See all schools in Great Torrington, Torrington EX38
Great Torrington School
Secondary · Academy · Torrington
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Awful!
A badly run school where the teachers bully the pupils & other members of staff out of their job!
Very bad place
I haven’t been to this school in around a year and a half and I still remember how bad it made me feel. Bullying here was never dealt with, I remember telling a staff member about something and nothing happened with it.
I would dread going to school every morning because of the unhealthy environment it provided.
It got to the point where the thought of stepping foot in that school made me physically unwell and this was terribly hard for me and my entire household.
No one cared about the racism and homophobia that was going on in the halls but if someone was wearing colour on the nails, or accidentally bought the wrong clothing for uniform, that is when they would step in.
This bad experience wasn’t just me being unlucky, or not being the academic type, because other people I know had to leave this school before it was time to. This school is not a safe and friendly environment for a student.
Extra information: I found out my dad was seriously ill in the school and a staff member told me to splash some water on my face and get to where I had to be.
I would dread going to school every morning because of the unhealthy environment it provided.
It got to the point where the thought of stepping foot in that school made me physically unwell and this was terribly hard for me and my entire household.
No one cared about the racism and homophobia that was going on in the halls but if someone was wearing colour on the nails, or accidentally bought the wrong clothing for uniform, that is when they would step in.
This bad experience wasn’t just me being unlucky, or not being the academic type, because other people I know had to leave this school before it was time to. This school is not a safe and friendly environment for a student.
Extra information: I found out my dad was seriously ill in the school and a staff member told me to splash some water on my face and get to where I had to be.
Bad school.
I only spent a few months at this school a while ago and numerous incidents happened, and some still do.
At the taster days, it seems like a fun and safe school but as soon as it goes back to normal that changes.
I never felt safe in this school. If you walked down the hallways, you would either get yelled at or jumped at and a lot of the time this would still happen after school hours!! I don't even go to GTS anymore and sometimes when I'm walking somewhere some students make animal noises at me.
The hallways are overcrowded and whether it was on purpose or not, you would get hit often.
This school made me and my household miserable.
At the taster days, it seems like a fun and safe school but as soon as it goes back to normal that changes.
I never felt safe in this school. If you walked down the hallways, you would either get yelled at or jumped at and a lot of the time this would still happen after school hours!! I don't even go to GTS anymore and sometimes when I'm walking somewhere some students make animal noises at me.
The hallways are overcrowded and whether it was on purpose or not, you would get hit often.
This school made me and my household miserable.
Bad really bad
It’s very bad, bullying never dealt with
Decent for our area
Alright school, better than a load in the area but still could be improved. It's rather small which I think is quite good. Really good for those with educational needs. Some teachers check in on you quite regularly which is good whilst others don't. Some incidents that happen tend to not get resolved too well though. Other than that it's a alright and decent school and as a student I'm enjoying my time at this school. You get people from Bideford going there instead of Bideford college which says a lot
GCSEs
Best in the local area, but has its flaws...
GTS is by far better than any of the other offering locally. Many people living in areas such as Bideford travel to torrington rather than going to Bideford college which says a lot. Won't even mention route39 / Atlantic academy as that place has always been a joke. I left a few years ago, so a lot might have changed, but the staff were varied. Some teachers were ace, checking in with us, making sure we understand and making the subject enjoyable. Other teachers, not so much. We weren't told all the details, but a PE teacher was pretty much forced to leave due to some questionable behaviour, and there are rumours of an affair between other staff members, but this does not affect the school whatsoever, as that's their personal choice. As long as you're lucky with which teacher you get, you'll be fine, although the teachers have probably all changed since I was there.
The senior leadership is overall decent here (at least when I was there). They do try to solve problems and are approachable, but certain SLT members seem to think they're some sort of God with their job title. It's hard to explain but some of them take the 'power' and responsibilities so seriously, when actually this just ruins any respect students had for them. There were a certain 4 members of staff working together that I found this applied to most.
The communication from GTS is not great. Kept us in the dark on a lot of things, and you either go short/ no notice for events, or had to keep asking for details etc. This could well have changed, but it was a bit disappointing to have this lack of information.
The building is old and tired, but there isn't a lot that can be done about this. The corridors aren't all that clean. I personally didn't think much of the cleaners. They would use the same rag to clean the staff toilet and then wipe down classroom with the same rag. And the corridors, although fairly clean, were never great. Plus, if you have any after-school activities, be prepared to be moaned at by cleaners for walking down corridors that you need to use, despite the activities being approved and prearranged. The toilets were grotty, and grim. There was never soap in the sinks. If the toilets are all still the same as they were a few years ago, I'd say either cross your legs, or bring your own soap. Maybe this changed with covid going on.
Overall, a decent school. As with any school it's underfunded and that shows. It's rough around the edges, but I left with good results that have set me up for life. Obviously, like I said, I left a fair few years ago, so this could all be irrelevant now, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it is the same. GTS is far better than any other school in North Devon, for its sense of community and it's open doors. The good certainly outweighs the bad, hence overall a 4 star review :)
The senior leadership is overall decent here (at least when I was there). They do try to solve problems and are approachable, but certain SLT members seem to think they're some sort of God with their job title. It's hard to explain but some of them take the 'power' and responsibilities so seriously, when actually this just ruins any respect students had for them. There were a certain 4 members of staff working together that I found this applied to most.
The communication from GTS is not great. Kept us in the dark on a lot of things, and you either go short/ no notice for events, or had to keep asking for details etc. This could well have changed, but it was a bit disappointing to have this lack of information.
The building is old and tired, but there isn't a lot that can be done about this. The corridors aren't all that clean. I personally didn't think much of the cleaners. They would use the same rag to clean the staff toilet and then wipe down classroom with the same rag. And the corridors, although fairly clean, were never great. Plus, if you have any after-school activities, be prepared to be moaned at by cleaners for walking down corridors that you need to use, despite the activities being approved and prearranged. The toilets were grotty, and grim. There was never soap in the sinks. If the toilets are all still the same as they were a few years ago, I'd say either cross your legs, or bring your own soap. Maybe this changed with covid going on.
Overall, a decent school. As with any school it's underfunded and that shows. It's rough around the edges, but I left with good results that have set me up for life. Obviously, like I said, I left a fair few years ago, so this could all be irrelevant now, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it is the same. GTS is far better than any other school in North Devon, for its sense of community and it's open doors. The good certainly outweighs the bad, hence overall a 4 star review :)
Average at best
This school has poor facilities, average teachers and dirty corridors. I've been educated for 4 years at this school and I think that compared to its neighbouring school, it's too small, underfunded and just not a good. Also the headteacher spends money on facilities that didn't needed to be fixed
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