A BASINGSTOKE secondary school has been praised for creating ‘stability’ and improving culture and behaviour after it was graded as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.

Ashwood Academy, in Winklebury, was given the grading by Ofsted in September 2022 following an inspection, during which inspectors found pupils received an “often poor” education.

The school opened in 2015 as a pupil referral unit and is part of the Catch-22 Multi Academy Trust, which is in the process of handing over all seven of its academy schools following a string of poor Ofsted reports.

Read more: Ashwood Academy graded 'inadequate' following Ofsted inspection

New headteacher Steve Griffiths was appointed to lead Ashwood Academy in September and said it has undergone a complete transformation.

Hampshire County Council (HCC) visited the school for a second time since the Ofsted inspection and reported that “notable improvements” have been made around culture and behaviour policy.

Mr Griffith was praised for continuing to “stabilise the school” with the report noting that “all staff and students spoke positively about the changes and improvements across the school, which they attribute to the interim headteacher”.

Ofsted previously raised concerns about "ineffective" safeguarding practices at the school.

HCC said this has been a focus of the leadership team over the last few months. Its report said: “All students said they had a trusted adult they could turn to, should they need it.”

The report concluded: “The school is continuing to improve in several areas, most notably around culture and behaviour policy, with the rewards system being spoken positively about by pupils and staff.

See also: Ashwood Academy improving after new headteacher is appointed

“The school is more stable than previously seen, with stability in staffing and embedding of structures and routines.”

The visit was part of an agreed sequence of termly quality assurance visits.

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “As an academy, the work of Ashwood is overseen by the Department for Education rather than the Local Authority.

“Hampshire County Council has been supporting the academy in its capacity as a provider of school improvement services and during a recent visit to the school, improvement officers noted the measures taken by the school to raise cultural and behavioural standards across staff and students.”