Welcome to our newly updated website. The Thomas Aveling School is an 11-19 co-educational non-selective secondary school serving our community in Rochester, Kent. We are a second phase Technology College and were designated as a Training School in April 2006 as recognition for our high performance over the past four years. We were amongst the 100 Most Improved Schools in 2005 and have received recognition from the DfES and Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) for the value we add to students' education.

We aim to create a culture of high expectations and success for all students and staff. Our academic results have risen from 26% of students gaining five A-C grades in 2001 to 65% in 2007, whilst inclusive strategies have ensured that 95% of all students gain 5 pass grades. As well as supporting students of all abilities to make outstanding academic progress Thomas Aveling is an Artsmark Gold and Sportsmark School providing excellent opportunities and facilities for drama, music, dance and physical education.

We work in collaboration with a wide range of partners. We are a Mentor School for the Specialist Trust and work with other schools to help raise standards. We are a leading member of Kent and Medway Training and along with fourteen other schools train up to fifty new teachers each year. Our post-16 partnership with other secondary schools in Rochester and Walderslade extends the range of courses we are able to offer in the sixth form. Over the past two years we have worked in collaboration with Warren Wood Primary School to extend out of hours services for local children and adults.

We have a vibrant, inclusive and successful sixth form of 180 students with many young people joining Thomas Aveling at 16 from local secondary schools. We offer advanced and intermediate courses and have a good track record in enabling students to access Further and Higher Education.

We are delighted to have been designated an "outstanding school" by the Ofsted team that inspected our school in June 2006. As well as the overall judgement we were also graded as outstanding for:

• The effective and inclusive provision of education in meeting the needs of learners:
• The effectiveness of the school's self evaluation
• How well learners achieve
• How well learners make progress
• How well learners develop workplace skills
• How well learners are cared for, guided and supported
• The effectiveness of leadership and management
• How effectively the school is monitored
• Value for money

Governors and staff are extremely proud of this achievement and particularly in recognising the "relentless determination that all the students will have the very best opportunities to succeed in life."