'I have been in the privileged position now, for more years than I care to remember, of leading the wonderful learning community that is The Marlborough Science Academy. As a team, we have worked relentlessly to hold firm to the ethos that has driven me throughout my teaching career; the ethos that a happy, secure, and confident young person will thrive. I have always felt passionately that when you get the right environment with the alchemy that is outstanding teaching, parent engagement, enrichment activities, and a firm but fair behaviour policy, school is and can be a joy.

Our young people are currently faced with a myriad of issues that some of us have never had to contend with. Working closely with parents and with a beady eye on the horizon, Marlborough is well-placed to steer your children to success and self-efficacy with care and inspirational teaching, in and out of the classroom.

Our document entitled, 'Our Learning Expectations', sets out our stall clearly, albeit in a very simple way. We see your children for five hours a day and, within that time I want them to learn, enquire, show curiosity, be polite, considerate, kind and dignified, qualities I know you as parents will reinforce at home. Without this reinforcement and your support, the art of learning can go awry. That is not what any of us want, as our bright young people forge their way through life and the challenges, as well as opportunities, it can bring. Our school values underpin all that we do, this united approach and commitment resulted in Marlborough being accredited with the School of Character Quality Mark.

Recent research has indicated the fact that the majority of young adults can expect to undertake at least 17 different jobs over their career span. It is our job therefore, with your support as parents, to steer our children through their school years with clarity and direction, so that we too are keeping abreast of changing times as well as using all of our resources to ensure confident and well-qualified approaches towards modern life. We have invested heavily in new technologies to make learning come alive and, of course we are delighted too with our new block, which is modern and a fabulous learning environment.

School years are so important. I am blessed to work with a leadership team and a carefully recruited staff who share my views that school should teach but be fun too. When asked after Covid what our children missed most it was their relationships with teachers and friends; it was the 'spine tingling' moment in the classrooms that I see every day that they missed and that ravenous desire for knowledge that sets our students up for a lifetime of love of learning and curiosity.

Marlborough has an ethos that I believe is exceptional in its desire to teach, stretch and challenge whilst being mindful of the anxieties and worries all our young people are continually being bombarded with.

Children I speak to every day describe their school as a family, a sanctuary, and a place where they feel safe to learn. That makes me and my team very proud. Our values, Courage, Endeavour, Kindness, Compassion and Dignity permeate everything we do. We believe strongly that keeping these close will get us all through anything!'

Ms A Thomson

Headteacher.