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Arthur Mellows Village College
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Secondary

Arthur Mellows Village College

Peterborough, United Kingdom
18 Reviews
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Verified Parents
1.9 /5

18 reviews

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Extra Attention Recommended

This school is currently rated below 3 stars based on 18 published reviews. Several reviews raise serious concerns, so parents should carry out extra due diligence before considering it for their child.

  • Ask direct questions about safeguarding, discipline, wellbeing and communication.
  • Speak to current parents and inspect recent complaint handling before enrolling.

About Arthur Mellows Village College

Arthur Mellows Village College is a welcoming, dynamic and thriving school that has earned an outstanding reputation for academic excellence, exceptional pastoral care, and a positive, supportive, and inclusive community spirit.

Photos of Arthur Mellows Village College 11

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Key Facts

Head/Principal Mr J Gilligan

Rating Breakdown

Based on published reviews
Safety & Security 3.0
Teaching Quality 2.5
Communication 3.1
Student Wellbeing 3.1
Facilities 2.9

Parent Survey

Official Ofsted Parent View data • 292 responses • 17.7% response rate

View on Ofsted

My child is happy at this school

87% positive 12% negative

My child feels safe at this school

89.8% positive 9.3% negative

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved

80.8% positive 16.5% negative

The school has high expectations for my child

84% positive 11.6% negative

My child does well at this school

84.2% positive 14.7% negative

I would recommend this school to another parent

Data from Ofsted Parent View as of September 2025. Based on 292 parent responses to the official Ofsted survey.

School Workforce

Teacher and staff information • 2024-2025

Note: These figures are estimated based on national averages. Actual school-level data not yet available.
17.0:1
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Excellent
97.1
Teachers (FTE)

Estimated workforce data based on GIAS enrollment and national average ratios. Academic year 2024-2025.

Secondary School Results (Key Stage 4)

Exam performance data • 2023-2024

46.0
Attainment 8
Average grade across 8 subjects
-0.02
Progress 8
Below average
43.1%
English & Maths 9-5
Strong pass in both
68.8%
English & Maths 9-4
Standard pass in both

Additional Information

13.4% entered EBacc
10.7% achieved EBacc
253 pupils in cohort

Data from DfE Performance Tables for academic year 2023-2024. Published January 2024. View full performance tables

Reviews 18

P
Parent
Parent May 26, 2024
1.0

"0 stars"

Awful school stay well clear. Should be closed down not fit for purpose.
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 2/5
Facilities 1/5
P
Parent
Parent Dec 23, 2023
1.0

"do not send your children here!"

My year 10 daughter I will not disclose her name. was being very badly bullied, she has got "jumped' multiple times recorded and posted on social media. I had to remove her from this school for her own safety.
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
P
Parent
Parent Dec 12, 2023
1.0

"Student"

Worst school ever, I get bullied so often teachers are horrible don’t do anything first aid is careless , students are even worse and never delt with properly.not recommended
Safety & Wellbeing 2/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 2/5
P
Parent
Parent Jul 6, 2023
1.0

"School review "

Staff attitude horrible... kids demotivated by ridiculous reports-ask for pen (run out of ink) poor behaviour, ask for plan- poor behaviour, laughing for kid's jokes poor behaviour, etc...stating arguments...isolation and poor behaviour...kids treated without personality freedom.
Safety & Wellbeing 5/5
Teaching & Learning 4/5
Communication 5/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 5/5
Facilities 5/5
P
Parent
Parent Mar 31, 2023
2.0

"Drastic measures and critical attitude towards students "

Attitude towards students is beyond critical especially pastoral. There is no freedom for children, everything has become drastic. Pen run out of ink and no pencil- Poor Behaviour sent to parents, asking for time table again Poor Behaviour, singing a song in a classroom Poor behaviour or detention. Protecting yourself from being bullied or attacked- isolation...
Safety & Wellbeing 2/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 3/5
P
Parent
Parent Mar 17, 2023
5.0

"Tommy adams"

Excellent school I’m in year 11 and I’m happy for there opportunity that they have like teachers friends there’s no bullying so it’s the best secondary school in Peterborough i suggest.
Safety & Wellbeing 5/5
Teaching & Learning 5/5
Communication 5/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 5/5
Facilities 5/5
P
Parent
Parent Mar 2, 2023
1.0

"Had high hopes, now hate this school"

Bullying is not dealt with, mental health is not a priority, medical issues - you have to beg someone to listen to you. If I could send my child elsewhere I would. Staff are conditioned to follow the rules, so don’t expect to get help from anyone should you need it, better hope your child is perfectly unbullyable and has the emotional maturity of a 40 year old. Be prepared for your child to go hungry if getting school meals with any kind of allergies or specific diet.
Safety & Wellbeing 4/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 2/5
J
John D
Parent Feb 1, 2023
5.0

"Welcoming and inclusive community"

Our child has thrived at Arthur Mellows Village College, thanks to the welcoming and inclusive community. The teachers are approachable and enthusiastic, and the school's values of respect, empathy and responsibility are evident in everything they do. We've been impressed with the range of experiences on offer, from language clubs to sports teams.
Safety & Wellbeing 5/5
Teaching & Learning 4/5
Communication 4/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 4/5
Facilities 5/5
P
Parent
Parent Dec 6, 2022
1.0

