STAFF and pupils at Wallingford School are celebrating its latest Ofsted report, which has confirmed its status as a good school.

Headteacher Wyll Willis is singled out for praise, together with teaching staff.

The effectiveness of leadership and management, and quality of teaching, learning and assessment are both described as outstanding - the highest possible grading.

The report said Mr Willis's commitment to providing the best care and opportunities for young people in his local community was 'unwavering'.

It added: "He skilfully inspires his highly motivated leadership team to strengthen and improve the school further.

"Everyone connected to the school shares his vision and works relentlessly together, aspiring to make the school the best that it can be."

The headteacher described Ofsted's findings as 'a great report and very fair' and hard to read without smiling.

The report said staff at the school in St George's Road delivered consistently effective teaching that enabled all pupils to make rapid progress.

It added: "They are supported well through high-quality training that meets their individual development needs closely.

"Leaders and governors hold staff rigorously to account for the difference their work is making to pupils' outcomes."

Following the report Mr Willis told parents: "The governors of the school have always been determined to do the best by our students.

"This includes ensuring they leave school with the best qualifications they can.

"This often means refusing to comply with the government's preferred approaches. Almost everybody here is rather proud of this ethos.

"When the Government decided to penalise schools in the league tables if they entered students for GCSEs early to give some a second chance we decided as a school that we would risk paying that penalty to give the students the best grades possible.

"This has proved particularly successful for students categorised as disadvantaged."

Mr Willis said the school also took the risk of a penalty when it refused to enter students for courses that secure significant points in official data tables.

He added: "There are some cynical examples of courses that take three days and do not go much beyond things covered in primary school yet are rated the same as 'good' GCSE passes.

"No student is studying options because they make the school look good and each course is delivered and assessed in the way that ensures the best results for our students and not the school."

The headteacher said the school would not be judged 'outstanding' under Ofsted's current framework.

He added: "We are taking the judgement on the chin, sticking our chests out and lifting our heads.

"We won't be abandoning early entry for students it suits any time soon, we can't in all conscience force students to do humanities or language subjects for the Government's data processes, we will never put students through courses we don't believe in for league table points.

"We will keep disadvantaged students who struggle in school whatever their attendance or predicted grades as long as they do no harm to other students' prospects."

Last month parents at the 1,208-pupil school were consulted on plans to expand the school with a new building at the front of the school to accommodate 200 extra pupils over five years.

Plans for new developments of about 500 homes each at Slade End Farm off Wantage Road, and at Winterbrook, will increase the need for secondary school places in the area.