Virtual Open Event Welcome from the Headteacher Dear Parents/Carers & Students Since our Open Evening this year has been scaled down for health and safety reasons, I would like to introduce myself and welcome you to Overton Grange School. I am Keith Stride and am privileged to be the Headteacher of this school, having worked here for over twelve years. Thank you for taking the time to look at our school. I realise that choosing a secondary school is one of the most important decisions you can make on behalf of and with your son or daughter. Next September we will have 210 places available for Year 6 students. I believe there are three main pieces of evidence available to help you choose which school is right for your son or daughter. Firstly, the written evidence - our recent & current Ofsted report of March 2019 which is available on our website. The inspectors concluded we were a Good school and made many positive comments acknowledging our strengths, including: the quality of teaching, behaviour, leadership, safety, relationships, pastoral care, the Sixth Form, and extra-curricular activities. Linked to this are our very strong exam results over previous years, well above national averages at both GCSE and `A` Level for all abilities. As Ofsted said in 2016 and again in 2019 students here make `substantial progress` and our results this summer proved it yet again. In addition to this, we also have a very solid track record at `A` Level and therefore have a thriving and popular Sixth Form, with the majority of our students remaining here at sixteen to continue their studies. Secondly, the physical evidence - by this I mean things like the building, the artwork, the facilities for sport including the pitches and tennis courts, dance, technology, students’ work and other activities. Our building is modern and complete. Please watch the various videos on our website to see what I mean. Thirdly, the people - it is the people who bring this school community to life, the staff and students. These are the real assets of the school and make it the unique and successful community that it is. These people bring our values to life and the quality of relationships is what we believe is at the core of the educational process and our success as a school. Our staff are experienced, loyal and dedicated. We have a very low staff turnover, and many staff send their own children here. This September we were again fully staffed. The Governing body and I believe passionately that the best education for a young person today is in a successful non-selective school that has its roots in the local community. Overton Grange is such a school with over 85% of our students coming from Sutton. It has been here since 1997 and is committed to constant improvement. For us, non-selective means opportunities for all to succeed and to make progress at the correct pace for them. This school welcomes students of all backgrounds, of abilities as well as disabilities, and wholeheartedly supports their transition from childhood to adulthood. It gives them individualised support, encouragement and inspiration so they can achieve their best and leave school with the qualifications, life skills, positive attitudes, aspirations and the self-confidence needed to begin successful, healthy and rewarding adult lives. We educate children for success in life. Overton Grange combines traditional values with forward-looking educational aims. We believe that the single most important factor in a successful start to a child’s secondary education is the quality of relationships – with teachers, peers, older students. I am proud to say that relations between staff and students here are very harmonious and cooperative. Over 95% of our parents consistently tell us that their child is happy at school. We have a broad, balanced yet constantly evolving curriculum (details on our website). We respond to changes in the children’s primary school experiences and adapt the Key Stage Three curriculum to suit the needs of all learners: to stretch them as well as stimulate their interests in new areas of knowledge. In years 7 to 9 in addition to the Core subjects of English, Mathematics & Science all students study the Humanities, the Arts, PE, Citizenship; Modern Foreign Languages (French / Spanish and possibly German), as well as ICT and 3 types of Design Technology. In Years 10 and 11 the options are broader, offering a mixture of ‘traditional’ and ‘new’ subjects including Construction, Dance, Media Studies, Travel & Tourism, Business Studies and Health & Social Care. The Sixth Form curriculum is even more diverse, embracing Psychology, Sociology, Economics and Politics. Each year the vast majority of our Year 13 students go on to study at university whilst others go into employment, apprenticeships or further training. We are as proud of those sixth formers who have gone to Oxford or Cambridge or medical school as we are of those who, at sixteen, have gained apprenticeships in electrics or hairdresssing or who go to college for further ‘life skills.’ We do not just offer a curriculum in formal lesson time: we have an excellent range of extra-curricular activities (when circumstances allow) which reinforce and enrich students` learning. These include homework clubs, ICT, music technology club, dance, art, drama, major sports (cricket, basketball, football, netball) and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. There are also overseas trips: our biannual Sixth Form project in Zambia, skiing in Canada and language trips to France, Spain and Germany. Each student is also allocated a House as well as a tutor group and this provides a source of lively entertainment, healthy competition, fun and fundraising for charity. We are extremely proud of our students, but we do not take all the credit. It is a joint effort and success is based on a close working relationship between home and school. You know your children better than we do and only by co-operation can we do our best for them. All children have unique individual interests, aptitudes and potential as well as individual needs. We have a programme for the More Able, Gifted and Talented as well as a Learning Development Department, which caters for those with specific learning difficulties, impaired mobility or emotional, medical or social needs. We have an excellent Hearing Support Department and these students, as well as Physically Disabled students, are integrated as much as possible in lessons. We celebrate the diversity of our community, and your son or daughter will experience these diversities as part of their time at Overton Grange: an education in itself. We want our students to feel safe and secure in school and in the society they are growing into, secure in their moral beliefs and confident and skilled enough to stand up for what they believe. Above all, however, we want them to be happy and enjoy school, so that it is something they look forward to at the start of each day and feel rewarded, stimulated and enriched by at the end of it. I hope that you will ultimately decide that this is the best school for your son or daughter and that we will see you in September 2022. Yours sincerely Mr Keith Stride, Headteacher Click to download a copy of this letter (.pdf) Click the ‘buttons’ and images below to access additional important information (.pdf) DOWNLOAD RECENT STUDENT DESTINATIONS INFO OFSTED SUMMARY Prospectus Admissions Ofsted WATCH NOW: OGS VIDEO! WATCH: VIDEO TOUR OF OGS WATCH: A TYPICAL DAY AT OGS QUICK LINKS Home Contact Us Ofsted Calendar Safeguarding Term Dates CONTACT Headteacher: Mr K Stride School contact: Main Office T: 020 8239 2383 E: office@overtongrange.sutton.sch.uk Address: Overton Grange School Stanley Road, Sutton SM2 6TQ Privacy Policy & Cookies |Downloads |What are they doing now? School website designed by empra By using this website, you agree to our Website Privacy Policy. We use cookies to provide you with a great experience and to help our website run effectively. OK