Reviews
Reviews of James Calvert Spence College
1 star out of 5
1 review
James Calvert Spence College (commonly referred to as JCSC) replaced Coquet High School as Ambles secondary school a few years back, the school has some great features such as student independence in the sixth form, an enforced dress code to accompany their smart blazer and tie themed uniform in main school and a well planned out building which makes finding classrooms relatively easy.
However this school has massive flaws which put off parents and students every year, the biggest flaw is quality of education, the GCSC pass rate at James Calvert Spence College is relatively low, according to parents and students this is down to the quality of teaching, students claim some teachers (particularly maths teachers) are lazy and fail to give adequate assistance, though the biggest issue is lack of teachers, students claim their lessons consist of a different supply teacher every week, therefor focusing on one topic is difficult. Another serious fault in the college is lack of care from the teachers, students claim that some teachers don't help, don't wish to help and won't help when asked, homework is rarely handed out, very little guidance on revision is given and lessons consist of students misbehaving making it very hard for enthusiastic students to learn.
The condition of the building is poor, though this may be down to the school not having enough funding to carry out repairs, its obvious nothing has been done to improve the building condition, walking into the main visitor office is a pleasant experience, repairs have clearly been carried out, the walls match the schools colour code and a posh reception desk stands in front of the doors with a large metal logo on the wall, this makes the school look new and well funded, however going around the school is not so pleasant, there are bits of ceiling hanging off, the brick walls are exposed and the staircases look extremely old and battered, details like this make the experience of viewing the school an unpleasant time, in comparison to the building condition of other schools in Northumberland, large improvements could be made.
On the subject of extracurricular activities, the school offers little to none, with the exception of an informal revision session now and again.
The general student attitude towards the school is extremely poor, when asking my children and some of their friends (who attend JCSC) what their opinion is on the school, they expressed their sheer discontent, and claimed that if you where to ask any student what they thought, they would also show discontent to the education, the teaching, the management and to the behaviour of other students.
James Calvert Spence College without a doubt has its serious flaws, and as a parent wouldn't be my first choice, or a choice at all for my children, but for some parents in the catchment area the school is convenient as travailing is less of an issue, the schools website allows parents to view some details about their child and the school hands out free bus passes for ill children, though having its flaws the school has its strengths, however before enrolling yourself or your children in the college both the pros and cons should be considered because there is no denying that the cons are plentiful.
Parent of an ex student Reviewed 22nd March 2014 1:15 AM
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Parking near
Albert street, Albert Street, Amble, NE65 0LU (0.12 miles)
Turner street, Turner Street, Amble, NE65 0DH (0.36 miles)
Queen street, Queen Street, Amble, NE65 0DQ (0.39 miles)
The Braid, Amble, NE65 0GZ (0.40 miles)
Coquet street, Coquet Street, Amble, NE65 0DJ (0.47 miles)
Train stations near
Acklington (2.96 miles)
Widdrington (6.20 miles)
Alnmouth for Alnwick (9.79 miles)
Pegswood (10.73 miles)
Morpeth (12.14 miles)
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