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The Marlborough Science Academy

Academy Feedback

We regularly receive fantastic feedback about our students, staff and school and we would love to share some of these with you.


Just a note of thanks to you both, and to everyone at Marlborough, for giving our youngest daughter, Holly Vincent 7TR, a fabulous first day in Year 7.  She was so excited to start school today, and has come home chatting about her super day.  Her words were “I absolutely love everything about school and cannot wait to go again tomorrow.”

As parents, thinking about Holly all day today, these are the absolute best words to hear!

We are thrilled that we now have both our girls as part of the Marlborough community and look forward to continued great times.

Please pass on our thanks to everyone helping the new Year 7’s to settle in - they are brilliant!

Kind regards,

Sam and Andy Vincent


Dear Mrs Thomson and Miss Murphy

Matthew and I were delighted to meet with you both and the school governor.

 It was a very special time and I will treasure hearing such wonderful praise about Matthew.

 Thank you for making Marlborough such a positive and fun place to learn. I strongly agree for a child to do well every need a child has needs to be met and the building blocks for this is a happy confident child, your school provides these essential building blocks for children to build upon .

We are delighted we sent Matt to your school . Thank you for making it such a positive place and working so hard to make it so.

 Hope you have a wonderful summer break.

 With heartfelt thanks,

Jude Ward


Thank you Marlborough for the fantastic support and teaching my daughter Isabelle received. 
She’s off to University of Birmingham in September pursuing her politics and international relations dream . 

Far too many great influencers to mention , however I know Mr Atterton and Mr Pressland are very much towards the top of the list . 

Ms Thomson from day one I got the feeling it’s more than a job for you .

It feels odd that Izzie won’t be at Marlborough in September, but hopefully she’ll reminisce one day and tell future generations about you all . 

Many thanks and I wish you all a successful future


Dear Ms Thomson,

I would like to say how happy I am about your school uniform change for the hot weather.

My son Owen has been so happy going to school.Such a clever idea.

I feel for the other schools when I see their pupils struggling in this heat.

Maybe they should take a leaf from your school.

 Liza Williams


I just wanted to say thank you to all who organised the Year 9 Insight into Industry Conference.  

James came home an inspired young man with a look of real purpose about him which was a joy to see.  He is also now desperate to participate in DofE, so all in all an excellent week!

Mrs Bennett


I just wished to drop you a line to thank you so much for our daughter’s fantastic end of year report and grade card, which I have had the pleasure of opening just now.

I am in tears with such pride and joy reading all the wonderful comments! You really have made my week and I know she will also be incredibly pleased.

We really cannot thank you and all the staff enough for helping her achieve all she has to date, and all that we are sure she will continue to achieve as she heads into Year 11, her GCSEs and beyond that onto A levels at Marlborough.  You all make such a difference in everything you do and we are so appreciative.  I am particularly emotional reading the fabulous comment from you about her having potential for being Head Girl in future!

Our younger daughter starts at Marlborough in September in the Year 7 intake, and she is so excited about joining the Marlborough community.  We are confident that she too will love every minute at school and thrive in the wonderful environment you create for all students.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Kindest regards,

Mr and Mrs V

Dear Ms Thomson and all the teachers,

We would just like to say A REALLY BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL.  We are so grateful for the amazing support you have given Ella throughout her years at school.  You have all gone above and beyond your call of duty to encourage Ella and all your students to succeed and become confident and respectful people.

We are also thankful for all the support Ella has received to help her achieve her best possible grades in her GCSE exams.

As parents, we have encouraged Ella to be kind, caring and helpful and to always try her very best.  Your dedication to all your students including Ella is INSPIRATIONAL.

We will always be forever grateful to you all for showing Ella your undivided commitment in helping her achieve her goals.

With all our thanks and best wishes

Mr and Mrs Stanley


I thought you might like to know how much we appreciate Marlborough's education of our
three girls, as it is rare to have three, all studying at the same time at the same school.

Annabel has just completed her A levels, but has already secured an unconditional
place to study Drama at Queen Mary University in London, they were very impressed
with her personal statement and interview and compliment your school in her acceptence
letter.

