STAFF and pupils at a Royston school started the new term this week with a positive report from Ofsted.

The national school inspectors gave Greneway School an overall ‘good’ score, the second highest rating available, while some elements of the school’s performance were considered ‘outstanding.’

Greneway was only given a ‘satisfactory’ rating at its last inspection in 2008, with head teacher Susan Kennedy praising the achievements.

“There is a new process for inspection that is far more rigorous and challenging and as a consequence many schools do not get as high grades as they received in the past,” she said.

“However, I am please to report that Greneway School has achieved higher grades than our last inspection.”

Greneway reached ‘good’ status in areas such as ‘pupils’ behaviour,’ ‘quality of teaching’ and ‘the effectiveness of care, guidance and support.’

They went one better with ‘the extent to which pupils feel safe,’ ‘the extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles,’ ‘the effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers’ and ‘the extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development,’ which all reached ‘outstanding’ levels.

The Ofsted report read: “This good school is providing a happy and safe learning environment for pupils in its care. A particular strength is pupils’ outstanding social, moral and spiritual development.

“The excellent relationships in the school create a harmonious environment in which pupils feel extremely safe. Sport is an important part of pupils’ school life and the vast majority take part in activities after school or at lunchtime.

“Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of the work of the school.”

However, there were areas in which the Oftsed felt the school could improve, such as ‘ironing out remaining unevenness in progress made by different groups’ and ‘sharpen existing outstanding practice to improve teachers’ questioning skills.’