About

I joined Hurworth School in 1996 and in September 2003 I was promoted to the position of Head Teacher.

As Head Teacher, I am very keen to develop this excellent school into the finest 11-16 school to be found anywhere. I am very proud of what we have achieved at this school to date; in recent years we have consistently been ranked in the top 1 percentile of schools for CVA from KS2 to KS4.

Here are some comments from our most recent OFSTED Report.

The school's performance - In April 2008 the school's fourth and latest OFSTED inspection stated that:

Hurworth School provides its students with an outstanding education, the schools mission statement of 'achieving excellence with care' is at the heart of everything that happens. The outstanding care, guidance and support for the students mirrors the relentless focus on improving the quality of the students' lives, not only through academic success, but also success in sport, the performing arts and business projects. This is a school in which every student matters and each and every student is known. Parents are very happy with the education provided for their children.

All the students who left in 2007 achieved five GCSE passes, which can be attributed to outstanding teaching and learning and to the outstanding level of academic and pastoral care, guidance and support. The innovative and well embedded, assertive mentoring system means that each student's progress is meticulously tracked and fed back to students and parents. Well thought through intervention strategies are frequently monitored to ensure the vast majority of students make exceptional progress. Excellent provision is made for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, especially those students with autism.

The personal development and well-being of the students are outstanding. The extremely good relationships between staff and students contribute to the students feeling very safe at the school and this was noted by parents. Students are polite, happy, articulate young people who are very proud to be at the school and this is shown through their excellent attendance.

Teaching and learning are outstanding. The staff caters very well for the needs and interests of the students through a variety of activities.

Students' excellent behaviour and the positive relationships between the staff and students mean lessons can be exciting and innovative. Teaching assistants are well used and provide considerable support. The students know and understand their target grades and what they have to do to improve.

The highly successful and very effective partnership of the head and chief executive, ably backed by the senior leadership team, has an extremely clear vision which fully embodies the mission statement of 'achieving excellence with care'. This outstanding and proactive leadership has ensured that the students are happy, confident young people who make excellent progress.

The full report can be viewed here.

Additionally I thought you may appreciate a few facts and figures regarding the GCSE performance of the school in 2011.

• 98% of pupils achieved 5 or more A*-C grades (highest in the school’s history!)
• 82% of this year’s cohort attained 5+ A*-C (including Eng. & Maths), (highest in the school’s history!)
• The last set of predicted grades for year 11 predicted 99% 5 or more A*-C grades & 83% 5+ A*-C (including Eng. & Maths).

In the core subjects:

• English - 89% A*-C (a school record)
• Maths - 85 % A*-C (a school record & the gap between English & Mathematics has closed)
• Statistics – 95% A*-C
• English Literature - 98% A*-C (a school record)
• 93% A*-C in Media. (set 4 & set 5)
• 80% A*-C in Drama
• Science (Double Award) 100% A*-C (a school record)
• Core Science 90 % A*-C (a school record)
• 58 entries in Single Sciences Biology, Chemistry & Physics; achieving 100% A*-Cs.
• 100% pass rate in the inaugural set of results for Science Certificate (worth two GCSE)

In the non core subjects:

• ICT - 100% of students achieved a C grade or better at GCSE (95% achieved an A* or A grade.)
• All students passed ICT National Certificate
• 100% A*-C in Music
• 100% A*-C in BTEC PE
• 100% A*-C in French, Spanish & Russian
• 100% A*-C in Food
• 93% A*-C in History (39% A*/A)
• 93% A*-C in H & SC
• 91% A*-C in Art
• 89% A*-C in Graphics
• 88% A*-C in BIS
• 87% A*-C in German
• 84% A*-C in Long course RS
• 80% A*-C in Short course RS

The School - Further Background Information

Hurworth is an attractive rural village situated 3 miles from Darlington and close to major transport services by road, rail and air.  This is an over-subscribed 5 form entry comprehensive school, with accommodation for up to 635 pupils in the 11 to 16 years age-range. There are currently 651 boys and girls, representing the full range of academic ability on roll, with a teaching staff of 42 & a non-teaching staff of approximately 40.

Academic courses lead to examinations at GCSE and substantial numbers of pupils move on to Higher Education in the nearby Sixth Form College and the College of Technology, both in Darlington.  Pupils are drawn largely from the villages of Hurworth, Middleton St George and Neasham as well as from an area of south-east Darlington. 

Sporting and social traditions are well established and though small, the school enjoys a good reputation throughout the area in a wide range of activities.  There are many flourishing clubs, societies and activities operating during the lunch period and after school.  The Parent Staff Association is a very supportive and active body, which does much to foster strong ties with the local community.  There is widespread interest in the school's activities among parents, and they seek, with the school, the highest possible standards.

The pastoral organisation within the school is based on year groups, with strong emphasis placed upon the work of year group tutor teams working in conjunction with Heads of Year and the Deputy Head Teacher (with responsibility for Pastoral Care).  We have a strong House structure to support and complement the Year Team system. The academic organisation is founded upon a departmental structure, with a strong emphasis upon team work.

Pupils on entry to the school are streamed by ability. Individual progress is monitored regularly and pupils are moved within and between streams when this is justified.  Strong support is given to pupils with learning difficulties in mainstream situations.

At the end of the Year 9, pupils have some choice in selecting courses to be pursued during Years 10 and 11.  All pupils have a common core of subjects including English, Mathematics, Science, ICT, Technology, Physical Education, Careers, PSHCE and Religious Studies. A range of options provide a choice to ensure breadth in the curriculum.

The children and staff of this school are marvelous and and all enjoy being a part of the life of the school.

D Judson
Head Teacher

October 2011