Celebrations as Buckingham School gains Good Ofsted rating for third time running

The Buckingham School has been rated Good for the third time in a row, after Ofsted inspectors visited the school in April.

Sharing the good news in a letter to parents today, headteacher Andy McGinnes said: “The inspectors found that the school is exactly as I told them it would be in my pre-inspection interview.”

The latest Ofsted report rates the school Good in almost all categories, including Quality of education, Personal development, Leadership and management and Sixth form provision.

The school was rated Requires Improvement in just one category – behaviour and attitudes.The report says: "The majority of pupils learn well at this school. They enjoy the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, and they are prepared well for their next steps in life. Many pupils feel proud to go on and study courses in the school’s growing sixth form.

“Pupils rightly feel safe at this school and know that there is an adult they can talk to if they have a concern. However, some feel uncomfortable because of the behaviour of other pupils, and this is not tackled consistently well by staff.

"When pupils report bullying or unkind behaviour, leaders take effective action to prevent it from continuing. Sometimes pupils’ learning is interrupted by disruptive behaviour, and this is not always dealt with effectively by teachers.”

In his letter to parents, Mr McGinnes added: “We are a wonderful school, committed to your children. Thank you to the majority of parents who told Ofsted that this is the case and thank you to all of those families who do take the trouble to raise any issues that they have directly with us. If we know better, we can do better.

“This is the third Ofsted visit in a row that has resulted in a Good grading. Let’s face it, the community has a great school of which it can be proud. The standards your children are achieving are the reason why.

“But we can still be even better. You will hear much more about the steps that we are currently planning, before the end of this year and at the start of the next.”