Medway Secondary Schools & Academies G-L

(updated 23 Sep 2011))

Greenacre School Chatham. Usually oversubscribed, some appeals successful each year. 27 first choices oversubscribed on 2nd March 2010. OFSTED Feb 2011 - A Good School: "Greenacre School is an average-sized school, although the number of boys on roll is steadily increasing. The school is located within a local authority which operates a selective system. Greenacre School has a joint sixth form with the neighbouring school, Walderslade Girls' School, which has specialist status for humanities with arts. Students in the sixth form are taught on both sites in mixed classes. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The percentage of students from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average, as is those who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of students identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above the national average and the number of students with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average". The school has applied to become an academy. The school has specialist status for sport and ICT

Howard School, Gillingham. A unique school, being bilateral formed out of a previous grammar school and a non selective boys school, producing two streams which are taught separately so it is not a comprehensive school. Has had a mixed history, but is now oversubscribed. There is now no separate grammar option on the admission form. Instead admission for any boy is not dependent on the Medway Test. Those who have passed the Medway test are automatically placed in the grammar stream and then others who are assessed as of gramamr school ability are promoted alongside them. This is a significant number (possibly as many as 60).

Hundred of Hoo School in Medway was placed in Special Measures in 2009, the headteacher left the school, and a new Executive Head, Dr Gary Holden, Head of Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, was appointed, along with an Interim Executive Board of Governors. I appeared on BBC South East commenting on what sadly was an unsurprising decision, as parents had been expressing concerns about the school for some years, with poor standards of achievement, poor teaching and poor leadership being singled out for criticism in the OFSTED report. It does beg the question, why was action not taken earlier by Medway Council? Subsequently, OFSTED found the school to be Satisfactory in October 2010. Excerpts from the Report: Information about the school: The Hundred of Hoo is a large school with a sixth form. It gained foundation status in January 2009 and became a National Challenge Trust School in January 2010. The educational partners in the trust are Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Hadlow College and E.ON. The school is non-selective in an area served by selective grammar schools and the majority of students enter the school with attainment that is below the national average. Most students are White British and the proportion of students known to be entitled to free school meals is just below the national average. The proportion of students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well above the national average. The school has a centre for students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) serving the needs of students across Medway. The school became a specialist Arts and Media College in September 2004 and has been awarded the Artsmark Silver. The school was inspected in April 2009 and was placed in special measures. Inspectors visited the school to monitor progress in October 2009, March 2010 and June 2010.

Some OFSTED conclusions: Good progress has been made since the previous inspection. The school meets the needs of its students and the leaders and managers demonstrate good capacity for further improvement. The school is led well and governance is strong. Appropriate systems and procedures are in place to ensure that those responsible for leading and managing the school have a clear and accurate picture of its strengths and areas for development. Standards are rising and robust systems and procedures are in place to track students' progress and provide support for those who are falling behind or who need extra help. The quality of teaching is satisfactory and it is improving because appropriate challenge, training and support are provided for teachers. However, a small amount of inadequate teaching remains and the quality of teaching is uneven across and within different subjects. Work in lessons does not always take full account of the precise needs of different groups of students. Students' behaviour has improved and it is now good. Outcomes for students in the sixth form are improving and most make satisfactory progress in relation to their starting points. However, too many students do not complete their courses and achievement for some students who take advanced level courses is not as good as it should be.