Sarah has graduated York University with a 2.1 degree in Linguistics.

We heard today that Kathryn has been awarded a first class honours degree in lllustration
from Norwich University of the Arts  with a vice chancellors commendation certificate and has been accepted onto a masters degree course in Character Animation at Central St. Martins in London starting in September.

Can you please pass this on to the Art department with our thanks for their encouragement
and tutoring during her time at Marlborough.

I would like to thank you for the efforts put in by your staff, and would be happy to tell future
potential parents about the outstanding teaching given to our girls during their seven years
at Marlborough.

Kind regards,

Tony Fabian


Thanks again for a super visit on Friday - well worth waiting for. It was especially exciting to see how enthusiastic both girls AND boys were about books. the national Literacy Trust reports that pupils' interest in reading  diminishes when they arrive at secondary school. Well, not at Marlborough - warmest congratulations on all your wonderful work in creating a reading culture.

All best to you,

Pete Johnson (Author)


Dear Ms Haines,

Thank you once again for all your hard work to make Beauty and the Beast such a fantastic and professional production.  I came (for the  third time!) with the rest of the family on Friday night and they all thought it was excellent too. Please pass special thanks to Mr Armer for the wonderful set, props, sound and lighting which make such a difference to the overall effect.  What is so impressive is how many students and staff are involved and the huge level of commitment that goes into the process.   It is a credit to the school community and I'm so glad these valuable extra-curricular activities were rightly acknowledged in the recent Ofsted report.

With best regards

Lucy Harris


Dear Ms Rutherford

We just wanted to say how impressed we are by the consistent support and advice that you are providing for our Year 13 son with the speakers and presentations at the PSHCEE sessions.  We appreciate the effort and time it must take to organise these sessions .

Although he thought he knew what he would be doing after sixth form he has changed his mind many times and the school PSHCEE sessions have shown him all the possible alternatives and back up plans he can make. He has applied for both university and higher level finance apprenticeships to cover all bases, getting the university offers has boosted his confidence but is not necessarily his final decision.  The most recent talk from uptree and Tesco careers has already shown him another way of linking with employers and is now looking forward to attending insight days to help him make the right choice.  We also attended the school’s Apprenticeship Fair  and it was really helpful and interesting.  We are in the dilemma of following a degree at University or via an apprenticeship and this evening certainly made up our mind, that with no debt someone can still achieve the same qualifications within certain sectors.  Thank you for putting this event together.

Year 13 Parent


Dear Ms Thomson,

I just wanted to say thank you for providing the opportunity for a small group of pupils from Prae Wood School to participate in a photography day at Marlborough yesterday.

Edie was lucky enough to be chosen to take part. She returned home with some fantastic work and was full of enthusiasm about her day. Edie said the teachers were very friendly and nice (she couldn't remember their names) and also commented on how helpful Noa and Naomi from the sixth form had been.

We hope that Edie will be joining your year 7 in September so it was an added bonus for her to be part of the school during a normal day and seeing Lily during her visit made it perfect!

Please would you pass on my thanks to the staff and sixth formers involved.

Year 10 Parent


I really enjoyed coming in and I was so impressed with what I saw today. The calm focus from the pupils and the dedication from the teachers is clear across the school and was repeatedly shown in every class we went into. It was really heart-warming to see. I would gladly do another review.

Mrs Noon - School Governor


As parents of a Year 11 student please can you convey our thanks to all the staff who have been involved in our son’s education.  To offer all the after school revision sessions, booster sessions, Easter revision and even half term Maths revision is above and beyond.  All subject teachers have been supportive and always make time for the students if they have any concerns with their upcoming GCSEs but also the support staff that work behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.  He is now keenly talking about moving up to sixth form and it is now down to him to reach his potential and I hope he does the school proud.

Mr and Mrs C


Dear Ms Thomson,

I would like to pass on how proud I am that my children attend The Marlborough Science Academy. I have just had an incredible few weeks witnessing the amazing work that is done by students and staff alike.

Firstly I would like to thank all the teachers who gave up their free time to run revision sessions for this years GCSE students, it was an enormous help.

