Staff and pupils at Honley High School are celebrating being restored to Ofsted’s good books.

The 1,235-pupil Station Road school has regained its Good grade from the government.

Headteacher Paul Greenough said in a letter to parents: “I am delighted that we have been graded as good in all categories, and therefore our overall effectiveness is ‘Good’.

The report outlines the significant progress made at Honley High School since the last inspection in 2013”.

In that inspection the school was downgraded from 'Good' to 'Requires Improvement'.

Inspectors praised several areas within the school and Mr Greenough for improving pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

Headteacher Paul Greenough with some of the winners from Honley High Schools Achievement Evening
Headteacher Paul Greenough with some of the winners from Honley High School's Achievement Evening

They said: “Pupils’ outcomes are good across the school in a wide range of subjects, including mathematics and English.

“This is because teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and plan interesting tasks that engage pupils in their learning.

“Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare is good. They treat each other, and adults, with dignity and respect. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school.

“The curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to develop a strong understanding of the arts, other cultures and religions, as well as a strong understanding of life in modern Britain.

Ofsted added that: “There are a small number of subjects, including science, where not enough pupils are making good progress,” and called for more consistency in subjects for the school to reach Outstanding.

Mr Greenough said: I am obviously delighted with Ofsted’s judgements following our recent inspection. They reflect the significant efforts undertaken by all of the staff at Honley over the last two years. It was clear following our previous inspection in 2013 that there were things that needed to be improved and it was necessary to make some significant changes without undermining everything that made Honley such a positive environment for our young people.

Marsden Jazz Festival 2015 - Jackanory Jazz from Honley High School perform with trombonist Dennis Rollins.

“We have a long history of academic excellence but no institution can afford to rely upon past successes. As such, we intend to continue our journey to provide the best possible standard of education for the young people in our care and build upon our successes so far. After all our focus cannot be about a snapshot judgement but about doing what we fundamentally believe to be in the best interests of our students day-in day-out. Our goal therefore must be to become a truly outstanding school because our children and our community deserve no less.

“I would like to thank our parents for their support, my governors for their encouragement and my Deputy Head teacher, Mrs Heather Rogers, who recently lost her fight with motor neurone disease. She was an inspiration to everyone who knew her and worked tirelessly for the benefit of the children at Honley High School. I would like to dedicate this, our most recent success, to her. She will be missed”.