A SECONDARY school, last inspected five years ago, has been awarded a ‘good rating’ by Ofsted who noted pupils' value the ‘strong community ethos’.

St Aldhelm's Academy in Poole, sponsored by the Ambitions Academies Trust, was inspected across two days in early November, the first time the education authority had visited since 2016 - when it was given a ‘good’ rating.

The school has been transformed since the academies trust took over the school and has remained ‘good’, ensuring pupils feel supported and have access to a range of academic and vocational opportunities.

It said: “Most pupils are attentive and conduct themselves well. Many aspire to achieve, and they take pride in their work.

“Across most subjects, teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes.”

Regarding the teaching and leadership team, the Ofsted report said: “Leaders help pupils to make well-informed choices for their future career pathways, including routes into apprenticeships when appropriate.

“Curriculum plans are carefully tailored to meet the needs and interests of pupils.

“Curriculum leaders are skilled, passionate and effective.”

Overall, pupils who set out to achieve at this school can do so - according to the Ofsted report: “Pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, achieve well at this school. Pupils say that lessons are often interesting, and feedback from teachers is helpful.

“Teachers reteach content when pupils have found new ideas hard to remember. This helps pupils to remember key elements of the curriculum well.”

Principal Jo Amos said: "I want to pay tribute to the staff team who are committed and extremely hard working and who go above and beyond supporting our students’ day in and day out. I would also like to acknowledge our fantastic students and of course thank our parents and carers for their continued support."

However, to improve their rating, leaders at St Aldhelm’s should ensure pupils’ behaviour is managed consistently and that the curriculum is implemented coherently across all subjects.

Principal Amos said: "We are not complacent, we will continue to work hard to ensure we provide the highest quality of education for all our students. As detailed in the report we want to ensure that all ‘pupils recognise that reading is a priority and develop a love of reading and an understanding of its value.’"