Sackville School

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Sackville School is a secondary and sixth form school located in East Grinstead, England. As of 2006, the number of students is approximately 1600. Sackville is one of two comprehensive schools in the town, the other being Imberhorne School.

The school was founded in 1859 as a National Church school. It was originally located on De la Warr Road where Chequer Mead lies today. In 1951 the school was renamed Sackville and in 1964 was relocated to its currents location on the Lewes Road. 1970 saw the school’s first comprehensive intake and following the rapidly growing local housing estates building developments followed to keep with the pace. In September 2004, Sackville's name was changed back from Sackville Community College to Sackville School. The school’s emblem is the red rose of the Duchy of Lancaster which East Grinstead was once part of.

The headteacher is Mrs. M. Robson. There are 7 year groups, including sixth-form which consists of 2 years. Each year group has a different year tutor (Head of Year), which follows the year group up until Year 11.

In 2007, one of Sackville's teachers, Mr. N. Wergan, won 'Teacher of the Year' award. He was selected by the students for his brilliant ways of teaching, like using 'Rownan Keating' to teach Shakespeare. Sackville is noted for its brilliant teams, mainly sports teams, who always come up on top.

Type of school- Secondary School category- Community Age range of pupils- 11−18 Gender of pupils- Mixed Number on roll- School- 1318 6th form- 285 Appropriate authority- The governing body Chair of Governors- Mr M A Hollins Headteacher- Mrs M Robson School address- Lewes Road

Sackville School is an Engineering secondary and sixth form school located in East Grinstead, England. As of 2006, the number of students is approximately 1600. Sackville is one of two comprehensive schools in the town, the other being Imberhorne School.

1 History
2 School Organization
3 Curriculum
4 Music
5 Sports
6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] School Organization

The headteacher is Mrs.M.Robson. There is 7 year groups, including sixth-form which consists of 2 years. Each year group has a different year tutor (Head of Year,) which follows the year group up until Year 11. In 2007, one of Sackvilles teachers, Mr.N.Wergan, won 'Teacher of the Year' award. He was selected by the students for his brilliant ways of teaching, like using 'Rownan Keating' to teach Shakespear. Sackville is noted for its brilliant teams, mainly sports teams, who always come up on top.

[edit] Curriculum

Subjects at Sackville include English, Maths, Science(Biology, Chemistry, Physics), ModernForeignLanguages(German or French), History, Geography, ICT, Art, Drama, B&V(religious education), P.E., Music and Technology(Textiles, Food Technology, Structures, Electronics, Resistant Materials).

[[FOR 2007/08]] L2L is a new subject on the agenda for 2007/08. It teaches students how to learn in lessons. It also helps students to co-operate with and care for others.

[[TRIPS]] Every year, students have the opportunity to go on trips, either abroad, or to places in the U.K. These may include: Skiing trips to France, A trip to Iceland, A trip to Uganda, and sometimes history trips to places like Auschwitz. Every year during 'Curriculum Enhancement Week', students get the chance to have a week off from lessons to do some engineering-related topics. These may include learning about structures, going to Thorpe Park or even doing some Orienteering!

[[OFSTED]] Below is the summary section of the May 2007 Ofsted Report.

This is a good and improving school. Standards are significantly above national averages and achievement is good overall. Test and examination results show improvement year on year. In the past pupils have not achieved as well as they should given their starting points. Recent successful strategies in English, mathematics and science have halted the trend of past underachievement. School data show that pupils now make good progress in Years 7 to 11. Tracking of pupils’ progress is more robust, with sharper targeting of those at risk of underachievement. This, combined with more consistent approaches to teaching and learning, is securing better achievement but some gaps remain. Not all lessons focus strongly enough on individual pupils’ needs and the use of assessment to set suitably challenging targets is not uniformly applied. Some underachievement in modern foreign languages also remains. The school correctly recognises that achievement, although mostly good, could improve further. The more challenging targets which it has set itself have not yet been realised.

The school’s specialism has given a huge boost to mathematics, science and design and technology and has helped improve the quality of provision across the school.

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Parents say their children enjoy school and feel safe. Arrangements for health, safety and child protection are secure. Care, guidance and support are good. Relationships based on mutual trust and respect and good support help pupils to gain in confidence. Pupils make a good contribution to the local and wider community. Attendance is in line with the national average and behaviour is good. Most teaching and learning are good or better as a result of the intensive training and support programmes. The good curriculum in Years 7 to 11 shows the flexibility required to meet pupils’ needs and this is a strength. Pupils are well prepared for employment, training or further education. Targets are set for pupils and are monitored frequently. Most understand what they need to do to improve, but where pupils are not stretched fully in some lessons achievement suffers.

Leadership and management at all levels are good and are impacting well and raising standards. Recent restructuring and strong appointments of key staff at both senior and middle management levels, and the more robust monitoring systems enable middle leaders to clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses within their areas. The school correctly realises that achievement, although good, could be improved further to reach the challenging targets which it has set itself at GCSE and to seek improvements which it has committed itself to in the sixth form.

