Marathon Science School

Overview: Marathon Science School is an independent boarding school with an Islamic ethos, where pupils are polite and well-mannered, and value the positive relationships they have with staff. The school has made improvements since the last inspection, but the quality of education is not consistently high.

Strengths:

• Pupils make a strong contribution to the calm and respectful environment in the school.
• Pupils are happy and enjoy the opportunities to be with their friends in school and in the boarding facilities.
• Pupils behave well and play well together during social times.
• The school provides enrichment opportunities, including visits to museums, places of worship, and sporting activity centres.
• The annual visit to Turkey is closely linked to the pupils' Islamic studies and highly valued by them.

Areas to improve:

• The curriculum offer for pupils to learn is not as broad as it should be, including in creative subjects.
• Teaching does not deliver the curriculum consistently well, and sometimes the checking of pupils' knowledge and understanding is not precise.
• The school's systems for identifying and adapting the curriculum for lower attaining pupils and those with SEND are not secure.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.