A NORTH Yorkshire secondary school has continued to serve pupils at a high standard, inspectors have found.

Tadcaster Grammar School has been rated as good by Ofsted after an inspection last month - the same rating the school got at its previous inspection in 2012.

Head teacher Martyn Sibley, who took over in September 2014 from the former head Geoff Mitchell after he retired, said: “I am delighted that the inspection team found that the school continues to be ‘good’.

“This is wonderful news and something that everyone connected with TGS should be really proud of.

“Rightly, the inspectors also gave a small number of areas we need to strengthen.

“What is pleasing is that we had already identified these issues and have strategies in place to address them.

“I would like to take this opportunity to recognise all our staff for their continued effort and dedication, and our governing body for their guidance and challenge.

“It would also be remiss not to thank all our parents not only for the positive and honest feedback you gave to the inspection team, but also for your ongoing support.

“The strength of this school is our sense of community and that is what ensures that our successes are built on very strong foundations.”

The previous inspection report highlighted that the school needed to improve the quality of middle leadership and the way teachers use pupil information in their planning.

The new report said staff fully embraced this and have a strong set of middle leaders who take full responsibility for pupils’ progress in their faculty areas.

Inspectors said that although the school identified that progress and attendance are beginning to improve for disadvantaged pupils, inspectors said there is still further work to do to ensure that disadvantaged pupils, in Year 11, achieve as well as their peers from the same starting points. Inspectors focused on sixth-form provision during the inspection.

The report also found that leaders have raised the profile of their anti-bullying messages in school. Through this, pupils are now more confident to report their concerns.

Staff, pupils and most parents indicate that the school deals well with any incidents of bullying.