Less than 14 months after Chatham Grammar School for Boys was named as only the second grammar in Britain to be put in special measures, it has now been rated good by inspectors.
A team from Ofsted visited the school three weeks ago and said it was good in every category including quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

A previous inspection in June 2013, with the report released in September of that year, judged it to be inadequate and placed the school in special measures.
The positive new report is the latest good news for staff and students after the Letchworth Avenue school celebrated its best results at A-level and GCSE during the summer holidays.

Principal Stuart Gardner said: “I am delighted that Ofsted have recognised the impact of the work we have done here at Chatham Grammar School for Boys and I would like to thank students, parents and staff for all their hard work and support over the last year. I am sure the school will now continue to move forward from strength to strength.”

The report praised Mr Gardner and executive principal Denise Shepherd for being “unswerving in their determination to ensure that students receive a top class education.” It added: “They have taken tough, judicious and, at times, unpopular decisions to bring about rapid improvements in teaching and achievement by refusing to accept mediocrity.”

The report also attributed some of the improvement in exam results to the intelligent systems which were quickly established to monitor and support teachers to improve the quality of their teaching. Progress rates in English and maths were significantly above national norms.

To become an outstanding school, inspectors said CGSB needs to make sure teachers’ written feedback to students is of a consistently high standard as not all students routinely respond to marking. They also said not enough teaching is outstanding and a thirst for knowledge is not yet fully apparent.