St John’s Marlborough

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Achievement is outstanding because students in all year groups make rapid and sustained progress and standards achieved in GCSE examinations are significantly above national averages.

Teaching is outstanding because teachers know their students well, have high expectations and use their expert subject knowledge to plan lessons which challenge and motivate students to achieve their best. In a few classes teachers do not always enable students to respond to their helpful marking. Students for whom the government provides additional funding make excellent progress and as a result their attainment is rapidly catching up with other students at... the school.

The school regularly reviews the programmes it offers, ensuring that they are appropriate to meet the needs of all students, enabling them to achieve exceptionally well. Students' behaviour is outstanding. They are exceptionally proud of their school and they are universally polite and courteous towards each other, staff and visitors.

They are proud of their new buildings and look after them exceptionally well. Students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported extremely well through the St John's curriculum and the strong international dimension of the school. The visionary Principal is very well supported by his senior team and outstanding governing body.

Together they have created an environment in which all may thrive and achieve to the highest standard. The sixth form is outstanding. Excellent teaching, outstanding personal support and appropriate study programmes enable students to achieve highly, preparing them well for higher education and employment.

Information about this school

St John's Marlborough is a larger-than-average secondary school. St John's Marlborough converted to become an academy school in September 2012. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good overall.

The school has Leading Edge status with specialisms in technology, languages and the arts. It is also an International Baccalaureate World School. The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion who speak English as an additional language are very low compared to national averages.

The proportion of students for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for students known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority) is less than half the national average. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is less than half the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.

A small number of Key Stage 4 students attend alternative provision at The Springfields Academy, Calne. The movement of students in and out of school at times other than the start of Year 7 is similar to that seen nationally and retention rates for the sixth form are higher than national. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.