The Wren School
Reading, United Kingdom
About The Wren School
The Wren School is a thriving and growing 11-18 secondary school based in the heart of the local community. Reading is a vibrant town with a thriving centre sited on the River Thames and River Kennet. A historic market town with many shops and restaurants and fantastic opportunities to explore a huge number of local and regional attractions. The school is situated in West Reading, with easy access to the M4 and excellent rail links to London and across the country.
Our first cohort of Year 7 students arrived in September 2015 and we moved into our state of the art, modern buildings in September 2018. These fantastic buildings provide us with spacious and well-equipped learning environments that inspire our students to continue to strive for excellence. In September 2020, we were delighted to welcome our first Sixth Form cohort as our school continues to grow and develop. We were very proud that in June 2018, after our first Ofsted inspection, we achieved a ‘Good’ rating; we were described as, “a school that enables pupils to succeed” and it endorsed the journey we are on. You can view a copy of the report here.
As a school, we value community cohesion and are proud to be part of the Excalibur Academies Trust and its excellent network of schools. Founded in 2012, EAT is a multi-academy trust that prides itself on a special blend of independence and collaboration. Their vision is to provide an excellent education empowering individuals to thrive and grow within a caring, aspirational and outward looking culture. They believe in investing in staff to ensure they attract and retain talented, dedicated people who are committed to changing children’s lives for the better. With a strong track record of raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils across the trust, it is their mission to promote social mobility and personal fulfilment through the transformative power of education.
Our rich and purposeful curriculum offers a wide mix of academic and practical opportunities. We challenge our students to explore, discover and learn new things, and inspire them to dream and think big. We aim to create independent, creative and confident individuals who are skilled and ready for the world, and resilient to the challenges they might face.
We have an unremitting focus on quality first teaching and learning, with an exceptional staff team who are committed to creating our ‘Wren Inspirational Classrooms’. We expect and encourage the highest standards of attitude, behaviour and commitment from staff and students alike.
Our students follow a three year Key Stage 3, studying a wide range of subjects to prepare them for Year 9 - a year of choice and decision-making about GCSE subjects and the next stage of their educational journey. All students will have the opportunity to select a personalised combination of subjects that will allow them to reach for success at the end of Key Stage 4 in Year 11. We hope that each student's journey with us continues into our sixth form where we provide a range of qualifications to meet their needs and open up opportunities as they step into the world of work or continue onto further study at university.
Principal
John Salberg
Location
‘The Wren is a particularly supportive environment with ample professional development opportunities. As an NQT and now RQT I feel incredibly invested-in and lucky to have been nurtured throughout the early stages of my career. I cannot imagine being surrounded by more passionate people than those at The Wren and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to develop at this wonderful school’
- Sarah, Teaching staff‘My favourite thing about working at The Wren School is the sense of teamwork that runs through all the departments. You’re never alone after a tough day and there is always someone to seek advice from - whether they are in your department or not’
- Simon, Teaching staff'In my time as an NQT at The Wren I felt fully supported by all members of staff. Having an NQT co-ordinator that knows each staff member's strengths allowed me to observe best teaching practices of areas that I needed to develop. From my first experience of visiting during my PGCE year, to the years since my NQT year, I have always felt that staff look out for each other's wellbeing and will always support each other’
- Luke, Teaching staff