Welcome to the Anthony Gell School (AGS) website which we hope will help you to get to know our school a little better. You will find lots of information about what makes AGS such a great place to work and learn. We update the site regularly and hope that it is relevant and easy to use. If you have any ideas for additions or improvements please let us know.
We are proud to be part of the Embark Federation, a family of schools across Derbyshire. We work closely to ensure that our school is at the heart of the community and to live to our values; ‘Care, Aspire, Achieve’, as well as Embark values; ‘Family, Integrity, Teamwork and Success’.
Anthony Gell School has provided a high quality learning experience, over many generations, for the people of Wirksworth and the Derbyshire Dales. In recent years, due to the growing popularity of our school, an increasing number of families have chosen AGS as their school, and a third of our intake now comes from outside of our catchment area.
Anthony Gell students achieve well in a school which places a great deal of emphasis on pastoral care, they are encouraged to be aspirational and gain the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable success. We are not a school which tells individuals that they must all be the same. We get to know every young person; learn about their dreams and aspirations, their strengths and talents, their preferred styles of learning, and we provide each with a curriculum which is relevant to them and to the lives they will lead.
Anthony Gell School is a very special place to learn. Our success is built on a clear understanding of the conditions required for effective, high quality learning. We sustain our success due to the following foundations being in place:
- A highly effective pastoral system that provides the support and direction necessary for achievement, exemplified by the excellent working relationships between staff and students.
- High expectations in terms of academic progress, with pace and challenge appropriate to each individual learner.
- An inclusive curriculum that provides challenge, motivates young people and staff and enables progression through excellent teaching. A curriculum that develops students as independent learners whilst equipping them with the knowledge they need.
- Numerous opportunities for creativity, critical analysis, problem solving, decision making, communicating and collaborating whilst using new technologies.
- Effective opportunities for the student voice to be heard and student leadership to be developed.
- Effective partnerships with parents as well as local, national and international communities.
- High quality teaching and support delivered by dedicated and well-informed staff.
Students and staff share a sense of pride in our collective achievements and a sense of belonging to something really quite special.
Our teaching and support staff are outstanding and we commit significant resources to their ongoing professional development. Our students are eager to learn and justifiably proud of their school.
We work hard to create and maintain an environment in which young people feel safe, happy, confident, and cared for. An environment which includes varied and wonderful opportunities to learn new skills, and experience new activities, in and outside of the classrooms.
There is so much that combines together, to make AGS the school it is, and a website can tell just part of this story. If you would like to know more about AGS and see for yourself just why so many families are proud to call Anthony Gell, ‘their school’, please visit us. We would be happy to show you.
Malcolm Kelly
Headteacher
