Pupils celebrate report (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Pupils celebrate report

A SCHOOL which just three-and-a-half years ago suffered the dubious distinction of becoming the first secondary in Wiltshire to be placed in special measures, was this week celebrating an upbeat Ofsted report.

The report has hailed 730-pupil Upper Avon at Durrington - now out of special measures - as "a rapidly improving school with good features, especially teaching and learning."

Teaching and learning is said to be good throughout the school and its other main strengths are listed as:

the school's positive ethos;

good leadership and management;

strong relationships between staff and pupils, which has a beneficial impact on the quality of learning;

good support for pupils with special educational needs;

good curriculum, extra curricular activities and vocational courses;

effective workings to further raise standards of attainments.

Pastoral care is also said to be a strength and the inspection report also says that pupils enjoy Upper Avon, behaviour is good, incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively and the school is a safe and orderly environment.

The report says parents are in the main satisfied with the school and think teaching is good and that their children make good progress. It acknowledges, however, that a small minority of parents are less positive about the school.

Areas of improvement needed at the school are listed as:

the need to improve the standards of written work, especially amongst boys in years 7 to 9;

to ensure that all teachers have a real understanding of the overall assessment data, both national and internal, and use it effectively to plan their teaching;

to create more opportunities for senior/middle managers to monitor departments positively and actively;

a need to further develop the quality of provision in design and technology.

The school said in a statement this week that these points were being addressed through modifications to the school action plan.

Commenting on the report overall, headteacher Rowena Brookes said: "I am delighted that the hard work and commitment of students, staff and governors have been recognised in this extremely positive report. I am grateful for all of those parents who have shown such strong support over the years. As the inspectors said - this school is going places."

Chair of governors Helen Jenkins said: "I am very pleased that Ofsted have recognised Upper Avon as a good and continually improving school. Congratulations to staff, students and governors for all the hard work."