The real life project to design the barrier at the Abbey Station was an incredible opportunity and to see it realised and attend the official opening ceremony was fantastic. Staying with the Art faculty the exhibition of exam work was, as always, stunning! The quality of work would have looked completely at home in a real gallery, well done to the staff who have nurtured talent and stretched the students.

The English faculty's creative writing showcase was amazing - it was brilliant to hear the students read out such imaginative pieces which they had written during the course of their lessons and home learning.

The PE faculty excelled themselves with the Gym and Dance display. It was a fantastic show to watch and to know that it all came together through staff and students giving their own time so freely is a testament to what a great rapport there is between them.

And finally the M Festival! The staff and students that worked with the PTA to organise the event were amazing, and the students that performed on the day were absolute stars.

Thank you and all the staff for making Marlborough such an all-embracing school where the students are given so many opportunities and all types of talent and achievement are celebrated.

Mrs C Little


Thank you very much for inviting Y5 & Y6 to watch the performance of Narnia this week. The children and staff thoroughly enjoyed watching the show and the teachers were really pleased to see so many ex-Prae Wood children performing!

Jenny Sheppard - Headteacher of Prae Wood Primary School


Please thank all the people who made our Christmas Party so lovely. The bingo is always popular, the cards and the visit from Father Christmas – complete with gifts- was a lovely idea and the choir was excellent. Residents always like live performances and coupled with the pianist and guitarist was an excellent show. Residents and pupils all looked as though they had a thoroughly good time.

We would like to wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas. We look forward to seeing you all again.

Siouxsie Liddle & Lesley Edwards - Activity Organi


I wanted to write to you and your department, along with the Music Department, to say what a fantastic performance !!My husband and I were blown away by the Gymnastics and Dramas and amazing Musical pieces. The performance was to a very high standard and very enjoyable. 
Our son is in year 7 and played the drums, and really enjoyed it and we enjoyed watching!!.

Thank you to all those involved

Mr and Mrs O'Shea


My husband and I attended the Open Day at Marlborough on Thursday of last week. I thought I had to put pen to paper to express my thanks to everyone involved in organising an extraordinary afternoon/evening. The facilities were showcased in such an excellent fashion. The school is outstanding and so are the staff! We were shown the school by some excited pupils - they are such a great asset to your school. We loved the friendly atmosphere, the community feel and the friendliness of everyone we met and spoke to.

We have visited several schools in the area because we feel that a choice of further education is so important - the pieces need to fit. You and your team provided the missing part to our search!!!

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone - the icing on the cake for us was the showcasing of what students (and staff!) eat in the canteen - we were treated to home made biscuits and cakes and later on to some of the new 'street food' that your caterers were providing. I know that we, and many others enjoying the food did make a point of saying that if the food was as good as we were tasting then we would never have wanted to leave school!!!!!

We really look forward to seeing you again soon.

Charmaine Styles


Thank you so much for the invitation last night to see the amazing work that the students have done for their exams, we found it truly spectacular and wish them all well in their results. I am still left speechless that we were in a school and not walking round a famous museum or shop the work was so grand.
Thank you as well for being our guide for the evening and for the refreshments you served.

Siouxsie


My family were visiting Cadbury’s World in Birmingham on Thursday last week when a large group of students from your school were also there. My daughter lost her rather expensive ipod-touch in the play-area when it fell out of her pocket, and when we went back to look for it, it transpired that one of your pupils had found it and handed it to a teacher. We were therefore able to retrieve it. I was very impressed by the honesty displayed. I know it would have been tempting to keep the device. Unfortunately, we were too rushed to identify the pupil involved or to thank them in person. Perhaps you will be able to do so on our behalf?

Dr I Joffe


We wanted to send you and your staff our hearty congratulations on your recent Ofsted result. We have been absolutely delighted with the experiences of both of our daughters in Year 8 and Year 7 since they joined the academy. The transition from primary school for both girls was exceptionally smooth. We have been pleased with the quality of the staff and its teaching, impressed by the rigour with which inappropriate behaviour from students has been managed and entertained by some great theatrical performances. We greatly value the ethos and culture of the school, with both staff and students being friendly, open, well-behaved and sharing mutual respect. It’s a lovey school and will be our first choice for our other two children. And it’s great to see that other parents with children at the academy agree – scores from the parent survey compare extremely favourably with those of other local secondary schools.

