John O'Gaunt requires improvement, says Ofsted

The verdict from the inspection in November was the same for three of the main categories – achievement of pupils, quality of teaching and leadership and management – while the fourth, behaviour and safety of pupils, was deemed to be good.
However, the verdict was arrived at under a new, tougher inspection regime introduced in September, in which the watchdog no longer describes schools as ‘satisfactory.’ The former grade has been replaced with ‘requires improvement’.
This was acknowledged by West Berkshire school improvement partner Paul O’Shea, who told the school: “In my capacity as an Ofsted inspector I have seen every school drop a grade under the new framework since September. You have not. This clearly indicates the school is improving effectively.
“I pass on my congratulations for this report. I know how hard you all have worked to achieve this.”
Headteacher Sarah Brinkley, who took over the school in May, said that one of the crucial aspects of the report was the recognition of the improvement in teaching. She said: “Make no mistake, we agree that we need to improve our work in the areas identified; we are pleased that the report confirms that the priorities we identified in September are correct. “Our drive to continually improve the quality of teaching and learning was recognised, with the consistency of good or better teaching being crucial.
“However, the significant rise in achievement over the past few years shows us that we are improving learning all the time and will continue to do so.”
Her point was underlined by the exam results this summer, with the school celebrating a hundred per cent pass rate for A-levels. Twenty-five per cent of pupils achieved A* and A grades.
It was a record year for the school’s GCSE results, with 87 per cent achieving five or more grades A* to C.
Mrs Brinkley added: “Our drive for consistency is crucial in ensuring all subjects achieve the best possible outcomes for our students. As an English subject specialist myself, the focus on improving achievement in English is well timed. “I’m delighted that the exceptional behaviour and safety of our students was recognised. Our students show huge respect for each other and have a high sense of what is right and wrong.
“Above all else, when we send our children from the small, sheltered environment of primary school to secondary school we want them to feel happy and safe – they do here.
“If a school has a united, passionate teaching staff and happy, confident, well behaved students what cannot be achieved? A school where children are happy, safe and where achievement has improved significantly. That’s a school I would want to send my child to.”
The chairman of the school governors, Mark Croft, said: “John O’Gaunt School is on a mission to deliver excellence in teaching and learning to the local community of Hungerford. It has made huge strides towards these goals over the last few years, to a position where results at public examinations are very competitive with other local schools.
“As seen in the Ofsted report, there is still work in progress to make these results consistent across all departments and groups in the school. I am absolutely confident that Sarah Binkley has the right plans and is the right person to drive the necessary measures through.”