Pewsey Vale School Explained

Pewsey Vale School
Coordinates:51.3401°N -1.774°W
Type:Academy
Head:Neil Pritchard
Address:Wilcot Road
City:Pewsey
County:Wiltshire
Country:England
Postcode:SN9 5EW
Urn:136849
Enrolment:353
Enrolment As Of:April 2023
Gender:Coeducational
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:16

Pewsey Vale School is a small, mixed secondary school in Pewsey, Wiltshire, England, for children aged 11 to 16. It became an academy in July 2011.

The school is described by Ofsted as "smaller than the average secondary school". Since 2017, the headteacher has been Neil Pritchard.

History

The school opened on a new site in 1958 as Pewsey Vale Secondary Modern School. Until this time, the schools in Pewsey and the surrounding villages were elementary (all-age) schools but in 1956 they transferred their pupils aged 11 and over to the new school, and all became junior schools. In 1970 a swimming pool and sports hall were built alongside the school, with shared school and public use.[1]

In 1975 the school became a comprehensive under the new name of Pewsey Vale School. Extensive modernisation and expansion of the school took place at this time. There were 407 pupils in 1996 and 426 in 2002. There is no sixth form and children go to Marlborough, Devizes or elsewhere at 16;[2] the school has links with the agricultural branch of Wiltshire College, at Lackham near Chippenham.

In 2011 the school converted to academy status.[3]

In September 2023, the academy was issued with a termination warning notice by the Department for Education.[4] In October 2023, the progress 8 score for the school was released as -1.44, the lowest out of any mainstream school in Wiltshire.[5]

Ofsted inspection

The school was last inspected by Ofsted in February 2023, receiving an overall effectiveness grade of "requires improvement" for the third consecutive time. [6]

AreaGrade
Overall EffectivenessRequires improvement
The quality of educationRequires improvement
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementRequires improvement

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pewsey Vale Secondary Modern School. Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. 19 April 2018.
  2. Web site: Pewsey Vale School. Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. 19 April 2018.
  3. Web site: Pewsey Vale School. February 2012. Ofsted. en. 19 April 2018.
  4. Web site: Termination warning notice to Pewsey Vale School. 22 September 2023. gov.uk. en. 1 May 2024.
  5. Web site: All schools and colleges in Wiltshire. October 2023. Compare school and college performance in England. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20240223172928/https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=default&table=schools&region=865&geographic=la&for=secondary. 23 February 2024. 1 May 2024.
  6. Web site: School report: Pewsey Vale School. March 2023. Ofsted. 1 May 2024.