanding. Pupils want to learn and consistently show very positive attitudes to work both in class and during their prep periods.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Excellent. Pupils show considerable respect to each other and towards staff and visitors. Their behaviour remains of the highest quality even Mark College - 8 when involved in unsupervised activities.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are confident and relate well to each other and to staff. They take their responsibilities seriously and make a very positive contribution towards the ethos of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Boarding pupils and day pupils attend regularly.

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Aspect Comment

The attitudes and behaviour of pupils have a very positive impact on the quality of their learning. They enable staff to concentrate on teaching, which in turn contributes towards the excellent progress pupils make.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 11

Quality of teaching 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.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 11

The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is very good. In science it is good and it is satisfactory in personal, social and health education. Strengths of teaching are the teachers’ subject knowledge and their understanding of pupils’ learning difficulties. Lessons are focused on pupils being able to achieve and expectations are high. Computers are used well to support pupils’ learning and include programmes for voice/speech recognition. The quality of the relationship between teachers and pupils and the positive use of humor generates effective learning environments within each classroom. During the inspection there was no unsatisfactory teaching observed and only a small number were deemed to be satisfactory. The rest were good or very good. A common weakness of the less effective teaching was the teacher not taking sufficient opportunity to pull pupils together to highlight a particular

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 11

The Year 7 tutor gives pupils new to the school effective support; this helps them settle into school and has a positive impact on their learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is good but there are insufficient opportunities to study religious education. The school offers a wide range of subjects and learning opportunities to pupils. In addition, the extra curricular clubs and team sports add to the opportunities for pupils’ social development.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. For these pupils the school offers appropriate support from a specialist teacher.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The provision is very good for pupils’ moral and social development. It is satisfactory for their cultural development; strengths being the work that is being undertaken in art. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. All staff are committed to pupils’ welfare; there are very good procedures for dealing with medication and any child protection issues that may occur. Arrangements for monitoring pupils’ progress are very good. Mark College - 9 With the exception of the quality of many subject reports the school has made significant improvements to the information provided to parents since the previous inspection. They have developed positive links as clearly demonstrated by the responses from parents to the inspection questionnaire and their comments at the parents’ meeting.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. Both the Principal and Headteacher provide the school clear leadership and are open and accessible to staff and pupils. They are highly qualified and make very effective use of their expertse in this field of special education. The deputy head and subject co-ordinators carry out their duties efficiently.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Very good. The Principal, the owner of the school, shows considerable enthusiasm and commitment to its work and has a very clear understanding of the quality of education the college provides.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school keeps on-going records of individual pupils’ achievements that are used effectively to plan future learning opportunities. The headteacher has developed a system of departmental audits, which have effectively evaluated work in each subject area.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. The school makes very effective use of its resources. This is particularly so for computers which are used effectively throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

The leadership and management of the school has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning. The Principal and headteacher continually strive to ensure the school is doing its very best for its pupils. They apply the principles of best value to its work very well. The accommodation is used very effectively but there are a number of classrooms that are cramped and as a result, teachers and pupils have difficulties moving around and pupils with laptops find it difficult to make use of them. Accommodation for design and technology does not allow for food technology to be offered.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Within the context of the parents being overwhelmingly positive about the views of the school, the following are those highlighted as strengths of the school by every parent who responded to the questionnaire: • The good behaviour in the school. • The ease at which they can approach the school with questions or if there is a problem. • The good quality of leadership and management. • The fact that their child is making good progress in school. • The way the school is helping their child become more mature and responsible. Just over 20% of parents who responded ; • Would like to see a more interesting range of activities outside of lessons. About 10% of parents commented they were ; • Not given sufficient information by the school. • Not given sufficient information as to how their child was getting on. Mark College - 10 The report supports the very many positive views of the school put forward by parents. Inspectors judge

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

that there is a range of clubs for pupils to join and that the opportunities to take part in team games are very good. However, findings indicate that there could be an increased range of activities offered over the weekends. Inspectors feel that the information provided for parents has been improved and is of good quality. However, they do agree with the parents who feel they could be provided with more detailed information as to how their child is getting on.

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Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many

subject areas are above the national average.

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Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many

1. The success of pupils in GCSE examinations is outstanding. For a number of years in many subjects they have achieved results that are above those of pupils attending mainstream schools. These are particularly impressive given the significant learning difficulties of pupils. Many arrive in Year 7 with reading ages of less than 7 years. For these pupils then to obtain at least 6 or 7 GCSE passes, many at grades between A to C is a considerable achievement.

