A Hartlepool secondary school has been praised by watchdogs for delivering a “strong standard” of education following a recent inspection.

Manor Community Academy, in Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool, was one of the first schools in the country to be inspected under Ofsted’s new framework.

Overall gradings no longer exist, with schools now being marked against different criteria.

The school was given a “strong standard” for inclusion, achievement and leadership and governance and an “expected standard” for attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching and personal development and wellbeing – the second and third highest grades.

Steven Jones, principal at Manor Community Academy, in Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool.

placeholder image — Steven Jones, principal at Manor Community Academy, in Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool.

The report outlines how pupils “thrive” at Manor Community Academy and that “lessons are purposeful”.

The report states: “Pupils are well taught by highly-motivated staff.

“As a result of recent changes to the curriculum, and improvements to teaching, pupils’ academic outcomes have risen rapidly.”

This is shown by 49.2% of pupils achieving a grade five or above in English and Maths in the last academic year compared to 38.1% the year before.

Pupils were also praised for attending school more regularly “than was previously the case”, with standards of behaviour in classrooms reported to “have improved rapidly”.

The report states: “Expectations for learning are consistently high. As a result, pupils engage in their lessons with few distractions.”

The school has been given a couple of areas to improve on however.

Leaders have been encouraged to “embed recent improvements to the curriculum and teaching” to allow pupils to “deepen their knowledge” and “build on their strong achievement”.

They are also advised to review the school’s personal development programme to ensure it has a positive impact on all pupils.

Manor principal Steven Jones said: “This report recognises the unwavering commitment of our staff to our students and our community.

"We are proud to serve Hartlepool and to provide an inclusive, ambitious education that opens doors for every young person.

"As part of Northern Education Trust, our vision is simple – we are outcomes focused to transform lives through education, ensuring that every student leaves us with their best possible outcomes, confident and ready to succeed in the future.”