The Howard Partnership Trust (THPT) is a Surrey based Multi-Academy Trust, comprising four secondary, six primary and two special schools with two further under development. We are proud of our ethos of collaboration and inclusion, "Bringing out the best" in students of all abilities and backgrounds. Visit website

Part of The Howard Partnership Trust

Three Rivers Academy is a GOOD school

The inspection on 14th and 15th May 2019 was the first opportunity for Ofsted to recognise the rapid improvements the school has made since joining The Howard Partnership Trust in September 2016.

I am delighted to confirm that the inspectors agreed with our own self-evaluation of the significant progress that Three Rivers has made and judged us to be a Good school in all areas:

  • Leadership and Management – Good
  • Teaching, Learning and Assessment – Good
  • Personal development, behaviour and welfare – Good
  • Outcomes for pupils – Good
  • 16-19 Study Programmes - Good

The report highlights many of the key strengths of the school:

  • Pupils, staff and governors agree that there has been an extremely positive change in the culture and ethos of the school.
  • Leaders have successfully created an ethos of ambition and high expectations.
  • Work with The Howard Partnership Trust continues to be key to the school’s improvement.
  • Pupils demonstrate eagerness to learn and teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve.
  • The curriculum and enrichment activities promote pupils’ development well.
  • Quality assurance systems and procedures are very robust. As a result, staff are clear about what is expected of them and pupils are making good progress over time.
  • The provision for the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development lies at the heart of the school’s ethos.
  • There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Pupils say that they feel safe in school.
  • In most lessons, there are strong relationships and embedded routines, meaning that little learning time is lost.
  • Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use it effectively to plan lessons to meet the needs of learners.
  • Pupils routinely reflect upon teachers’ advice to improve their work and act upon it. They are making good progress in developing their knowledge, skills and understanding across a variety of subjects.
  • Pastoral care is a strength of the school.
  • Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are eager to do well. They are proud of their school, smart in their uniform, and are respectful of their impressive school building. They feel listened to and involved in making decisions.
  • Pupils mostly behave well and are courteous and polite to each other and to visitors. The school is a calm and orderly place in which pupils can learn.
  • Pupils’ oracy skills are developing well and inspectors saw many examples of pupils expressing themselves in a very articulate and confident way.
  • The sixth form provides an inclusive and aspirational education. Students reported that staff know them well and they value the strong relationships they have with staff.
  • Teaching, learning and assessment in the sixth form are of consistently high quality and therefore students make good progress across a wide range of subjects. Typically, teachers have excellent subject knowledge which they use to inject high levels of challenge into lessons. They facilitate rich discussions which broaden and deepen students’ knowledge, skills and understanding beyond the examination requirements.

I was pleased to note that the areas for development in the report had in fact already been identified through the accuracy of our own self-evaluation processes which had been shared with the inspectors. As a school we will continue to strive for further improvements with plans already in place to address these issues and, with your support, focus on continuing to bring out the best in all our students.

The final report can be viewed here or on the Ofsted website.

The report is testament to the hard work, passion and commitment of all stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to ‘bring out the best’ in our students and I am pleased this has been recognised.

I would like to give personal thanks to all parents and carers who have continued to demonstrate their support and commitment to the school.

Yours sincerely

Anne-Louise Payne
Headteacher