What is it like to work with/for The Marvell College

We believe that our school, our staff, and our pupils are “as good as anyone, anywhere.”

At The Marvell College we are proud of the work we have done to create a supportive and positive environment for staff and pupils alike. Our values of AMBITION, RESPECT & COURAGE are founded in restorative practice and the building of relationships.  There will always be occasions when things go wrong; what we do next, and the way we do it, will make the most difference.

As a part of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust (HCAT) we subscribe the shared belief that there should be equity of opportunity for all staff and pupils. There are 5 strategic pillars within the “HCAT Signature” that underpin the values for all members of our learning community.

• Restorative Behaviours. All staff in our school are trained in restorative practice and this sits at the heart of our pastoral care and the way we all want to be treated in school.
• Academic Readiness. Staff in our school value the bespoke, high-quality CPD that we put in place. Pupils are well-taught and well-prepared for the next stage of their life journey. Parents and carers are kept informed of their child’s academic progress and receive updates on the completion of extended learning and rewards.
• Character Building. Our school values provide a key foundation of the character traits we seek to develop in pupils and demonstrate as staff. Teaching and learning strategies seek to build up the independence and resilience pupils will need to be successful in public examination and life in general.
• Socially and emotionally secure.  Pupils at The Marvell College feel happy and safe due to the high-quality pastoral care on offer. They have a trusted adult they can go to if required. Staff well-being is a high priority for the school
• Wider experiences. Pupils are able to access a wide and varied range of extra-curricular activities, clubs and trips. Staff are encouraged to have an open mindset to self-improvement and to consider how they can shape their own future. We actively encourage collaboration with other schools and trusts so that we can share our ideas and bring those of others into our setting.

During our recent Ofsted inspection one inspector was kind enough to comment “This is a beautiful school in which to learn, and pupils are lucky to have it available to them” and “There is something special about the school.” We are fortunate to have frequent visitors to our school all of whom comment in a similar way. We have been proud to have hosted colleagues from all over the country including through The Difference leaders’ programme, and to have presented at numerous conferences about the work we do to serve our community.

Amongst the things we are most proud of and are happy to share are:

• Our SEND Champions Programme which has developed a distributed model for the leadership of SEND and enhanced our offer for pupils with SEND.
• Our approach to continuous improvement through high-quality, bespoke CPD and clear lines of accountability for leaders at all levels.
• A compassionate but firm approach to pastoral support for pupils through a model of building positive relationships through high support and high challenge.
• The support we have in place for our most vulnerable learners including our bespoke ARC provision and an internal alternative provision model.
• A clear and consistent approach to teaching and learning founded in our TMC Learning Cycle which seeks to develop pupils’ independence and resilience.
• Excellent support for staff completing Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Teachers many of whom remain working with us.

In our recent Ofsted report of July 2024, we were pleased to read:

“This is an inclusive and friendly school.”

“Leaders are ambitious for the pupils.”

“Leaders have created a highly ambitious curriculum.”

“Leaders have made a love of reading a priority.”

“Pupils say that they are happy and safe.  They have a trusted adult to go to if they feel worried or upset.  Pupils behave well in classrooms and on corridors.”

“Leaders have created a culture where positive relationships are important.  Pupils are courteous and respectful towards staff and to each other.”

“Leaders have a strong commitment to the local community and parents say that the school cares well for their children.”

“Leaders have worked relentlessly to improve attendance.”

“Leaders, including those responsible for governance, have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the school.”  “They have a clear vision for school improvement.”

“There is a collective will to succeed and a determination that The Marvell College continues to improve.”

If you would like to visit The Marvell College, work with us, or for us, please do get on touch with us through admin@themarvellcollege.com or by telephoning on 01482 799132.  We look forward to welcoming you.

Mr D Matthews

Headteacher

“Staff are proud to work at The Marvell College. Leaders take care to ensure that staff workload and well-being is a high priority.”  Ofsted July 2024.

“Pupils say that they are happy and safe. They have a trusted adult to go to if they feel worried or upset.  Pupils behave well in classrooms and on corridors.”  Ofsted July 2024.

“Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They have created positive learning environments in the classroom.”  Ofsted July 2024.

Staff well-being, workload and support

At The Marvell College we have the workload and well-being of our staff at the forefront of our decision making. We treat colleagues as professionals and our expectation is that they are doing an excellent job. Whilst some quality assurance is required, we aim to make this developmental and supportive. Some of the steps we take to achieve this are listed below:

• 4 hours of PPA time per week

Full time teachers are timetabled for a maximum of 21 hours per week.  Part time teachers are timetabled on a pro-rata basis.

• Flexible marking and feedback policy

We expect marking and feedback to happen regularly and to be effective, but we allow subject leaders to determine the approach that will work best in their curriculum area.

• Wellbeing Days

All staff are entitled to take a paid well-being day at a mutually convenient time. Many staff split this over two half days. This allows staff to attend sports days, prizegiving’s, have a spa day, visit relatives, or whatever they choose to do with the time.

The school is also not open to pupils on the Friday and Monday either side of the October half term. Whilst staff are welcome to come into school to work on these days if they wish to, we are happy to leave this decision with them, and many take the opportunity to start their holiday early, or extend it, with our thanks and best wishes.

• Wellbeing officer

The school employs a full-time well-being officer to support staff and pupils alike.

• Developmental culture

The school assumes that all staff are doing an excellent job. Planned 20-minute lesson drop ins take place twice a year at a time agreed in advance with staff. Formal work scrutiny takes place once a year at a time agreed in advance.

These activities are completed alongside, rather than to, staff. Strengths are identified with areas for discussion highlighted and talked through. Support, if required, is then put in place.

• Professional CPD

Alongside a comprehensive whole school offer, each department designs a weekly CPD offer to meet the specific curriculum needs of their team and the individuals within it. These are often delivered by experts within the team, with external speakers invited in as required.

• Streamlined data analysis

We collect data whole school three times a year for each year group.  Attitude to learning is automatically generated using the “Positive Behaviour for Learning” scores input into registers. This leaves staff to only input either a working at, or predicted, grade.

Departmental data collected after assessments is analysed for staff generating areas for improvement on a whole class and individual pupil basis. Staff can then use this analysis to put in place adaptive teaching and learning to best meet the needs of their classes.

Staff progression and development

We are proud that 50% of the staff currently employed in our school have been promoted during their time with us or came to us for promotion. Staff turnover in our school is low.

ITT and ECT colleagues in our school are exceptionally well supported by our dedicated Teaching and Learning Team and an additional 25+ colleagues have trained with us, been appointed as an ECT, and remain in our employment.

Collaborative culture

All departments have clearly defined sequences of learning accompanied by high-quality resources for you to use. All we ask is that these resources are adapted to suit the needs of the pupils in your classes.  Subject leaders collate curriculum adaptations over time and, where common themes arise, changes are made to the curricula models in discussion with the whole team. Our holistic approach to pastoral care means all staff have a shared responsibility in the area. We actively tackle issues when they arise without leaving them for others to address. “The behaviour we ignore, is the behaviour we deserve”.