Tettenhall school ignores poor Ofsted report to reward 'brilliance'
'The Ofsted report said that we had serious weaknesses. Well I say that we are seriously brilliant'.
Those are the words of the principal of a Tettenhall school which has honoured the achievements of its students in a special awards ceremony.
The Kings C of E school, based on Regis Road, was rated as 'Inadequate' by Ofsted in an inspection in March this year. The report came only four years after it was given a 'Good' rating in all areas.
Not deterred by the findings, the school has held its first 'Pride of Kings' awards, with more than 40 students receiving prizes ranging from 'Most Progress' in a particular subject to 'Highest Achievement'.
Other trophies included 'House Community Awards' given to the pupils that contribute the most to school life and Special Awards.
Winner of the Principal Award was Joshua Lee, aged 14, of Ettingshall, who won the award for his achievement and progress in all subjects, his commitment to extra-curricular activities and support of the school community.
Joshua said: "I was so excited and happy to win the award. I didn't expect it, and I'm glad that my work has been recognised."
Wolverhampton council mayor Elias Mattu and his wife, Asha Mattu, attended the ceremony.
Handing out some of the awards, the mayor referred to the school motto 'Aspire, Believe and Achieve Together' when he said: "You have shown that you have aspired, that you have believed, that you've achieved, and most importantly, that you have done this together. Achieving together is the best way and you should be so proud."
A special prize was also presented by Tettenhall Rotary Club. The club gave out the prize to two students who created a special app during their week-long work experience placement.
The app was designed to enable those coming to Wolverhampton, including refugees, to signpost them to services they may need.
George Jandhu, aged 16, of Tettenhall and Bako Ahmed, aged 16, of Ryefield won the awards.
President of Tettenhall Rotary John Margetts congratulated the students on their hard work and gave each student £25 and £50 to go towards a charity of their choice.
Principal James Ludlow said: "I will mention this only once, the Ofsted report, which said that we had serious weaknesses. Well I say that we are seriously brilliant, and that has been shown here tonight.
"I'd like to thank our fabulous students, our fantastic staff and our special guests for coming along to celebrate all that we have achieved and will continue to achieve."
During the presentation, parents called out in support of the Principal following the Ofsted report.
