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What have been our successes this year?

We are proud that our students achieved the highest GCSE results ever, coming out top in the LA. More than 4 out of 5 students achieved 5+ at the higher grades and over 75% achieved 5 +  GCSEs incl Maths and English at higher grades. Our A level students achieved the highest proportion of high grades in the College's history, with over 70% continuing to higher education.

Tollbar "is an outstanding college that provides excellent value for money. Students are provided with a first-rate education and the highest level of care, guidance and support. Parents recognise this and are overwhelmingly positive in their support for the college. The college sets very clear and high expectations, which are known and respected throughout the college community. Students’ overall academic performance is outstanding.” (OFSTED 2008)

Our sporting successes include 7 of our students representing their country. In performing arts students continue to excel.

We have extended our specialism in business and enterprise into the humanities. 

We remain heavily oversubscribed and increasing interest is being shown by students applying for places in our sixth form where from September 2008 we are introducing the International Baccalaureate as our 16+ offer.

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What are we trying to improve?

Our students make excellent progress between the ages of 11 and 16; however, those rates of progress are higher for older students and students of average and below average levels of attainment on entry. We are on track to improve the rates of progress of our younger learners and those with the highest levels of attainment on entry.

With new technologies giving our students a window on the world, we recognise the need to embed further the international dimension into our curriculum design and teaching plans. As a member of the International Baccalaureate Organisation, we are continuing to work on including "global issues" as contexts for study across all subjects, whilst promoting international understanding.

In response to students' concerns and interests we have very recently overhauled our catering provision. We will be carefully monitoring this over the next year.

We continue to invest in the professional development of our staff to ensure that that they are best equipped to offer a world-class standard of education at TBEC.

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How much progress do pupils make between 11 and 16?

Our school

Confidence interval

Students’ achievement and standards are excellent overall. Students enter the college having achieved broadly average results in their primary schools and they leave with exceptionally high standards. In particular, students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make outstanding progress. (OFSTED 2008)

The progress of older students is exceptionally high when compared with national rates.

When compared with all schools nationally, rates of student progress rank comfortably in the top 10%.

Progress rates in English and mathematics are exceptionally high. In English over a third of students make progress at rates similar to the top 25% nationally whilst in mathematics, 4 out of every 5 students make this high rate of progress. When considering the "best 8" subjects, over 60% of the College make progress faster than the national average rate.

Students with Special Educational Needs make particularly high rates of progress.

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How well do our pupils achieve at age 14?

Overall performance remains above average. Though KS3 at the College has been reduced to 2 years, results in English and Science have increased since last year whilst Mathematics has remained similar.

At level 5+ English and Science have improved since last year whilst there has been a slight fall in Mathematics, however the underlying trends at Level 5+ in all three subjects remains upwards.

At level 6+ English and Science have improved since last year whilst there has been a slight fall in Mathematics. Trends in Mathematics and Science at Level 6+ remain upwards though English at this level continues to show decline.

In English at Level 5+ the gender difference is only 8 percentage points compared with 13 points nationally showing successful intervention work. In English at Level 6+ the gender difference is similar to that nationally.

In Mathematics gender differences at levels 5+ and 6+ are similar to those nationally with males performing relatively better at Level 7+. In Science gender differences are similar to those nationally at all levels.

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How well do our pupils achieve at age 16?

At Key Stage 4, the college’s examination results in 2007 continued to improve across all performance measures. GCSE results were impressive, with three out of every four students gaining five or more grades at C or above, including English and mathematics. Standards in English and mathematics overall were significantly above the national average. The proportion of students gaining the highest GCSE grades A* and A, also continued to rise. (OFSTED 2008)

Overall, gender differences for 5+A*-C are narrower than national gender differences and a further improvement on last year.

Overall student progress across all subjects continues to be well above national. Across the best 8 subjects per pupil TBEC scores just under one grade higher per subject than national.

Performance in English and mathematics at C+ is significantly higher than national.

English and PE were more than 5% above the national figure for the proportion of A & A*.

77% of students leave the College with a Level 2 qualification in both Functional English and Maths.

