It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our website and our school.
William Edwards is a large, highly successful, harmonious and thriving mixed 11-16 comprehensive school. Pupil outcomes across the school are significantly above the national average and the school has been judged to be ‘Outstanding’ since 2010 across two Ofsted inspections. However, life at William Edwards is about so much more than just GCSE outcomes. We are proud of our national reputation for sport, the arts are extremely strong and we are proud to boast the largest Duke of Edinburgh cohort in the East of England. We are one of only a small number of secondary schools nationally to hold both the Artsmark Platinum Award and the Youth Sports Trust Gold Award for our work in these diverse fields.
Academically, the school’s broad and balanced curriculum and inspirational teaching has resulted in consistently impressive GCSE results. Our dedicated, fully qualified and committed staff work together with students and parents to create outstanding opportunities for academic and personal progress, both in the classroom and in a wide range of out-of-school learning experiences.
As the strategic lead school for the Thurrock Teaching School Alliance, William Edwards is at the forefront of teacher training and professional development across the borough. The school is passionate about developing staff so that the learning in its classrooms is innovative, relevant and memorable. The school is proud of its students and the breadth of experiences they have at William Edwards is fundamental to their development as responsible, self-aware and resilient young people who make a positive contribution in their community.
Over the last five years we have invested over £3 million into supporting teaching and learning. New learning spaces, an 8 court Badminton hall, redesigned classrooms and technological enhancements have ensured that innovation remains central to the school’s ethos. The learning experience for students is enjoyable, stimulating and suitably challenging.
Following the school’s most recent inspection in March 2017, Ofsted said “pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and when moving around the school. They wear their uniform smartly. Pupils respect their teachers and one another”. Strong pastoral care underpins our work and together with you and your children, we will be reaching further and higher each year, to ensure that your children’s school experience provides them with the very best start to their future lives, whatever that may hold. We are fully committed to preparing our young people to be thoughtful, capable, responsible citizens of the future. We provide a genuine ‘all-round education’ and I firmly believe this to be a special place for children to learn, develop and flourish.
Simon Bell,
Headteacher
The School Ethos
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