Sir Henry Floyd School graded '˜outstanding' by Ofsted

Ofsted inspectors praised the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School in Oxford Road, Aylesbury, saying that staff, pupils and most parents were ‘overwhelmingly positive’ about it.

They also said the governing body was ‘excellently led’, that heads of subject played ‘pivotal roles’ in improving the academy and that pupils achieved very highly.

One parent told inspectors: “Whilst there is a rigorous focus on academic excellence, a lot of effort is also put into the emotional well-being of the children.

“I have a very happy child, which is a big testament to the school.”

Headteacher Stephen Box said: “We know that the school has been improving rapidly. We also know that members of our school community really value the blend between academic rigour and personal development that we provide.

“We are very proud that a rigorous, external inspection has come to the conclusion that we are an outstanding school.”

The school was graded ‘good’ during its previous inspection before it became an academy in 2012.

Ofsted added that pupils ‘flourished’ at the academy while one pupil commented ‘we are not treated as a statistic, we are individuals’.

Inspectors also acknowledged that the 2015 exam results in GCSEs, A-Levels and International Baccalaureate were the best ever.

In some subjects, a very high proportion of pupils achieved A to A* grades such as in mathematics (69%) and English literature (71%).

They praised the governance of the school, saying that the governors had played a key role in improving standards and know their roles and responsibililities exceptionally well.

It added that its ‘work to ensure that pupils value diversity and treat others equally’ is ‘very effective’.