"don't recommend this school "

very bad teachers, students are rude and interoperate. this School does not know how to handle bullying or their students
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 2/5
Facilities 1/5
P
Parent
Parent Sep 26, 2022
1.0

"shithole "

i wouldn’t even bother going, teachers are useless, the first aid people are horrible and careless, i could probably do a better job myself, unless you’re straight and smart don’t even go.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 4/5
Facilities 3/5
S
Sarah W
Parent Sep 1, 2022
5.0

"Excellent all-round experience"

We've been so impressed with the school's commitment to our child's well-being and academic success. The facilities are excellent and the teachers are knowledgeable and supportive. We've been particularly impressed with the careers programme and the opportunities for extracurricular activities.
Safety & Wellbeing 5/5
Teaching & Learning 5/5
Communication 5/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 5/5
Facilities 4/5
E
Emily G
Parent Jun 1, 2022
4.0

"Some positives, but areas for improvement"

We have mixed feelings about our time at Arthur Mellows Village College. On the one hand, our child benefited from the excellent pastoral care and supportive teachers. However, we felt that the communication between parents and teachers could be improved, and there were sometimes issues with organisation and timing. Overall, we are grateful for the experience, but feel that the school could do more to engage with parents and improve the overall experience.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 4/5
Communication 4/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 4/5
Facilities 4/5
P
Parent
Parent Aug 23, 2021
2.0

"Okay."

It's Okay. It's a good school to go to but there a things needing to be improved.
Teaching & Learning 2/5
P
Parent
Parent Aug 23, 2021
1.0

"school "

they claim there's no problems and bullying isn't an issue when I've I've bullied since year 7
Safety & Wellbeing 2/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 1/5
P
Parent
Parent Jun 9, 2021
2.0

"Multiple issues "

I’ve been at Arthur mellows since year 7 and there are multiple issues. One issue is a lack of consistent help especially with me being a disabled student. There were times when I had support from staff but other times when I felt like I had no where to turn to and get the support I needed. The pastoral team are so-so, yes I did get help when I got bullied multiple times but there didn’t seem to be any consequences for the students who bullied and just got told off basically. Bullying persisted for most of my time mostly by the same people and I just feel like not enough was done to prevent it from happening over and over and it just felt I was going in circles with reporting it. I never had much one on one support and i often felt like I was left to struggled as I struggled to ask for help, it made my anxiety worse and work would quickly pile up.

Another issue is no gender neutral toilets or facilities. The toilets are all gendered towards boys or girls which makes things difficult for people who may be non-binary/trans or just don’t identify with those labels. The changing rooms are also split boy/girl which again will be difficult for people who are trans or don’t identify with those labels, it’s not inclusive and needs to be sorted out. Also I feel like the best LGBTQ+ friendly thing we have is the posters saying “she’s gay, deal with it” which isn’t the amazing support they think it is. Also there is a lack of LGBTQ+ education which I noticed during life skills lessons as an example.

Also there is a problem with AMVC favouring the “intelligent” kids over those who aren’t as academic or aren’t good at sport. There’s an obvious divide and it made me feel even more isolated and not great especially during some lessons.

Also as previously mentioned, the ableism. Yes there is things like SEN support and accommodations with exams but what about lessons?. In lessons like PE for example there seems to be a lack of understanding that not every child enjoys things like football or netball and aren’t going to put loads of effort into something they don’t enjoy. I personally have poor communication skills and I’m not a fan of contact sport but I feel like I was pushed into doing things I was uncomfortable with and were out of my comfort zone. I was also shouted at and bullied by the more athletic children and the teachers just turned a blind eye to it. Disabled and not athletic children were ignored most of the time and forced into doing things they were uncomfortable with.

Also when the dance teacher left they didn’t bother finding another one. There are so many dancers looking for jobs in the field that probably would have jumped at the opportunity but the course currently no longer exists and I was unable to take it as a gcse for this reason. It was quite disappointing.

There are so good things but the bad things outweigh the good mostly. I’m glad the years of trauma and bullying are over. Excited to move on from it.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 4/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 3/5
P
Parent
Parent Apr 1, 2021
2.0

"My experience as an lgbt person"

Very bad with student wellbeing and mental health, school counsellor is very bad and uneducated and pastoral fails to punish students being racist, sexist and homophobic. I am a transgender student and staff are rude and refuse to let me use bathrooms and be on PE teams which match my gender, not to mention the harassment I’ve faced from students which has been ignored when reported. There is not one gender neutral bathroom in school. I’ve heard similar stories from other trans students at school.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 4/5
P
Parent
Parent Dec 16, 2020
3.0

"meh :/"

i don’t like it, teachers r bad, students are annoying.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 3/5
P
Parent
Parent Aug 24, 2020
4.0

"Review "

Facilities are great
Safety & Wellbeing 4/5
Teaching & Learning 4/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 5/5
Facilities 5/5

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