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How have our results changed over time?

Tollbar is clearly demonstrating year-on-year improvement in its results at all levels and key stages.  Performance at 5+A*-C and performance at 5+A*-C including English and Maths since 2003 shows TBEC to be moving increasingly and significantly beyond the national average.

Tollbar is one of only 36 schools in the nation which have gained 'membership' of all three of the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust High Performing Schools' 'Clubs'. These are The Most Improved; Highest Value-added for 5+A*-C including English & Maths; and, The High-Performers Celebration.

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How are we making sure that every child gets teaching to meet their individual needs?

Designing provision around the aspirations and needs of individual students is at the heart of the College's approach to inclusion. The College undertakes an analysis of students' attainments when starting at the College, paying regard to their scores in their K52 tests. The banding structure is designed around each year group's ability profile. Within each band, subjects are taught in sets.

Students with low attainment on entry are given extra support and the College has a very successful track record in helping these students catch up with their peers. Pupils with special educational needs have purpose-designed support programmes both within and outside normal lessons. The highest attainers may move more quickly through their programmes of study and take their GCSEs early.

“care, guidance and support that students receive are outstanding and the college knows its students very well as individuals”.  (OFSTED 2008)

“Students’ personal development is outstanding. Emphasis on mutual respect makes a strong impact. This, and the drive to achieve as well as they can, whatever their starting points, especially at GCSE, sums up everything the college stands for. A parent wrote, ‘At Tollbar, every child really does matter.’“ (OFSTED 2008)

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How do we make sure all pupils attend their lessons and behave well?

The College has embraced the best in new educational approaches so that lessons are interesting and challenging. The College has a national reputation for its use of new technologies to enrich teaching and learning. At the same time the college promotes the values of diligence, thoughtfulness, social responsibility and community identity. Our uniform policy reflects are values.

The College has a strong reputation in the community for the good behaviour within the College and beyond. Our rates of attendance are amongst the best in the area.

“Students have very positive attitudes to college and to their work. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities benefit significantly from the meticulous attention given to their needs. Behaviour in the classrooms and around the college is usually excellent and attendance is well above average. This is a strong indication of students’ enjoyment and of the college's determined efforts to ensure that no student will miss their education.” (OFSTED 2008)

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What have pupils told us about the school, and what have we done as a result?

Our last survey of students' views was in January 2008. A sample of 360 11-16 students anonymously completed a questionnaire. The statements with the highest level of agreement were:

·                 I enjoy being a student at this college

·                 I am taught well (highest agreement)

·                 I am helped to become a responsible citizen

·                 I can get extra help and advice if! need it

·                 The College is well run

11 -16 year old students identify the following additional features as strengths:

·                 The facilities available, particularly for sport

·                 Supportive teachers

·                 Friendships and community

·                 The help we get

·                 The high quality of education

11-16 year old students report least agreement with the following statements:

·                 I find the homework set is useful

·                 Staff treat all students fairly and with respect

The College responds promptly and appropriately to concerns expressed.

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How are we working with parents and the community?

Parents complete annual questionnaires on their impression of the College's provision. Responses are published and acted on. Parents respond positively to regular invitations to discuss their children's progress and to College functions and events.

We have a high take-up amongst our students for Operation Lifestyle, and the contribution our students make is highly regarded by the community and the police.

Students are active in groups which are high profile in the community, conducting themselves impeccably in sports fixtures, on sports day, in music competitions and public concerts in the community.

Students raise money for local and national charities every year taking an interest in the community. The College is regarded by the community as an asset: a view reciprocated by the College.

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What activities and options are available to pupils?

The College's mission is to provide the highest quality educational opportunities to all its students. Whilst achieving high-grade examination results is critically important we believe a full and rounded education provides the best preparation for adult life, and is likely to inculcate positive attitudes towards lifelong learning.

The College is proud of the wide range of activities available to students. Individual and team sports are offered as well as opportunities to become involved with performing arts, visual arts and a number of interest groups. A number of our students are recognised at regional and national levels for their artistic or sporting excellence.