[edit] Music

Music continued to thrive with the WHISPS concert, the Hawth event and the KS3 summer concert. Drama students treated audiences to performances of Grimm Reality and The Good Person of Szechwan, while the art highlights included three students' work being selected by the BSA for exhibition in the Mall Galleries in London. The Year 9 Fashion Show and the Year 7 and 8 students' Evening of Dance delighted parents and friends.

[edit] Sports

Participation in sport was again strong. Many teams enjoyed success and we again won local and County swimming galas.

International links were celebrated, with the e-twinning partnerships gaining recognition by the British Council and winning first and second places as innovative projects.

Finally the students found time to support various charities, raising £6,000 over the year.

At KS3 the average points score has increased for the fifth year in succession and the proportion of students reaching level 6 or more in English, maths and science is also improving.

Our student progress from KS2 to KS3 has improved over the past 3 years. We perform above county and national averages and are now within the top 40% of schools nationally.

Back to Top How have our results changed over time? Sackville is a good and improving school. This is not just our judgement, but also the view of the OfSTED inspection team who visited in May 2007.

Over the last three years, all of the major performance indicators have got better. In 2004, 57% of students obtained 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C. By 2006, this figure had increased to 68%. The measure of progress made by our students, the value added score, has also increased, by more than 10 points.

In the sixth-form, government figures show our pass rates at both GCE AS and A level to be above the national average.

At Key Stage 3, the value added measure has increased significantly since 2004, and we are now in the top 40% of schools nationally.

Back to Top How are we making sure that every child gets teaching to meet their individual needs? Every child who enters Sackville is set challenging targets based on KS2 data and the results of CAT tests which are taken early in Year 7. Teachers constantly refer to these targets when assessing students to check that they are progressing well towards them. Students are assessed regularly in all subjects and teachers plan and amend lesson plans in order to improve students' understanding and skills. Lessons are differentiated according to the needs of students in the class.

More able students are given extension work in lessons and in their Out of Lessons Learning and are offered a range of enrichment activities through the county programme.

The SEN Register is regularly updated so that staff are aware of students' specific learning difficulties and needs. Some students receive individual learning support either in lessons or through extraction for intensive tuition.

The senior leadership team and heads of faculty regularly observe lessons and give feedback to teachers on strengths and areas for development. Each subject receives an annual in-depth subject review. Students' work is checked regularly by line managers to ensure that the curriculum being delivered is relevant and appropriate.

Back to Top How do we make sure our pupils are healthy, safe and well-supported? The school remains committed to a healthy lifestyle. All students in KS3 & 4 have 2 hours PE each week and over 50% participate in extra curricular sport. The food in the canteen is monitored and we are making plans to take over the organisation of school lunches as from September 2006. A Food Policy is being drafted to support this.

Our PSHCE programme includes all aspects of healthy living and students gain from the expertise of a police liaison officer, school nurse and other agencies who contribute where appropriate. Reprts of bullying are below national averages and students are encouraged to talk about such incidents and make sure they inform an adult. Our experienced pastoral team gives help and advice with all problems and we also have sixth form peer supporters as well as a school welfare officer and an attached school nurse.

When students first join Sackville they meet "buddies" from Year 11 who help them to settle in and show them the ropes. We try to work very closely with parents to overcome any difficulties and ensure that students feel safe and supported through their school careers.

Back to Top How are we working with parents and the community? We continue to consult parents on a range of issues. Parental questionnaires, covering a wide variety of matters relating to all aspects of school life, are now a regular feature of parents meetings. The feedback from these is discussed by the leadership team and a summary is published in Sackville News. Parents are consulted when new policies are being written.

As a Specialist School, we work closely with the local community. We carry out many projects with local primary schools, mainly focussed around our specialist areas of science and design & technology. Youngsters from feeder schools attend Sackville for science lessons and science roadshows. Design technology staff visit primary schools to complete technology projects.

We have extended our links with the local business community; we are represented on the steering group of the local business association and have maintained our links with the Chamber of Commerce, The Lions and the Rotary Club. This year a team of sixth formers completed a project with the local company Omicron and were entered into the Engineering Education Scheme at Brighton University.

Back to Top What activities are available to pupils? Students can get additional support from subject staff for their Out of Lessons Learning after school. The school library remains open until 4.00 pm for students to access resources, including ICT.

As well as extra-curricular sport, we have clubs in science, music, design and technology, Latin, English and the arts. A range of trips is available for students and some, such as theatre, gallery and museum visits, are to support and enhance the curriculum. Others, like the ski trips are to promote specific skills and to aid students' social and personal development.

The Charlton Chase Overnight Navigation Exercise and the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme give students the opportunity to face real challenges and develop team working and responsibility.

As students progress up the school they can participate in debating and public speaking or consider joining a World Challenge or an Iceland Expedition. The recent World Challenge Expeditions have been to Zambia and Botswana.

