AN Accrington secondary school has blamed a new Ofsted framework and a ‘legacy of exam results’ for its drop in rating.

Mount Carmel RC High School in Wordsworth Road has been downgraded to ‘requires improvement’ from ‘good’ following an inspection last month.

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The school was told to improve its outcomes for pupils but received ‘good’ ratings for its leadership, teaching and the personal development, behaviour and welfare of the students.

A new Ofsted framework was introduced in September and Mount Carmel was the first secondary school in the Lancashire Education Authority to be inspected under the new rules.

Headteacher Xavier Bowers has said that the drop in rating is down to ‘the legacy of examination results since our last inspection rather than the quality of teaching, learning, attainment and progress made by pupils currently in school’.

Dawn Platt, Ofsted’s lead inspector, said: “In 2015, the proportion of pupils gaining five GCSE grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, was significantly below the national average. Standards in mathematics lag behind those in English.

“Achievement in mathematics requires improvement.

“Recent improvements are not reflected across all year groups.

“The quality of teaching in mathematics is strengthening, but outcomes are still variable.”

The school was however praised for its teachers having ‘strong subject knowledge’ and for leaders ensuring that students’ welfare is a high priority.

Students’ behaviour was also concluded to be good and improving.

Mr Bowers said: “While we are disappointed with the overall Ofsted judgement we accept the decision and are determined to demonstrate the improvements that Ofsted have identified.

“We are extremely pleased and proud to maintain our ‘good’ judgements and we are determined to build on the success of the examination results of 2015 in 2016 to ensure a good judgement in the ‘outcomes for pupils’ criteria.

“As a result of these very positive judgements we will not require the usual termly monitoring visits from an Ofsted inspector but we will have another Ofsted inspection within 12 to 24 months.

“This will provide us with an opportunity to demonstrate our progress within this period and we are confident we will secure ‘good’ judgements across all criteria and therefore secure an overall ‘good’.”

He added that the Ofsted inspectors made ‘many positive comments’ about the school and that he would be pleased to speak to any families.