The Ellesmere Port Church of England College (EPC) was recently inspected by Ofsted and has been graded GOOD in all areas.
The secondary school, located in the heart of Ellesmere Port, was rated as ‘Good’ in all five key judgement areas, which include: Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development and Leadership and Management and Sixth Form provision.
Mrs Cath Green, Principal said: “We are delighted by the outcome and a big thank you to staff, students, families, governors, trustees, and the local community who have been very supportive over the years. I am extremely proud of everything that we have been able to achieve, and together with the Frank Field Education Trust, we look forward to continuing the College’s strong upward trajectory. Our students deserve the best quality of education and there are no limits to what they can achieve here. Our community can be proud of our College, and we are delighted to serve them at the heart of Ellesmere Port.”
EPC has undergone a planned transformational journey with a culture of high expectations with the aim of making the College one of the best schools in the country that families in Ellesmere Port would
be proud of. Ofsted said: “Pupils told inspectors that this school is a happy and safe place to learn” Furthermore, Ofsted commented that “Pupils rise to leaders’ high expectations for their learning and behaviour”
This remarkable transformation started with recruiting an experienced Principal, Mrs Green in March 2019 with a track record in turning schools around. By September 2019 an experienced team of teachers with a proven track record had been assembled. Ofsted commented that: “Staff are proud to work at the school.”
A new Local Governing Body was recruited by the Trust providing key areas of expertise and knowledge of the local community. Ofsted confirmed in the March report: “The governors and trustees are experienced and well equipped to provide high levels of challenge and support to leaders”
The Trust believe that improving educational outcomes is the biggest way to positively impact on pupil’s futures and has designed a unique Curriculum for Social Justice that not only enable pupils to achieve life-changing examination qualifications, but also a set of knowledge, skills, and behaviours (cultural capital) that enable them to lead a choice-filled life guided by a moral compass. Ofsted reported “Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum… Teachers have strong subject knowledge… Pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.”
The Trust has invested significant resources into changing the culture and attitude towards learning both from pupils and our community and as a result Ofsted commented “Pupils get on well together. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school… Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning”
At the heart of our College is our Sixth Form where our children develop into young adults. Ofsted noted “Sixth-form students are excellent role models for younger pupils in the school. They take on positions of responsibility, including running the student leadership team.”
More and more families are choosing The Ellesmere Port Church of England College as their school of choice and the numbers coming into Year 7 has doubled over the last three years.
The educational experiences have been transformed for pupils best exemplified by 30 pupils embarking on a life changing trip to Hong Kong this term to visit partner schools, fully funded by the trust. Ofsted commented “Teachers broaden the experiences of pupils and students through local and international visits, including a planned trip to Hong Kong. Leaders ensure that these opportunities are available to all pupils.”
Chris Hampshire, Chair of the Frank Field Education Trust (FFET) commented: “The school was the first school to join the Frank Field Education Trust in December 2018, with the aim of achieving Social Justice through Excellence in Education. The Department for Education asked FFET to take over the running of the school because the team we had assembled had a track record of turning around schools in difficulty. The school had a long history of under-achievement and had failed to serve the needs of its community. We are thrilled that this College has received such a positive report from the government watchdog Ofsted.”
Mr Tom Quinn, CEO of the Frank Field Education Trust said: “This is a remarkable achievement. Well done to everyone who has worked so hard to gain this recognition. It is fantastic to see Mrs Green and her team make great strides in improving the College and remain ambitious to keep moving forward to make this College one of the best schools in the country.”
