A school has made huge strides, according to a government inspector.

Blatchington Mill School said it was delighted to be rated “good” by the schools watchdog Ofsted following its latest inspection.

The report said certain areas of the school were outstanding.

It is a marked improvement from its previous inspection in 2010 when the school in Neville Avenue, Hove, was given a rating of 3, meaning “satisfactory”.

Headteacher Janet Felkin, whom inspectors praised for her “relentless drive and determination”, paid tribute to her staff and students for achieving the feat.

She said: “An inspection is a gruelling experience, but everyone did Blatch proud.

“The inspection identified some areas as outstanding; we would like them all to be – and that is our next mission.”

The report said students did particularly well in their GCSEs in science, humanities, languages and performing arts. Skills in numeracy and literacy were also strong.

Outstanding behaviour

The behaviour of pupils was rated “outstanding” by inspectors, with high levels of concentration in lessons.

The report added: “They show respect for staff, visitors and each other. Their attendance is good and exclusions are low.”

But the school still has areas to improve on if it is to become outstanding.

Inspectors highlighted how progress for all students does not meet the top grade yet.

They said pupils varied in how quickly they progressed but noted the school was “working successfully to address relative underperformance by middle attaining students”.

And the quality of teaching was not yet up to the top rating, as feedback was not used consistently to help students improve.

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