We have always felt that the headline result from the last report failed adequately to reflect the overall quality of the school and get miffed by (and challenge) the ill-informed and preconceived views that parents without kids at the academy seem frequently to hold. I’m sure that the latest Ofsted report will go a long way to changing those perceptions and, rightly, help to place Marlborough on a equal footing with its counterparts towards the north and east of the City centre. I hope that you’ve got your PR department on the case!

Whilst I know that you will credit much of the success on your staff, and rightly so, I don’t think that anyone associated with the academy will doubt the significant impact that you have had at Marlborough through your leadership. To create a nice school, at the same time as creating an academically successful school, is quite a feat. We hope that you’ll consider it enough of a challenge to stick around to continue the progress and achieve that ‘outstanding’ status.

Carl C


I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the hard work the drama and music department put into Sweeney Todd. I can’t tell you how much Kathleen and Ruth enjoyed the experience and I was just so impressed by the level of coaching/support that the school provided for the children.

It is not the first time I have had reason to be profoundly grateful to Marlborough for the care, dedication and professionalism shown by the staff and I’m sure it will not be the last.

Mrs Mitchell-Fox


I just wanted to say a massive well done to all the students/staff who were involved in the SASSMA concert on Monday night at the Alban Arena. Both of the songs performed were of a great standard/quality and I particularly enjoyed the ukelele/beatboxing combination. The friends with me all commented on how much they enjoyed the performance too.

Cate Cooper


I just wanted to say congratulations and thank you for such a brilliant performance from Marlborough last night at the concert.
The lady sitting next to me said after our performance "wow, they will be a hard act to follow" I was so proud of them all.
A big thank you for a fab night.

Jo Reid


Dear Ms Thomson,
I was at SASSMA tonight and I had to e mail to say how excellent the Marlborough students were! I have attended this event for 7 years now and have to say the school has really 'upped its game'. I heard several people around me making comments such as 'wow! That will be a hard act to follow'. Please pass on my congratulations to all involved. 
Kind regards,

Karen Affleck


Hello Ms Thomson,
I just wanted to say congratulations and thank you for such a brilliant performance from Marlborough last night at the concert.
The lady sitting next to me said after our performance "wow, they will be a hard act to follow" I was so proud of them all.
A big thank you for a fab night.
With regards

Jo Reid


Dear Mr Williams,
I am writing thank you for organising the Ofsted inspector’s visit during the Partnership inspection last week. Under the new Ofsted ITE framework very short notice is given and I appreciate the time you spent ensuring that the visit was well prepared.
The feedback from the inspection team was overwhelmingly positive and recognised the very good training and mentoring undertaken by Partnership schools. When we receive the final report I shall share the main findings with you.
I wish you and your staff a good, and well deserved, Christmas break.
Yours sincerely,

Anne Mansey, Head of Initial Teacher Education


My daughter has settled in at Marlborough brilliantly. She is really happy and enjoys being at school. She loves being amongst all her friends and enjoys most subjects.

The teachers have all been very helpful and she feels very comfortable if she needs to get help or advice. She loves PE/Sports and was thrilled her form tutor is a PE Teacher.

The after-school activities are fantastic, she does Gym/Dance & Trampolining and the enjoyment and exercises she gains from this has improved her confidence and given her a chance to channel her energy into something she thoroughly enjoys.

Many thanks to all the staff at Marlborough, your hard work and commitment shines through the children and as parents, we always feel well informed.

T Stanley


Even though a number of weeks have passed since the award ceremony took place at St Albans Cathedral we would like to thank you and your staff for your efforts for holding the event in such an iconic location. The students are so lucky to have a team behind them that gives them the opportunity to put themselves on the next level. We as parents were filled with pride as we witnessed our daughter Lauren receive her award. I was especially pleased that Lauren's Grandfather was also there and to see his beaming face when Lauren's name was called out.
The pupils can only be inspired by attending events like this and I hope that you and your team have received many messages thanking you for your continued efforts.