Please visit our website to see the full range of extra curricular opportunities. www.tollbarbec.co.uk

 

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How do our absence rates compare with other schools?

Attendance rates are consistently higher than local and national averages.  OFSTED judged attendance at the College to be outstanding.

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How do we make sure our pupils are healthy, safe and well-supported?

 “The care, guidance and support that students receive are outstanding and the college knows its students very well as individuals. Students have confidence that college staff will act quickly to help them with both personal and academic needs and this view is well supported by parents. House tutors and subject teachers ensure that students benefit fully from all that the college has to offer” . (OFSTED 2008)

The college has achieved the Sportsmark standard. We encourage learners to take physical exercise by providing 6.7% of the core curriculum for PE. High quality sporting equipment and facilities provided by the College are used by students and staff. A growing programme of extra-curricular physical activity is proving popular.

The College has achieved the Healthy Schools Standard. Healthy eating is encouraged by provision of healthy food options provided by the College's new catering service.

The College puts a high priority on the safety of pupils and all adults working on the college campus are vetted.

A House system with tutorial groups ensures every student is well known, guided and supported. The quality of this provision ranks amongst the top reasons for parents selecting this college for their children

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What do our pupils do after year 11?

A significant proportion of our students stay on to continue their studies in the College sixth form that works in partnership with the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education. Most of our students continue in education and training in locally based institutions.

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What have we done in response to Ofsted?

Inspectors made only two recommendations in our recent OFSTED inspection (April 2008):

1.      Ensure that standards and achievement are strengthened at Key Stage 3, with a focus on higher ability students.

2.      Maintain the focus on teaching and learning to increase the proportion of outstanding teaching across the college.

We are underway with a revision of our Key Stage 3 curriculum which already focuses on the key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT.  We are broadening the focus to include ‘learning-to-learn’ skills so that our students are well equipped as independent learners.  In this way students will be prepared for undertaking their own lines of research and enquiry which is necessary for key stage 4 courses and the international baccalaureate diploma in the sixth form.  Staff training for teaching a ‘curriculum for learning’ is programmed for the summer term.

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Our results this year

“Inspectors agree with the college’s judgement that the effectiveness of the sixth form is good. Students achieve well and standards are above average. Students make good progress at both A level and AS level, on a range of courses well-suited to their needs. Excellent performance in English, mathematics, business studies and general studies is evident.” (OFSTED 2008)

We are very proud of our students' achievements in the last round of A level examinations.

The progress our students make in the Sixth Form ranks well above the national average.

The Average Points Score per student continues to be significantly higher than national average and higher than many of the neighbouring Grammar Schools.

As a result of better academic monitoring and mentoring average points score per entry is increasing faster than the national rate.

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How have our results changed over time?

Since 2003 our results have improved at a rate faster than those nationally.

The Sixth Form partnership with the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education has significantly increased the range of subjects on offer. Students can now choose progression routes through and across the academic and vocational areas.

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What have been the successes of the sixth form this year?

Beyond our very good results, we are proud of those students who won national recognition

(HSBC "Tall Ships" crew) and the high proportion of students who gained entry into the university of their choice.

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What are we trying to improve in our sixth form?

Whilst performance overall in the Sixth Form is high, with good rates of progress, specific subjects continue to require further improvement to bring progress rates up to the upper quartile nationally. We are also continuing to work hard to improve further the number of students who achieve the highest grades.

The College is committed to broadening the range of learning opportunities to sixth form students. To this end we have recently increased the range of resources available in the Sixth Form library in order to support independent research and inquiry. This will be kept under review.

In preparation for the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma course in September 2008, we are focussing on increasing students' awareness of international events and issues. Our accessible and state-of-the-art communication technologies allow students to converse directly with learning communities around the world. At the same time, we are structuring our programme of community action and service.

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What do our students do after leaving the sixth form?

Over 70% of our students progress into higher education.

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More Information

If you would like more information about school policies, including our policies on special educational needs and disability, admissions, finance, school food and our complaints procedure, please contact us:

By telephone: 01472 500505

Our website: http://www.tollbarbec.co.uk/

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