Beaconsfield High School is celebrating after achieving an‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating in all areas.

The school’s latest report states that pupils “are fiercely proud of their school and of their own achievements” and in terms of leadership, head teacher Rachel Smith is “passionate about pupils’ entitlement to a well-rounded education… with the governing body and her senior leadership team, she has transformed the curriculum”.

The new Ofsted framework has been in place since September 2019 and prioritises the depth and effectiveness of the curriculum provision rather than the raw data and results of the previous framework - which many say makes it harder to achieve an outstanding rating.

The five focus areas of this new framework are quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, sixth form provision and leadership and management.

A team of five inspectors from the education watchdog spent two days at the school the week before the Christmas holidays and carried out ‘deep dives’ in mathematics, English, geography, modern foreign languages, drama and art.

In the report, inspectors noted that “leaders and governors rightly give a high priority to pupils’ mental health.”

Mrs Smith said that this had been - and continues to be - a clear priority for the future plans of the school and its students.

The head teacher added that she was “incredibly proud of the remarkable learning community that makes up Beaconsfield High School and all of the hard work that teachers and support staff put in to broaden and deepen the curriculum in order that it is memorable for students”.

She also said that she was “delighted” to read the public acknowledgement of the additional time that all students and staff give to projects that are not just based in the classroom but are designed to develop remarkable citizens who have empathy and show kindness - “through volunteering, performances and charitable work, pupils support the local community… pupils make a difference in school through the school council or eco-prefects, confident that teachers will listen to and act on their views”.