On another note we would like to thank Mr Eve who helped Lauren over come some difficulties with her 6th form choices. His support and organisational input put Lauren's mind at ease. We feel that he went beyond what would be normally expected and he deserves a huge pat on the back for his dedication to his role.

Regards,

Gerald & Theresa Stanley


Mrs Hooper (One of our Year 6 teachers) has asked me to pass on her thanks to you for organising the pre secondary transfer day session on Wednesday 13th July. Irina from our school attended and came back really happy and was confident about going to the secondary transfer day on the Thursday. She wanted to tell Mrs Hooper all about it so thank you very much. Please pass on our thanks to Judith too.
Admin

Killigrew Primary School


Dear Ms Thomson,
I would just like to take this opportunity of thanking you and your colleagues for holding the Year 7 Evaluation Evening last Wednesday. It was very informative and only reinforced my growing appreciation for the hard work and extreme effort you put in to assuring that all pupils are happy and settled in the school environment.

It has been a real delight to see Terri coming out of school with a big smile on her face (probably due to the equally big cookie in her hand) and can’t wait to tell us what an enjoyable day she has had. We were very fortunate to be offered a place at Marlborough from the waiting list and since day one she has thoroughly enjoyed her time from summer school, through to PGL, making new friends and quickly finding her feet. All of this has been due to the continued commitment and genuine dedication we have seen from yourself and other staff members.

We feel totally assured that Terri is in the right school for her to develop into a well-rounded, respectful individual and sincerely hope that she will take the opportunity that has been offered her to give something back to the school in way of thanks.
With kind regards

Toni Whitley


Dear Ms Thomson,
We have now come to the ‘end of an era’ with Adam finishing his time at Marlborough and felt we could not let this pass without a note to you and your staff.
Adam started Marlborough at the same time as yourself and thus has been part of your first cohort to complete their studies. We have generally been very pleased with the support and teaching from the school and, in particular with the way you have led the school forward to its current status. We have always found the staff to be 
approachable and professional. Adam has particularly found his A level teachers to be both inspiring and supportive during his studies and this has been reflected in his 
fantastic results which will stand him in good stead for his future education at Reading University.

At the time that Adam started at Marlborough, several friends were a little concerned that we were sending our child to your school and surprised that we had actively 
chosen it as our first option! We have been thoroughly vindicated as Adam has come through the system as a well-rounded, confident adult with academic achievements that have surpassed many of his friends who attended so-called ’ better’ schools! This could not have happened without the dedication and support of you and your many 
talented staff who have given Adam a thirst for learning. We know that we made the right decision! 

We would like to say a very big thank you to you all for making Adam’s time at 
Marlborough one that has been very happy and productive. We would not hesitate to recommend the school to anyone!
Thank you again

Sue, Ric and Adam


Dear Ms Thomson,
I wanted to write and thank you and tell you about the great time my son, William and I had at the CSI Science Day on Monday 11th July at your school. The activities set up for the morning session were very ’hands on’ and a good introduction to the work of CSI. The ‘murder scene’ and subsequent investigation in the afternoon was great fun and we even managed to work out who the suspect was! The day was very well 
managed by Mrs Finley and Mr Eve and they should be praised for their enthusiasm in hosting the event. On a final note, the other pupils involved in the activity were polite and friendly and were a credit to the school.
Thanks again for allowing such an event to take place and for the pupils and teachers to take time out from their normal schedule.
Kind regards

Peter Crane


Hello Ms Thomson,
Just a quick note to say thank you for organising such an inspiring prize giving today. I really enjoyed listening to Tim Prendergast and I imagine his story would have had quite an impact on the students (my daughter Anna was certainly full of it). It think it is brilliant that the school went to such lengths. Also I would like to thank you and your colleagues for giving Anna so many super opportunities this year; the PGL trip, the trip to Lille, the special drama day, a chance to attend a two day course with Michael Morpurgo and a morning of sport with Tim Prendergast. She has been very lucky. 
Finally a thank you to all of her teachers this year. Anna has really enjoyed her first year and she appears to have made great progress.
Parents are always quick to complain—but we are not always very good at showing appreciation.
Regards

