RATES of suspension for poor behaviour are declining but are still too high at a Bradford district secondary school, according to a recent Ofsted visit.

Beckfoot Oakbank, off Oakworth Road in Keighley, received its third Ofsted monitoring visit, following an 'Inadequate' rating in November 2022, on July 17.

Inspector Jessica McKay determined ‘leaders have made progress to improve the school’. 

The inspection highlighted that there have been continued ‘signs of improvement’ in student behaviour at Beckfoot Oakbank, with ‘rates of suspension for poor behaviour declining’ although they are still too high.

Additionally, the inspector recognised the support provided to those ‘who need extra help to manage their behaviour’ at the Sir Captain Tom Moore Centre.

The report acknowledged that pupils ‘feel safe in school and have trusted adults they can talk to’, resulting in little worry of bullying not being taken seriously.

Pupils also told the inspector that ‘behaviour in classrooms is generally positive’.

It was noted that the systems Beckfoot Oakbank are using to improve pupils' attendance are being ‘used consistently’, and that the work with ‘individual pupils and families has led to improvements’ in school wide attendance.

The inspector recognised the success of parent forums and events at Beckfoot Oakbank in helping to ‘engage more parents’.

The report highlighted that parents and carers ‘have a more positive view about the education and support that their children are receiving’ whilst recognising there is more work to do to engage all families.

Liz Hart, headteacher of Beckfoot Oakbank added: ‘During the monitoring period, Ofsted have been supportive of our actions and agreed with our identified priorities.

"A lovely moment during feedback was hearing that the inspectors found our students to be polite and respectful in conversation with her.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those across the school community for their continued support for our drive for improvement.

"We are also grateful to those who have taken the time to give us feedback to support our journey to remarkable.

"We are entirely committed to providing a good education so that all our students can enjoy, learn, and succeed in school and in life."

A spokesperson for Beckfoot Trust said: “We are very pleased that the ongoing significant improvements that have been made have been recognised in all three Ofsted monitoring visits.

"We are far from complacent, and we are continuing to work with the school to support their journey to remarkable.”