Back to Top What have pupils told us about the school, and what have we done as a result? The Student Council has representatives from all year groups and it is consulted throughout the year on all issues affecting student eduaction. This year students requested toilet refurbishment and members of the Council chose the materials and the colour scheme for the first redesigned toilet blocks completed in the summer holidays. The Council has also continued to discuss healthy eating and to meet with the canteen supervisor to talk about the food on offer. Their views are informing our planning for the new canteen in September 2006.

All leavers complete questionnaires about their Sackville experience and Heads of Key Stage act on any suggestions for better support.

Some subjects ask students to complete questionnaires about their learning experience and listen to the ideas on how they might be helped to learn better. When senior staff complete subject reviews they consult students who describe what aspects of the subject they enjoy and what aspects hinder their learning. These views are incorporated into the review report and staff produce a plan outlining what actions they will take to improve student learning and achievement.

Back to Top How do we make sure all pupils attend their lessons and behave well? Good attendance and behaviour are achieved through well-structured lessons and a broad and inclusive curriculum. Senior staff and heads of faculty monitor lessons regularly for planning, relevance, variety and student motivation and involvement. The curriculum is reviewed annually to check that it is catering for specific cohorts. Next year we are planning a modified curriculum for particular Year 9 students in order to maintain their interest and enthusiasm.

A comprehensive behaviour policy and an experienced pastoral team ensure not just good behaviour in the classroom but also around the rest of the school through clear lines of communication. As well as sanctions, rewards are used to promote good attendance and behaviour.

This year we have introduced electronic registration to speed up the monitoring of attendance. There have been some technical hitches with this new system, but we are confident that it will help us to identify poor attendance more quickly and deal with any issues.

Back to Top What do our pupils do after year 11? The vast majority of our Year 11 students continue with their education beyond the age of 16. Last year over 85% joined a course in a sixth form or in a college of further education. Of those joining sixth form courses, 75% chose to stay on at Sackville. They took up a wide range of courses, the most popular being physics, business studies, English Language and maths.

Of those who did not stay here, most left because they wished to pursue a course which we were not offering. Those who went into further education were following specific vocational courses, like construction, motor vehicle maintenance, health and beauty, hairdressing and childcare.

Only a small number of students, 7%, went straight into employment and an even smaller number, 1%, entered training for specific jobs.

Between 6-7% of the cohort moved away or had not gained employment or not informed us of their intentions. Back to Top Information about our sixth form Our results this year Government figures show our pass rates at AS and A level are above the national average. At A level, our pass rate was 99.6%. At AS the figure was 87%, more than 7% above the national average.

Our students make as much or more progress than that predicted by their GCSE results. In 2006, the progress made by our vocational AS level students was significantly above the national average. In addition we had 100% success with those students who participated in the YASS scheme with the Open University.

We have many extremely successful departments in post-16 study, including business, drama, art and history.

The great majority of our students who had applied for higher education were able to secure places at their first choice university

Back to Top How have our results changed over time? Our examination results have been consistently good for the last three years. Teaching and learning are consistently good across all subjects, and students achieve at least as well as predicted by their prior attainment.

Back to Top What have been the successes of the sixth form this year? We are immensely proud of our sixth form students. They are great ambassadors for us when people visit and when they are out in the community. This year they have organised events to raise money for local charities, co-ordinated the school response to Children in Need, and produced the school yearbook. The public speaking team reached the Sussex finals. Students decorated and refurbished the sixth form common room.

Throughout the year prefects and other sixth formers took on various responsibilities across the school. These included helping younger students with their reading and making presentations to parents on exam revision and studying in the sixth form. Two of our students won volunteering awards for their service to the local community.

Together with their academic successes, we can say with certainty that our sixth-formers are capable, confident, caring and creative.

Back to Top What are we trying to improve in our sixth form? Surveys of year 12 and Year 13 students and their parents indicated that they were very satisfied with the sixth form experience. Nevertheless we are always keen to make further improvements.

We feel that communication with parents is very important, particularly with regard to the students' academic studies. However, we recognise that we need to continue developing our provision of information on a wide range of subjects especially with regard to extra curricular activities.

We are continuing to improve access to computers for sixth formers as part of a whole school plan.

We are seeking to increase the range of subjects and the number of level 2 qualifications.

We need to continue to improve the decor of the sixth form areas, building on the redecoration of the common room.

Back to Top What do our students do after leaving the sixth form? During the 2005-06 academic year 20 students left from Year 12. Fourteen of these took up employment and six went on to do further training.

Year 13 students all completed their studies at Sackville. The vast majority went on to further education. 91 gained places, mainly in higher education institutions, with a few enrolling onto foundation arts courses or vocational further education courses. Twelve students went straight into employment and five gained placements for training. An increasing number of students are delaying their higher education studies and this year twelve decided to take gap years before going on to university.

Students like to stay in touch when they have left Sackville and we enjoyed meeing up with many of them in December at our Celebration Evening. We also welcome students back to offer advice to current students on studying for A Levels and on applying for university courses.