Ofsted joy for Shireland Collegiate Academy in hat-trick of top marks
Pupils and staff at a Smethwick school are celebrating after gaining an outstanding Ofsted result for the third year running.
Despite the success of the last two inspections, bosses at Shireland Collegiate Academy say this is their best Ofsted report yet.
The school, on Waterloo Road, was visited by inspectors on March 13 and 14, and they observed 41 lessons and talked to staff, pupils and governors.
Ofsted inspector Michael Merchant was so impressed with the 1,115-pupil school, he asked bosses for permission to say the school was "exceptional" in his report.
He said: "This is an exceptional academy, which has maintained and built upon the very high standards seen at the last inspection."
Mr Merchant said the driving force behind the academy's success was headteacher Sir Mark Grundy.
He said: "His clear, purposeful and ambitious leadership, together with unflagging support from his senior colleagues, has led to ever-improving student achievement and increasingly effective teaching."
The inspectors found that pupils make rapid progress, and although student attainment is below average it is rising quickly, with students working at the level which is expected of them.
The report said: "Staff are highly ambitious for students and fervent in their aim to get the best from each one, academically and personally."
Mr Merchant praised the teachers for planning their lessons well. He said the lessons were often demanding and exciting and aimed at getting the most out of all the pupils. He also highlighted that they were underpinned by an 'innovative' use of information and computer technology.
