Charters is a true comprehensive that is determined to encourage and support our pupils to achieve their personal best. During their time at the school, our pupils achieve well above the national average in KS3 national tests, GCSE’s and post 16 courses. Our contextual value-added scores - what pupils achieve in relation to their prior attainment and individual circumstances - are extremely strong, placing us in the same category as the highest achieving schools in the country. The figures provide a clear measure of the value we add to our pupils’ performance.

This success is rooted in high quality teaching, a fact emphasised by the OFSTED inspectors, who highlighted teaching as a strength of the school. All the lessons seen during the inspection were rated as either good or outstanding. Charters has a talented and committed group of teachers with impressive subject knowledge and very high expectations of what pupils should achieve. Lessons are rigorous, demanding and well managed.

The school is set in 30 acres of spacious grounds with well-resourced classrooms and specialist areas for practical activities help to ensure that pupils have access to modern technology to support their learning. Pupils have ample opportunity to develop their ICT skills with nearly 600 computers spread around the school (all provided with constant but monitored broadband access to the internet).

There are modern specialist science laboratories and technology work areas. The library also provides a focus for academic life with its impressive stock of books and research materials. The arts are particularly well catered for with a new suite of specialist music rooms, a spacious art and design area and two fully equipped modern drama studios.

Pupils are expected to be actively involved in their own learning. This is reinforced by the school’s academic tutoring programme where each pupil meets at least three times a year with his/her tutor for a detailed discussion of progress before setting negotiable targets for further improvement.

The effectiveness of the programme was reflected in the OFSTED conclusion that: “They (the pupils) take responsibility for their learning well.”

Pupils of all abilities are well catered for by a range of measures. Gifted and talented pupils have a year round programme of special events to challenge them. Pupils with special educational needs are supported by a combination of withdrawal from lessons for intensive tuition on key skills, in-class support, a reading course and smaller groups.

Another distinctive feature is the resource unit for pupils with physical disabilities. This provision was particularly praised by the OFSTED inspectors for the access given to pupils with disabilities to the full range of the curriculum. These pupils are fully integrated and are making a significant contribution to school life.