MARSDEN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COLLEGE JUDGED ‘GOOD’ IN ALL AREAS BY OFSTED

Zoe Hinchliffe / 23 November 2023 / Categories: General

Pupils and staff at Marsden Heights Community College in Nelson are celebrating after receiving a highly encouraging Ofsted report. The Lancashire school was judged ‘Good’ in all categories following a visit by inspectors at the beginning of October.

The inspectors have given the school, which caters for pupils aged 11 to 16, a very complimentary report praising a number of aspects of its provision. The school joined United Learning in November 2020 and, with their support, has been driving forward a number of improvements to raise overall standards. These were noted by the inspectors who found that ‘pupils and staff are immensely proud of the improvements made to this school in recent years.’

The inspectors complimented the recently designed curriculum which they described as ‘ambitious’ and said that pupils are achieving well in many areas. They were pleased with how the school has prioritised reading and is working closely with all pupils to ensure that they not only have the reading skills they need but also that they develop a love and enjoyment of reading.

Pupil behaviour was an area singled out for praise with inspectors commenting that pupils ‘readily meet the school’s high expectations of their behaviour.’  Inspectors found pupils to be enthusiastic about their learning, to be polite and courteous and to work hard.

Commenting on the report, Alyson Littlewood, Headteacher of Marsden Heights Community College, said:

“We are very pleased with this inspection outcome which signifies a step change for our school.  Over the past few years, we have worked very hard to drive standards and it is hugely gratifying that the inspectors noticed the improvements we have made.  We are determined to give our pupils the very best educational opportunities and this report will spur us on to accelerate the improvement that is already underway here.  Thank you to all our staff for their tireless work and dedication to our school community. This report is testament to what they have achieved.

“This positive outcome, however, would not have been possible without our incredible pupils. I am so pleased that the inspectors found our pupils to be well-behaved, respectful and hard working.  Throughout the inspection and every day in school, they are all a credit to themselves, their families and our school community and I could not be prouder.”