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Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many

2. Last year all pupils achieved 7 GCSEs at grade F or above. The percentage of boys achieving 5 or more passes at grades at A* to C was 42%. In a number of individual subject areas, exam success was even more impressive. For example in geography and history 100% of pupils who took these examinations achieved pass rates of A* to C. This, when compared with national averages of 57% and 59% in these subjects shows the high quality of their achievements. Very impressive results are consistently gained in mathematics. For the last three years 80% of pupils have achieved pass marks within the range of A* to C. Again this is well above those expected nationally. Results in art are particularly impressive and last year there was one student who recorded an A* and another who recorded an A grade; 83% of students achieving grades A* to C. Since the previous inspection the number of passes in design and technology have

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Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many

increased and last year 79% of pupils passed the examination with grades A - C.

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Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many

3. It is understandable that results in English literature and language are lower. However, last year 58% of pupils achieved grade D and above in English literature. Two pupils gained A grades for the speaking and listening section of the exam.

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Pupils make excellent progress. Their achievements in GCSE examinations in many

4. These outstanding results have been achieved for a number of years. The results for the previous year’s examinations were in fact higher than last year; 87.5% of pupils achieved grades of C and above. The continuing achievements of former pupils is reflected in a recent report to parents where 2 former pupils were congratulated for gaining honours degrees and one for gaining a masters degree.

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

5. Teachers combine very good subject knowledge with equally competent skills in managing the specific learning difficulties of pupils. They have effectively developed their skills, using techniques and strategies with pupils that are effective in enabling them to learn and make progress. Examples of high quality teaching were seen in many subject areas during the inspection. In art the teacher successfully taught pupils techniques in using a pencil to draw with different tone and texture. The level of progress pupils are able to achieve in this aspect is demonstrated by very well done Mark College - 11 pencil drawings that are on display in the art room and by the fact that pupils last year gained A* or A grades in GCSE. In mathematics strategies used to enable pupils to understand the patterns of numbers are particularly effective. In a Year 9 session the teacher helped pupils improve their understanding of multiplication by giving examples

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

such as teaching pupils wanting to multiply a number by 5 that multiplying by 10 and then halving the answer is an easier method. Equally students were encouraged to understand that multiplication of any single figure by 9 always resulted in an answer where the two digits added up to 9.

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

6. The impact of good quality demonstrations from teachers was evident in a number of subjects. In design and technology the teacher skillfully, through the use of demonstration, taught pupils strategies to draw perspective diagrams of artifacts and how to use a heater unit to manipulate plastic. In basketball and badminton lessons seen, teachers clearly demonstrate techniques involved in shooting at the basket or hitting the shuttlecock. Because pupils pay attention and listen this makes for very effective learning. In a discrete ICT lesson the teacher was able to demonstrate effectively a particular process that pupils can apply when using a computer. However, in other ICT lessons this was not done so well and one of the few weaknesses seen in teaching during the week included insufficient opportunities being taken to gather the group together to talk through a particular aspect. This form of teaching would also

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

benefit from the computer being linked to a larger monitor that would enable all pupils to have easy access to view the procedure being demonstrated.

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

7. Teachers’ subject knowledge is such that they have the knowledge and ability to extend pupils. This is very noticeable in geography where the teacher follows a well-structured programme that guides pupils to gain additional knowledge. The GCSE results of both geography and history show that this method of teaching has been highly effective.

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

8. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils. They have developed a rapport that includes the effective use of humour. This was evident in a Year 9 mathematics lesson where pupils were working on symmetry. The teacher was able to continue a dialogue with pupils who stayed on task, yet enjoyed the work they were undertaking. Similar situation occurred in a Year 7 English group where the teacher was looking at how authors write books in different ways. Pupils enjoyed selecting books and reading out the start of each one to consider whether the writer was writing in the first or third narrative. This was a fun session yet pupils gained a great deal of understanding about the nature of fiction.

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

9. In the previous inspection report, the lack of the use of computers in a number of subject areas was a criticism. This is no longer the case. Computers are used very effectively across the whole range of the curriculum. No more so than in English, where students can use voice access programmes on the computer which are very effective in enabling them to record their work despite having individual learning difficulties that make it difficult for them to write independently. This was particularly noticeable in a Year 11 lesson looking at the differences in film versions of Romeo and Juliet . Students fully understood what the differences were and were able, through the use of the computer, to detail these in written form. The teachers’ knowledge of the best type of software packages to use to enable this to happen has a significant impact.

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The very good quality of teaching has a very positive impact on the progress pupils

10. The pupils themselves are very appreciative of the quality of teaching in the school. In discussion with them out of class pupils stressed how pleased they were with the quality of teaching within the school and how much they felt it had helped them become more effective learners. This supports parents’ views, who prior to the inspection Mark College - 12 highlighted how pleased they were with the quality of teaching and put it forward as the key reason for the successes of their children.

