A HEADTEACHER says she is “genuinely concerned” after an Ofsted report revealed students often fail to report bullying - but it did praise an improvement to education quality.

The Blandford School headteacher Sally Wilson welcomed the publication of the latest Ofsted inspection report, which was carried out in October.

According to the report, the Dorset school has shown improvement around the overall quality of education and outcomes achieved by students, now upgraded as 'Good'.

However, the overall grade for the school remains at 'Requires Improvement' following concerns raised by several students who said there was some inappropriate behaviour at breaks and lunches, while other students expressed concerns about bullying and that they tend not to report it.

Mrs Wilson said: “I am delighted with the enormous progress that our students and teaching staff have made since our last inspection.

“Students and staff can be particularly proud of their achievements despite the extraordinary challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic over the last two academic years. The ‘Good’ grading for ‘Quality of Education’ recognises these achievements.

“I am genuinely concerned, however, by the feedback some students shared with inspectors regarding their reporting of bullying and issues relating to behaviour in social times. We had already prioritised our anti-bullying work and we will now re-double our efforts to stamp out bullying and intolerance.

“Child safeguarding practices were judged as effective but we will also now look to strengthen how we support students and challenge discrimination in all its forms.”

The school has maintained its 'Good' grade for Sixth Form provision, where students are “delighted to be back in school” after disruption caused by the pandemic.

GCSE and post-16 results have been in line with top end schools in the country in recent years and this was recognised by inspectors.