FOR the first time since becoming an academy, Bordon’s Mill Chase secondary school has been inspected by Ofsted and deemed “good”.

Mill Chase Academy was visited by Ofsted inspectors in October, with a report published last week that judged the school to be “good” in all categories.

This represents a significant milestone in the continued improvement of the school. Prior to becoming an academy in November 2013, Mill Chase was placed in special measures following two Ofsted inspections which deemed the school “inadequate”.

But now Ofsted has praised the academy, opening its report with the declaration: “This is a good school.”

This is positive news for the academy which celebrated, what it described as, its best-ever GCSE results in August.

It has also recently received confirmation that Hampshire County Council is contributing £10million to its new £30m building in Budds Lane, as reported in last week’s Bordon Herald.

Inspectors said “senior leaders have established an ethos of high expectation and aspiration which is central to the life of the school”, and “pupils are safe, happy and well looked after”.

They reported that teachers were “passionate about doing their best for the pupils” who were, in turn, “making increasingly good progress”.

“I have said many times that one of my most important roles is to ensure that the very best teachers remain at the academy whilst appointing high-quality, talented staff,” principal Paul Hemmings said. “I am heartened that the inspection team recognised the high calibre and commitment of staff at our school.”

Of students, the Ofsted report said “pupils have consistently positive attitudes to their learning”, and “parents, pupils and staff recognise good behaviour as a strength of the school”.

The behaviour of pupils was deemed “good”, with inspectors adding they were “polite and respectful towards each other and their teachers as they move around the school”.

Mathematics was identified as a particular strength, with pupils making “strong progress” in the subject, which reflected the “consistently high-quality teaching” found at the academy.

“An increasingly large proportion of pupils make good or better progress across a wider range of subjects,” the report added.

“Most able pupils currently in the school are challenged well to achieve their potential and make strong progress,” Ofsted said.

An “effective transition process” from primary school ensured year-seven pupils “settle quickly and feel confident”, with older pupils helping “with their learning as well as making them feel welcome and safe”. And at the other end of the school “pupils are well prepared for the future”, with leaders establishing “an ethos where pupils are well cared for and encouraged towards high achievement and aspiration”. The report said that pupils “receive helpful careers information and guidance to help prepare them for life beyond school”.

Mr Hemmings said the rating was “extremely positive” for the school and for “our local community”.

“Students, parents, and staff at Mill Chase know how good our school is and this has been validated by a thorough and rigorous inspection process,” he added.

“We now look forward to continuing our journey to becoming an ‘outstanding’ school in partnership with all local stakeholders, especially our parents and students.”

The new £30m secondary school is expected to be finished at the former Prince Philip Barracks by 2019. Mill Chase currently has 470 pupils. At the new campus it can initially take 900, with the building designed with future expansion in mind to accommodate 1,200 pupils as the town population grows as housing is built. The current school site, in Mill Chase Road, is expected to be sold for housing once the school and leisure centre have relocated.