‘Good’ grading for De Aston as inspectors pinpoint pupil pride

Headteacher Simon Porter; Head Girl Florence Williams; Year 7 students Emilia, Maisey, Nick and Thomas; Head Boy Joshua Nichols and Chair of Governors Tony Neal.

The Market Rasen School was visited by inspectors in March and was once again rated as ‘Good’.

Inspectors praised the way the school has created a good atmosphere forlearning, where pupils are encouraged to ‘believe, strive and achieve’.

The quality of education offered by the school also came in for praise, with the report saying expectations ‘are high’ and the curriculum offers ‘a broad range of subjects for pupils to study in all key stages’.

Head teacher, Simon Porter, welcomed the Ofsted endorsement.

He said: “I am immensely proud of this truly comprehensive school.

"I have been at De Aston for 23 years and this was my sixth inspection as a leader here.

"This is a wonderful achievement for the school and I would like to thank the staff, parents and pupils for their support.

"This inspection highlighted the reasons so many parents send their pupils to us in year 7 and also why so many students join us in sixth form. We are a very good school.”

Recently appointed head of sixth form, Ruth Race, was pleased to see the inspection recognised the importance of the sixth form, which has seen a surge in applications.

Ms Race said: “We have made many changes and with more to come to ensure we provide a fantastic offer for those moving to us after year 11.

"We have invested a lot into improving what we do and Ofsted saw this.”

A key element of the inspection centres on pupil safety and the report found De Aston to be ‘a safe school’.

Driven to improve even further, Mr Porter made clear the school is not complacent despite having such a good report.

He said: “The Inspectors were very helpful in agreeing with us the areas that we are working to improve.

"We have faced major challenges over the last two years as we have made our way through thepandemic.

"We recognise some pupils’ present challenges and that some pupils need more challenge.

“The core systems of the school shone through, demonstrating why we are a really good school.

"De Aston has always been judged as a good school ever since Ofsted inspections began, however, I am driven by making us an even better school with a focus on progress in all aspects of school life.”