About Our School

”Students say they feel safe and all parents who responded through Parent View agree. Several parents contacted the team to praise the work of the school in supporting their children through difficult times.
Ofsted

”The school’s values are evident in the highly positive relationships between staff, students, parents and governors. Students behave well and are keen to learn.
Ofsted

”The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding.
Ofsted

Mary Webb School and Science College is situated in a particularly beautiful location in the village of Pontesbury, just a few miles south of Shrewsbury. The site, surrounded by hills and woodland, provides an ideal setting for a school that aims to provide an educational experience firmly rooted in a rural context. We seek to open minds and widen horizons by ensuring that all our students are prepared for the challenges of life in the twenty-first century. The school is named after Mary Webb, the novelist and poet and was designated a specialist Science College in 2003.

As a relatively small but oversubscribed community secondary school of about 700 students, staff and governors, we feel that the school has a number of distinctive features that makes it a little bit special. We aim to provide an environment in which each and every student can develop and flourish and where the pursuit of excellence, in terms of personal development and academic achievement, is the aspiration of all. Relatively small class sizes, especially in English and mathematics, ensure that every student receives personal attention.

Care for students, as individuals, is, and must be, at the centre of all we do. As a relatively small school we are able to ensure that every student is known. Through the welfare system, built around the form tutor and house system, we aim to provide the support and guidance necessary to ensure a happy and successful school life for all our students. Where required, we work closely with a range of agencies to support students and families.

The Curriculum

The curriculum at Key Stage 4 is based around a core GCSE offer. We believe that this provides students with robust qualifications that support transition to post-16 education, training and employment. GCSE examination results at Mary Webb are above the national average across the curriculum. In 2017 the school’s P8 (progress 8) score was +0.43, above the national average and the highest in Shropshire.

Curriculum innovation in science, mathematics and technology is providing our students with exciting, challenging, creative and relevant opportunities. This is further supported by strong curriculum provision in humanities, languages, creative and performance subjects, including physical education. The school’s wide and increasing range of enrichment activities e.g. clubs, sports teams, creative arts opportunities, trips and visits, is something we are very proud of.

2024 Prospectus

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The School Day

Our school operates a 1-2-2 format where there is one lesson before break and two lessons before and after lunch. The lessons are one hour in length.

The total number of hours per week are 32.5.

Registration
8.45am – 9.10am
Period One
9.10am – 10.10am
Period Two
10.40am – 11.40am
Period Three
11.40am – 12.40pm
Period Four
13.15pm – 14.15pm
Period Five
14.15pm – 15.15pm

Enrichment

We provide a wide range of additional, enrichment opportunities to support teaching and learning and unlock the potential of all students.

Enrichment opportunities range from clubs arranged outside of lessons to day and residential visits outside of school.
We strive to meet the needs of all our students from those who want to play sports through to those who want to gain additional qualifications. Through Science, all of Year 9 students complete a CREST award, the best of which are taken to compete in the Regional CREST Science Fair in which we have had considerable regional and national success.

We have an active ‘Student Voice’ where students are given the opportunity to participate in, and contribute towards, whole school matters. This ranges from participating on interview panels during staff appointments to leading within the sustainable schools agenda.

Our six Curriculum Days (days when the normal school timetable is suspended and reorganised) provide the opportunity to focus in depth on various cross-curricular themes. Activities include a Business Enterprise Day where Year 10 students develop an insight into the mechanics of what makes a successful business. Visits to places such as the National Arboretum, NEC Skills Fair and local universities take place throughout the year, broadening and enhancing students’ experiences.

Residential opportunities include Year 7 Camp and within specific subject areas our historians visit the Trenches. There is also an annual specialist college trip, which in recent years has taken in the science and mathematics in London and Paris.

Through the arts subjects we offer students opportunities to participate in staging school productions. These have included ‘A Winters’ Tale’ and ‘Blood Brothers’ and also our highly successful drama and music ‘Showcase’ events. Students also benefit from watching productions by professional theatre groups including theatre visits to Shrewsbury, Stratford and Birmingham.

Opportunities to participate and represent the school in a range of sporting activities are very well supported and students continue to have success at many levels. Sporting participation is encouraged beyond the role of a player with many students becoming involved in officiating matches and coaching younger students.