Fiona Charlesworth


Dear Ms Thomson,
I wish to tender my deep thanks to you for your kindness in arranging for the weeds at the back of my garden (on school grounds) to be cut down.
I am very grateful as I am elderly and no very mobile and so could not cope with the problem myself.
You are in charge of a great school and I wish you all well.
Yours Sincerely,

Mrs K Goode


Dear Mr Viney,
Thank you very much for believing in Henry and giving him a chance to progress in his future career.
Thank you for the parental care given by all members of your team.
God bless always and may Marlborough continue to produce outstanding student & future leaders.

Mr & Mrs Bello


Dear Ms Thomson,
Further to our conversations I just wanted to let you know that Lucy has settled well at Marlborough and we thank you and Mrs Armer again for making the move possible so quickly over the Christmas holidays.

Obviously her having experience at another school gives an interesting perspective and I thought you would like to know one of the observations that Lucy has shared with us.

Lucy says Marlborough "just feels right and nice"
The over-riding factor that she mentioned straight away was how "happy" and positive the teachers are both in class and around the school. 

We believe this has made her feel very motivated and engaged and in turn we very much appreciate how hard the staff are working to provide a positive learning environment. 

She is enjoying her lessons and I would like to thank her teachers for the way they have helped her make the transition.

Kind regards

Mrs R Coleman


Dear Ms Thomson, Ms Armer, Ms Blackbourn and Mrs Clegg.

After my visit on Friday to see the Culture Day presentation, and being most warmly welcomed again by Ms Armer and Mrs Clegg, I wanted to say a massive thank you, on behalf of my wife and I for all that you have done to welcome my son into your school. The Marlborough Science Academy is a refreshing change from our previous experience, I have said on more than one occasion that your school has a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere, a real 'soul' that is generated by the staff and students, something that is missing in so many other establishments. 

We have received excellent communication from Ms Blackbourn since he started and received a great mini report organised by her just before the recent half term. We were exceptionally pleased to read his grade card this weekend and the positive comments within.

I can assure you, the quick transfer of him to your school would not have been possible without all of your support and advice. I must also add that the help shown him and us has not gone unnoticed among our friends in the local area and Marlborough has become a very real possibility in their choice of secondary schools for September 2014. 

Kind regards,

Mr A A


I wanted to say thank you as Josh has had such a fantastic experience at Marlborough in so many ways- academically and socially. and it's all down to you and your excellent team. I remember struggling with the school decision when Josh was 11 years old and I am so pleased we decided on Marlborough. I have only good things to say about it. The staff are so hard working and genuinely interested in the students’ progress. They are also endlessly patient!

Thank you again for all your hard work, enthusiasm, support and dedication. We couldn't have done it without you!

Kind regards,

K Molloy


I just wanted to take a moment to convey in writing, what a wonderful afternoon I had at the Gift Award Presentation at St Albans Abbey Cathedral.

What a wonderful platform to celebrate and identify all the hard work and talent being achieved and produced at Marlborough.

I especially want to say, thank you to Mrs Redfern for recommending Nicole to receive the award for English during year 9. I know Nicole enjoys school and her passion is English Lit & Lang. I think some acknowledgement and credit should go to Mrs Redfern for nurturing and supporting Nicole in one of her most favourite subjects.

Thank you once again for an amazing afternoon,
Yours Sincerely,

Mrs J Cox


I just wanted to say how very pleased we all are with our experiences of Marlborough so far. Evan is really enjoying himself and seems both stimulated in lessons and to feel valued, happy and confident within the school community, which is really the best kind of educational experience one could have, so thank you! As a parent, on the few occasions I have so far visited the school or had contact with staff, I have been struck by the respect everyone has for each other's contributions (including parents) and how cheerful and positive the atmosphere is.

Thank you very much!

Mrs Charman