Anthony Gell School; Responding to Feedback

You said…

Some parents and carers have expressed concern that their child sometimes did not feel safe whilst accessing the toilets, due to groups of students congregating in those spaces during social times.

We did….

We worked to identify the very small minority of students who were causing issues and have worked with them, and involved their parents/carers, to improve their behaviour and reduce problems.

We introduced a roaming duty point with staff checking facilities to ensure appropriate use.

We introduced Sixth Form specific toilets in the Gell building.

We spent significant sums upgrading two of the main toilet blocks in school and making these gender neutral in design.

We continue to monitor the situation and will issue high level sanctions to students who cause issues.

You said…

Several parents mentioned that in places the buildings looked ‘tired’ and facilities needed improvement.

We did…

We bid for and secured funding for updates to our science labs.

We continue, with support from Embark and the AG Foundation, to invest in key improvements such as new windows in the block at the front of school, improved pathways, new roofs and fresh décor. Additionally, again with support from others including Gell Friends, we have invested in improving the technology used for teaching and learning. Students are accessing learning through online resources, large 4K televisions in almost every classroom, new PCs and new sets of laptops.

We are currently working with colleagues from with our Trust the AG Foundation to apportion funds to further key improvements.

You said…

Several parents expressed concerns around Arbor, including communication issues and problems with monitoring homework.

We did…

We ensured a senior member of staff took responsibility for the on-boarding of Arbor, with improved management of the process.

We provided further training to staff to ensure further improvement in their use of Arbor to communicate with parents.

We changed the way staff issue and monitor homework, to better ensure parents and students have clarity in terms of homework completion.

You said…

Some parents requested ‘even more’ trips for students, particularly those in year groups who missed out on trips due to Covid.

We did…

We ran a Year 11 residential trip to Kingswood Outdoor Centre.

We appointed an Outdoor Education Coordinator.

We have secured additional funding from the Duke of Edinburgh programme that we can use to make this offer more inclusive. This has allowed us to re-start our Duke of Edinburgh programme at AGS.

We secured the services of Adventure Unlocked, a company which has supported bushcraft sessions, teambuilding exercises and other outdoor activities for our students including using our newly acquired school canoes on the Cromford canal.

We are running a residential to Kingswood for current Year 7.

We have a Ski and Snowboarding trip planned for 2026.

As I write we have AGS students representing the school on a two-week visit to Japan.

We have Year 8 students about to embark on a trip to Tuscany to take part in sustainability projects.

We have literally ‘re-launched’ our sailing programme, in partnership with Carsington Sailing Club.

We have increased the number and range of visits to places near and far, and put in place additional support for families to better ensure that these are accessed by students regardless of family income.

You said…

Lots of you have told us how impressed you are and how grateful you are about our provision for children and young people with additional needs; acknowledging and understanding that the level of need has increased nationally in recent years. Some parents/carers have expressed concern about the quality of communication from us around SEND provision.

We did…

We invested in our SEND team. This has included appointing Teaching Assistants, appointing a faculty leader for SEND to work with the SENCo and increasing the administrative support for this important area of our provision.

We appointed a lead practitioner in order that we have two colleagues with SENCo qualifications, to bolster our capacity and support students and families.

We reviewed our provision mapping processes, integrating them with Arbor to drive efficiency and better record key actions and interventions.

You said…

Lots of parents have recognised and praised our students for the way they behave and for the way they look after each other, as well as contribute positively within our community. Several parents mentioned that occasionally, learning is disrupted by a minority of students in some lessons. Lots of parents commented positively about a ‘family feel’ and a ‘friendly place’.

We did…

We have re-structured the pastoral team, appointing a behaviour lead within this team.

We have introduced a new inclusion room.

Our staff training has included techniques to help improve consistency of approach across the curriculum.

We are currently reviewing our behaviour policy and will be introducing key changes to further support improvements in behaviour.

We have continued to develop our rewards system and are proud that a larger number of students have received a wider range of exciting rewards in the last 12 months.

We continue to monitor the behaviour of our students in comparison to that see in other schools. Data strongly supports our belief that our students generally behave better than peers elsewhere.

We have continued to work hard on developing a culture of mutual respect in school where learning takes place in a calm environment. Almost all of our students are proud of their school and demonstrate our core values and ethos on a daily basis.

We will continue to respond when mistakes are made and a student acts in a way which does not meet our shared expectations.