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Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is

11. Pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and their excellent behaviour have a significant influence on the progress they make. They want to learn and work very hard to achieve success. One of their great strengths is their ability to work on their own and unsupervised. An example of this was in a Year 11 science lesson. Pupils were seen to work in two separate rooms away from each other and the fact that the teacher had to leave one room to go to another had no impact on the attitude and behaviour of the pupils. They worked throughout the lesson whether supervised or not. It was the same in English where pupils leave the teaching base to make use of the computers in a different room. Because of their excellent behaviour the level of trust that staff can have in them is such that pupils then have much greater access to computers, which as a result enables them to make greater progress.

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Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is

12. Pupils relate well to each other, which assists them in being able to work together. Year 11 pupils working on the school website were able to work alongside each other, talk through the tasks and offer positive support to each other. Similar examples were seen in design and technology lessons where pupils offered positive support to each other whilst working on their projects.

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Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is

13. Pupils’ ability to enter into discussions is very high; this contributes to them showing a positive attitude to debating in the classroom. A Year 11 lesson focussing on the requirements of an oral examination for GCSE English is a fine example of this. Pupils were asked to debate arguments both for and against a quarry being developed within a village. One of the pupils acted as chair and there were spokesmen both for and against. The whole exercise was conducted in an exemplary manner with control exercised by the chairman and very reflective comments put forward by the pupils, acting as members of the village community. A similar example was seen in Year 7 where pupils were able to discuss enthusiastically the characters in a book called ‘Run for your life’. There were able to show empathy with situations that had occurred. Year 10 pupils in a geography lesson showed similar qualities in their discussion with regard

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Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is

14. The listening skills of pupils are very high. They listen carefully to instructions such as when taking part in badminton; practising the skills but stopping immediately the teacher asked them to do so. This enables the teacher to quickly make a particular point and for the activity to then continue. No time is wasted and this contributes to an effective learning environment.

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Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is

15. Pupils’ positive attitudes and their high level of personal development are very evident during the unstructured times of the day. At lunchtimes they are well behaved and take on the responsibilities such as acting as prefects in a well-ordered manner. They are polite to visitors, always seeking to be helpful. The same applies in the residential units where pupils can be trusted to play unsupervised in the pool room or common room or out in the grounds. A good example of the high quality of pupils’ relationships and personal development is the way in which, on more than one occasion, at the end of a lesson, they thanked the teacher for a good lesson. Mark College - 13

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The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management

ensuring the quality of the work of the school is of the highest standard.

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The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management

16. The Principal and Headteacher play very important roles in the work of the school. Their leadership qualities are inspirational to other members of staff. They have extensive knowledge in dealing with pupils with specific learning difficulties. In addition they are also specialists in the teaching of mathematics and their reputation is such that they lecture internationally on these topics. Both are also members of the International Dyslexia Association and attend conferences in many parts of the world. This demonstrates their commitment to ensure the school is at the forefront of strategies for working successfully with pupils with dyslexia.

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The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management

17. Both these senior staff have very positive impacts on pupils’ achievements. They know the achievements of individual pupils well, monitoring their progress closely as they move through the school. They analyse test results, including SATS taken at the end of Year 9 and predict the grades pupils will achieve in GCSEs. They are able to identify those pupils who are struggling in certain subject areas and where necessary provide them with additional help and support.

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The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management

18. The Principal and Headteacher play integral parts in the day to day working of the school. They are very visible and accessible to staff and pupils. They associate with staff during breaks and after school in the staff room and both have teaching elements on the timetable. As a result of this they lead by example. They know their pupils well and during the inspection were frequently seen engaged in every day ‘banter’ with them.

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The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management

19. School development plans demonstrate how much senior staff have tried to look at ways to develop the quality of the work of the school even further. Examples of this include the previous lack of support for speech and language. Because specialist outside support was not available, the school was proactive in developing expertise amongst its own staff and enabled a member of the teaching team to become qualified in this area. Other in-service training opportunities offered to staff show that there is a continuous push to ensure that teachers are up to date with the latest developments within their subject areas.

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The Principal and Headteacher provide very effective leadership and management

20. Senior staff are very effective at encouraging all staff to do their jobs to the best of their ability. They seek to ensure teachers can concentrate on teaching and are not over- burdened with paperwork. It was clear from a staff meeting, observed during the inspection, that the opinions of all staff are valued and listened to. As a consequence, staff clearly feel part of a team and all are fully committed to the aims of the school.

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Opportunities to take part and be successful in a number of sports are very good

21. The school benefits from very good facilities for sport. There is a first rate full size gym and a number of rugby and football pitches, together with a cricket square. The sports staff organise school teams for pupils at different ages. Regular fixtures are arranged for rugby, football, athletics, cross-country and cricket. The school rugby team has been particularly successful and has been known to beat the First 15s of local comprehensive schools. Given the small number of pupils in each year group these represent very good results.

