Marches School Prospectus

Welcome to our School

Our Vision - Achievement through caring

The Marches School is a high performing school, giving the best quality education with excellent facilities to nurture all talents.

We are a diverse community supporting each other with a strong culture of inclusion and a family feel.

Achievement through caring runs through every decision we make from our transition programme in Year 7, right through to supporting students in securing university places at some of the top providers in Year 13. We are proud of all we have to offer in our vibrant and happy learning community.

Our students enjoy coming to school and demonstrate the values we share with an excellent attitude to learning. Our staff are first rate, well-qualified, dedicated and skilled professionals who work to bring out the best in each child.

Learning is exciting and challenging, there are no ceilings placed on what a child can go on to do. We grow confident, curious, resilient young people with the skills they need to succeed in the world today.

We know that your child will flourish here.

7 Parent

“Great transition into secondary school” Year

Our Curriculum

Built by experts, taught by enthusiasts, delivered in state of the art facilities

We believe successful creative lifelong learners participate in a journey of self-discovery. They know how to learn, how to acquire skills and feel safe to take risks with confidence and courage.

In Key Stage 3, our intent is for a curriculum that is ambitious, broad and balanced, building a love of learning and allowing all students to reach their potential and experience the widest range of subjects.

LORIC skills – the skills needed in the world ahead – Leadership and Organisation skills, personal Resilience, taking the Initiative and strong Communication skills are built into our curriculum experiences.

Literacy and Numeracy are central to our KS3 curriculum with swift additional support for those that need it.

We are a reading school – we all read every day to build the love of reading and accelerate word skills, vital to get a child ahead.

We develop student independence through a planned homework programme, supporting our students in their transition from Key Stage 3 into examined subjects at GCSE.

First Class Pastoral Support & Wellbeing

We invest heavily in this vital area of school life

We have a strong team of experts to support your child. Alongside our education experts, we have a Counsellor, Access Leaders and five Wellbeing Leaders - dedicated to make sure your child is happy in school, issues are resolved quickly and your child can focus on learning and thriving.

In addition, we work closely with other agencies who give our students access to further specialist skills and support through a range of challenging times.

We develop young leaders – our Year 11 Leadership team and prefects make sure your child has a voice and their views are heard. We run a School Council with members in all year groups, working on their own development plan. Opportunities are here for students to lead, get involved, influence others and shape change.

Within our school we have 5 families – Houses, you will see the House boards on the main corridor. All students are encouraged to take part in House events – fishing, art, debating, the big write, spaghetti towers, pizza making, to name a few.

There is something for everyone to be involved in and compete for the big House BBQ at the end of the year.

Charity giving is a key aspect of House and this year students voted to support OsNosh, with each year group running a charity event through the year.

“Staff are very committed to the children and their subjects.”

Year 7 Parent

Transition

Our partnership is key to a happy child and confident parents

We pride ourselves on our close links with parents to collaborate and support each student’s learning journey through The Marches.

students are happy, love learning and have the tools to succeed.

Our Year 7 Head of Academic Progress and the Year 7 tutor team will know your child well. Tutors are your first point of contact, they will want to make sure your child thrives, getting them involved in the rich school life in class and the wide range of enrichment we offer here.

You will meet your child’s tutor in the July before they start school and they will begin to work with them through the summer transition events.

All the Year 7 tutor groups are together in their own zone of the school – surrounded by their outdoor social spaces with benching, play equipment, wooded area and Astro pitch –just for them, to allow them to play and grow in confidence in their new school.

Students needing a longer transition to the school begin to visit weekly from March. Visits to your child’s primary school teacher ensure we know everything we need to know to help your child to settle in easily.

Our dedicated Special Educational Needs Department has all the specialist staff you could want. They begin the transition process early in the year to get everything right to give the best care and support, making use of the special provision we have in the school in our Hub, SEN Zone and Nurture groups.

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“Right from the start, everybody helps settle you in. I felt confident on the first day.”

“The days when we all came up from primary were great fun, I have loved my time so far.”

“I was the only person from my primary, but by the end of the first day I had already made some new friends.”

Olivia

Thomas Hannah

Our Values

The Marches is a friendly, inclusive, and welcoming place to be. Come see for yourself…

“Super impressed, very professional and I have a very happy child attending your school.”

Year 7 Parent

Enrichment

A vibrant community full of opportunities

School life is about much more beyond academic achievement. Engagement with our provision will allow students to develop important life skills, develop time management, diversify interests, learn about resilience and commitment, contribute to school life, raise self-esteem and develop relationships.

The extensive range of clubs and extra-curricular activities take place during lunchtimes and after school and include offers from PE, Music, Drama, IT, English, History, Science and beyond.

Every child is encouraged to get involved and to try something new. We want all students to challenge themselves. Every holiday, our students are travelling the world, Year 7 visited Paris and Disney Land last summer.

This year students have benefited from over 50 trips beyond the school day. We have been, or are going to – London, Germany, Madrid – Football tour, New York, Iceland, Auschwitz, The WW1 trenches in France and Belgium, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions in the hills of Wales, and the museums of Liverpool.

During the school day, we bring our curriculum to life with year group trips to Cadbury World, Chester Zoo, Jodrell Bank Space Centre, River Field study visits and the local museum.

Achievement

2022 - 51% of Year 11 gained Grade 5 in both English and Maths. 20% higher than other local schools

Our options are wide and cater for all with a full suite of creative and arts subjects including 3D Design, Food Technology, Art, Photography, Drama, Product Design, Music and IMedia Design.

We tap into what light’s a child’s fire and give them opportunities to showcase their talent. Students study Media Studies, Computer Science, Science or all three sciences – Biology, Chemistry and Physics. French or Spanish as well as History, Geography, Philosophy and Ethics, IT, Health and Social Care, Maths, PE, Business Studies, English Language and English Literature.

Having our own Sixth Form means your child can carry on their journey with us and the teachers they trust through to age 18 and their next steps – with a wider range of subjects and a warm nurturing Sixth Form environment in their own special block in school – consistently rated First in the county for outcomes.

Careers education here shows students that “yes you can” by bringing in people that have done it – Sir Professor Robert Winston, the country’s leading fertility expert, came to speak to students and feed some possibilities. There is extensive careers support as students move through school with a Careers Fair, a week of work experience in Year 10 and all Year 11 students take part in a mock interview to build their confidence.

“My child is very happy at The Marches.”