Monk's Walk School "Excellence For All"

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Description

Our School

We are a mixed school of about 1,400 11-18 year old students in Welwyn Garden City, a Hertfordshire new town on the outskirts of London. Transport links are superb – direct rail links to London in less than 30 minutes; M1, A1(M), M11 and M25 all minutes away. WGC is a pleasant place to live – it even has John Lewis! The school is situated in a greenbelt area in the prosperous northwest corner of the city. Our grounds are magnificent and the view from the school is lovely. In September 2020 we opened a new teaching block to replace one of the more rundown ones. The DfE have just agreed funding for a new sports hall for the school.  

Monk’s Walk is a genuinely all-ability school.  The number of students with learning challenges is in line with the national average, with 17% supported at SEN Support or with an Education and Healthcare Plan (EHCP). Our support for students with SEND is a real strength of the school. 

We have a small number of blind or partially sighted students who receive specialist support. We also work very closely with Knightsfield School, a special school for deaf children on our campus. 

Parental confidence in the school is high; there were 729 applications for 240 places in Year 7 for September 2024, with 197 of those as first preference. Each year we hear appeals for students wishing to join the school.

The school has an extremely effective behaviour policy and in general behaviour is very good indeed. Our students want to learn and our parents are, on the whole, extremely supportive. Attendance is high, although in common with most schools affected by COVID. Our aim is for our students to be co-operative, courteous and kind.

There is a genuine ‘buzz’ around the school and we have a very strong reputation in the city.  In September 2023, the school was judged by Ofsted to be ‘good’. We were really pleased with the comments made by inspectors and expect the report to be published any day now.

GCSE exam results in 2024 were very good. 53% of students gained the strong basics (grade 5+ in both English and Maths) and 74% standard basics (grade 4+ in English and maths).  Our attainment 8 was 50.2 and progress 8 +0.25. All well above national. Students of all abilities did better than would have been expected, given their starting points.  Disadvantaged students made the progress that would have been expected given their starting points – unlike in most other schools in Hertfordshire where it is often well below.   Students with SEND did phenomenally well. To look at the school’s provisional results in the league tables google ‘school performance tables 2024’.

In terms of progress, disadvantaged and SEND students do better in the school than they do nationally. BAME students attain very well and have good progress, as do each of the ability groups. We pride ourselves on the fact that Monk’s Walk is an inclusive school.

The school has about 268 in the sixth form and this is the largest sixth form the school has ever had. We are also a member of a consortium with four other schools which provides a wide range of opportunities for students. Monk’s Walk has the largest sixth form of the five schools and currently we have 82 guest students in Year 12 and 61 in Year 13. At Monk’s Walk we concentrate on providing A Level only (with the exception of iMedia), with decent numbers of students studying the facilitating subjects. Vocational programmes can be taken at Oaklands College or in other consortium schools. 

 A Level results in 2024 were also very good , with average point score per grade at 36.2 equivalent to B-.  In 2024 almost all students who applied made it to their first or second choice university, high quality apprenticeship or employment. Students access a range of universities, with over 40% accessing Russell Group.  We currently have 11 former students at Cambridge University.

We do not pursue academic achievement at the expense of the wider development of the individual, however. Form tutors, heads of year and heads of house all have important roles in the social, personal and academic support of individuals. Our house system is strong, providing a range of all-ability competitions and activities for mixed age groups. Recently we have become the first school in the country to have a recycling machine with the credit going as house points. All members of staff are allocated a house.

Unfortunately, some schools are making cuts in creative subjects such as Art, Music, Drama and PE and even some DT specialisms. At Monk’s Walk, these subjects are strong as we see these areas providing important learning opportunities for our students. All of these subjects are running at GCSE and A Level. Science subjects are among the most popular subjects at A Level. 

We have a full orchestra (as well as other musical groups), thriving Art, Music, PE and Sport and an outstanding Drama department. Members of other departments involve themselves in extra-curricular activities in Music, Sport and Drama.

Knightsfield School (a special school for deaf children) is co-located with Monk’s Walk School.  We have an outstanding partnership arrangement; at key stage 3 Knightsfield students join classes in Art. A few students are also integrated into GCSE groups. Knightsfield students join ours for lunch every day in our canteen in B Block. One of our music teachers teaches at the school. 

The school became an academy in September 2012. The decision to convert was purely pragmatic and trustees have no intention to make changes to teachers’ pay and conditions beyond those made as part of national agreements.

Professional Development

Induction, training and continuing professional development have a very high priority in the school. All new members of staff take part in a comprehensive induction programme on joining the school. We have a proven track record in training teachers and we have both School Direct and PGCE trainees. We take an active part in the Alban Teaching School Hub.

All staff are supported by a broad programme of continuing training and development. Individual staff are supported on programmes of further study/professional qualifications. The school runs a well-developed performance management system. All staff are actively supported to achieve their individual targets.

If you are an early career teacher (ECT – formerly NQT) you would be offered the opportunity to spend three weeks’ induction with us in July and be paid for it. The three weeks gives you the chance for a really comprehensive induction programme. You will meet and observe some of your teaching groups and find out about your form. If you are a Year 7 form tutor you will also take part in the transition day when Year 6 come up to the school. You will get to know the senior leadership team, your head of department and the members of your teaching team. Simple things, such as learning about the school’s management information system and having a log-in, as well as becoming familiar with the staff and the school’s facilities, will help you to have a flying start to your career when September comes. Hopefully, being familiar with the school will help you to have a restful holiday, free of any concerns, so that you can have a proper rest after your teacher training!

You will also find that we have an innovative support programme throughout the ECT years, organised with local schools. This provides training on key aspects of teaching such as assessment and behaviour for learning, as well as providing a local network of support with other ECTs in similar subject areas. There is also the opportunity to visit other schools to further your experience in the ECT year. The course builds on the support of a mentor for two years and the extended support of a professional mentor in school.

Staff Benefits

There is a strong commitment to staff wellbeing and mental health at Monk's Walk School. Initiatives and wellbeing INSET days are arranged throughout the academic year to support staff wellbeing.

Monk's Walk Staff have access to a Free confidential 24 hour Employee Assistance Program which offers support on a range of issues including bereavement and impartial financial and legal advice.

There is a generous staff pension scheme for both Teachers and Support Staff and a relocation scheme for Teachers moving into the area to take up a post. Further details are available on the School's website.

What people say about us

"Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel leaders consider their workload. They are supportive of leaders and trustees and feel part of a community where their views are valued and acted on."

-Ofsted 2023

"Pupils enjoy attending school. They learn in an environment where positive relationships help everyone flourish. Pupils work hard to achieve the high expectations their teachers have for them. Pupils appreciate that they are supported to do their best and their successes are celebrated."

- Ofsted 2023

"The school has designed an aspirational curriculum that identifies what pupils should know and be able to do at defined moments in time. Subject specialists have broken this down into small, manageable steps."

- Ofsted 2023

"Training ensures that teachers understand how to deliver the curriculum as planned."

- Ofsted 2023

" The school has high ambitions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teaching is planned to take account of pupils' needs. Consequently, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum and successfully progress alongside their peers."

- Ofsted 2023

"Pupils are well behaved, polite and respectful. Their pride in their school is evident. They warmly welcome visitors and show off their and others' successes. Pupils understand and celebrate difference. They know that difference is never a reason to be unkind."

-Ofsted 2023