Welcome to Winchcombe School

Outstandingly successful in an outstanding environment

• 79% of students gained five or more GCSEs at A* - C
• 72% of students gained five or more GCSEs at A* - C including English and Mathematics
• 30% of passes were at A* or A grade

• English 83% A*-C
• Mathematics 82% A*-C
• Science 92% A*-C

Winchcombe School is a school located in the most beautiful and peaceful of rural surroundings on the edge of the historic town of Winchcombe with easy transport links to Cheltenham and other local towns and villages.  We are a school of less than 500 students where every child really does matter.  Ofsted recognises the caring family atmosphere that allows individuals to thrive and has led to a reputation for academic excellence (‘The Most Improved School in the Country 2010’).

In 2009 our Year 11 pupils recorded the following GCSE results:

Looking at the core subjects, our results stand up well against the very best schools in the country:

We are extremely proud of our status as a specialist science school and our science results are consistently the best in the county.

The factor that sets Winchcombe School apart from most other schools is the ethos within the school that allows excellent relationships between teachers and pupils, which in turn leads to exceptional behaviour, not only in lessons, but in and around the school.  This was recognised in April 2010 when the school was designated as a Lead Behaviour School (one of only 20 schools in the country).  Under this system we will be asked to share our good practice with other schools.

During our last Ofsted inspection we were deemed to be outstanding in no fewer than 16 areas – for further details see below.  However we are far from complacent and are continually striving to improve on our high standards in every area.

Should you require any further information please to not hesitate to contact the school.

Neil Hall

Headteacher

Everyone connected with Winchcombe School is absolutely delighted by the outcome of our recent Ofsted Inspection.  We were very happy to be amongst the first schools in Gloucestershire judged against the new, more rigorous Ofsted framework, introduced in September.  This has raised the bar for every school.

Our own self-assessment had indicated that we are, according to the new tougher criteria, a ‘good’ school with many ‘outstanding’ features.  We were particularly delighted to be judged ‘Outstanding’ in a total of 16 key areas, including pupil outcomes, pupil safety, pupil behaviour and leadership and management.

The Report is a tribute to a hard working and united school community consisting of our outstanding students, their highly supportive parents, and hard working staff and governors.

The Report praises the ‘outstanding care, guidance and support’ offered by the school, which ensures that ‘students feel safe and secure and enjoy their education’.  It also comments on the high esteem in which parents hold the school.  Another encouraging statistic was that over 85% of lessons observed were judged to be either good or outstanding – a tribute to the expertise and industry of every teacher at the school.

However, it is the pupils of Winchcombe School who should feel particularly proud.  Ofsted described their behaviour as ‘excellent’.  In particular, students were praised for their ‘excellent attitudes to learning’, and the inspection team also commented on the ‘excellent relationships between adults and students around the school’.

This crowns a fantastic year when Winchcombe School celebrated its best GCSE results ever – with over 72% of pupils achieving five or more GCSE grades at A*-C, including English and Mathematics, and over 30% of all GCSEs being awarded at A or A*.

We sent a copy of the report to every parent as soon as it became available – please contact the school if yours failed to arrive home, or if you require a further copy.  The report, and details of the revised Ofsted framework, are available at www.ofsted.gov.uk.

Ofsted Inspection November 2009