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Opportunities to take part and be successful in a number of sports are very good

22. School teams have been successful in national competitions for similar types of independent schools. Photographs on display show teams successful in rugby and athletics. As well as team success, a number of individual pupils have been very Mark College - 14 successful. Last year there were 12 pupils who took part in the National Independent School’s Athletic Championships. In addition a Year 11 pupil played for the county in both rugby and athletics. Another pupil represented the county in long jump, whilst another pupil represented his home county at cricket.

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Opportunities to take part and be successful in a number of sports are very good

23. All of these team and individual successes have come about as a result of very high quality coaching, very good facilities and a very determined attitude from pupils to practice and develop their skills. The school has also provided good opportunities for its pupils to take part in outdoor education activities. There is a very active Duke of Edinburgh award scheme; most boys achieve bronze level and almost two-thirds achieve silver. There are, also, a number of regular outdoor education expeditions. For example, last year pupils took part in water sports in the Isle of Wight and a number of pupils also went to North Wales where they combined outdoor activities with a geographical field trip.

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Opportunities to take part and be successful in a number of sports are very good

24. Pupils talked enthusiastically to inspectors about their sporting success and clearly gain a great deal from their participation. Parents both in the questionnaire and at the meeting stressed how they saw the school as developing their child’s self esteem and confidence. Success on the sports field has made a very valuable contribution towards this.

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able to follow a structured religious education programme

25. This aspect of the work of the school was highlighted as a weakness in the previous report. The school has made unsatisfactory progress in dealing with it. There is no planned programme that ensures pupils have the opportunity to develop spiritually. Assemblies do feature a Christian element but are not inspirational and they do little to encourage pupils to appreciate the opportunity to take part in a form of worship. There are no other planned opportunities for pupils of different religions to take part in religious acts of worship, although pupils taking part in Ramadan were provided with food before daylight and one Muslim pupil is allowed into his room for prayers during the school day.

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able to follow a structured religious education programme

26. Religious education is not taught as a subject on its own. Aspects of it are included within the school’s PSHE programme. However, much of the work is based around watching videos, for example the current Year 7 group have not looked at any religious elements this term and will only watch a fifty minute of the Life of Jesus Christ by the end of the term. This provides them with an unsatisfactory opportunity to be aware of the major religions of the world. There are no planned activities to develop pupils’ spirituality in other subject areas. Given that there are pupils of different religions within the school, the school is failing to take advantage of opportunities to assist other pupils to understand that people across the world have different beliefs.

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a multi-cultural society

27. The school does not consider this issue within its work. There are cultural opportunities for pupils, particularly within art. However, there is insufficient attention given to ensuring that all pupils are aware that we live in a multi-cultural community. Again the school fails to take advantage of the opportunities it has within its own school Mark College - 15 population. There are pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, but there is no structured approach to ensure that the vast majority of pupils who are white understand the different cultures of other countries and other races.

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a multi-cultural society

There is a lack of resources for this aspect. The library does not have sufficient books that feature other cultures and work in subjects such as English and PSHE does not give sufficient consideration to this element.

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spiritually by:

• Providing more stimulating assemblies that reflect the different faiths of pupils,

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spiritually by:

• Ensuring all pupils follow a well planned programme of religious education that covers the major religions of the world,

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spiritually by:

• Involving all staff in planning opportunities for pupils to increase their spiritual awareness.

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society by:

• Providing more opportunities for pupils to appreciate aspects of other cultures,

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society by:

• Increasing resources, including books that cover this aspect.

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society by:

The school should improve the quality of the subject reports it provides for parents. These should contain more specific information on what pupils have learnt. The range of activities offered to pupils at the weekend should also be increased. Mark College - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. [When the total number is substantially less than 100, add] Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one [two, three, etc] percentage point[s]. [Where the total is close to or greater than 100, use only the first sentence.]

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 82

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/a

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 18

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Mark College - 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Tests are taken internally Year Boys Girls Total

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 2001 15 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils at NC level 5 and above School 54 80.6 84

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Percentage of pupils at NC level 6 and above School 8 * 54.4 84

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9)

Teachers’ Assessments are not undertaken by the school

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 4 for the latest reporting year 2001 19 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

GCSE results 5 or more grades A* to C 5 or more grades A*-G 1 or more grades A*-G

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Boys 8 19 19 Numbers of pupils achieving the standard specified Total 8 19 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Percentage of pupils achieving School 42 (75) 100 100 the standard specified National 44.8 94.9 93.5

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Average point score School 32.68 per pupil National 18.9

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11)

Figures in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Mark College - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Y2000 – Y2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14 Financial year 2000-2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 5.9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 1,165,000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y7 – Y11 Total expenditure 974,000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 11.878

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 68? Balance brought forward from previous year n.a.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 213,000

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Recruitment of teachers

Mark College - 19 Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Mark College - 20

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 58 26 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 9 6 3 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 50 35 9 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 8 17

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 90 3 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 42 40 12 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 80 20

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 26 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 58 17 15 6 3

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