INSPECTORS have praised leaders and staff at a Hereford secondary school for the way they have worked through the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hereford Academy in Marlbrook Road was judged to be inadequate, the lowest of school inspectorate Ofsted's four ratings, in November 2018 and plunged into special measures.

It is now subject to regular monitoring visits, but inspectors were pleased with what they found out during the latest in January.

The report said that headteacher Michael Stoppard and his staff had been successfully providing education for students during the pandemic, and they had worked hard to ensure all pupils have the equipment they need to be able to work from home.

Ofsted found that the work being provided has been interesting, mirroring the normal curriculum as much as possible, and that pupils have regular opportunities to offer and receive feedback about the activities they are completing.

In addition, the report states that teachers, 11 of which were isolating at the time of the remote inspection, had been "quick to intervene and support pupils who are not engaging well with remote education".

The latest report shows the work which has been done at the school since the damning full inspection in 2018. At the time, inspectors said the quality of teaching was weak and pupils’ behaviour was poor.

Mr Stoppard said: “I am really pleased to read so many positive comments in the report as I have been really proud of how our staff have adapted to the challenges presented by the pandemic.

"Nothing could have prepared us for the way we have had to adapt the way we are offering education, so to receive praise about the school’s response is really heartening.

“It was particularly pleasing to see it acknowledged that we have been successful in delivering the normal curriculum as much as possible and that the high expectations we have for our pupils – with special focus on Year 11 – has not dipped."

Mr Stoppard said there was also special mention of the support being offered to pupils with special educational needs.

He said the school had been actively encouraging parents of vulnerable children to send them into school so they can receive the support the school offers.

“During lockdown we have also retained our strong focus on reading, and this was noted by Ofsted too," he said.

"Inspectors can see that we have an expectation that pupils will read regularly and that we provide access to a wide range of reading options. The fact that we offer additional support to pupils who struggle with reading was also picked up, and this is something we know is very important.

“As I said, I am so pleased to see the great work being done here recognised by Ofsted.

"It’s good to see the development of the school’s leadership capacity was singled out, as well as the fact that the curriculum changes that have taken place have been driven by both leaders and teachers themselves.

“I’ve had no doubt that the Hereford Academy has been on the up for some time and this report has only gone to demonstrate this fact clearly.

"I’d like to thank everyone involved for their efforts, and also pay tribute to our pupils and our families for the way they have adjusted to different ways we’ve had to do things in recent times.”