Worksop: Academy skyrockets from special measures to top 100 UK school

Schools minister Nick Dunne MP wrote to the secondary school, based on Netherton Road, to convey his congratulations on the school’s “very high standard of achievement’”in 2015.

The School Leagues tables show that the percentage of pupils at Outwood Academy Portland achieving five or more GCSE grades at A*-C rose to 81 per cent last year, makingthe school one of the highest performing schools nationally and the top secondary school in Nottinghamshire.

Portland was also named as one of the “most improved” schools in the country after progressing from Special Measures to Outstanding in its Ofsted ratings since 2012.

Phil Smith, assoiciate executive principal at Outwood Academy Portland, told the Guardian: “We are thrilled that the performance of Worksop students is recognised as the best in the country.

“Last year’s results have placed Outwood Academy in the top 100 schools nationally for attainment, and also for progress.

“It is an amazing achievement and one that reflects the partnership between hard-working students, outstanding staff and supportive families.”

Outwood Academy Portland was found to be in special measures in March 2010 and came out of special measures on March 8 2012.

The school was later taken over by the Outwood Grange Academies Trust and officially became an academy in June 2012, having been classed as Requires Improvement.

The trust operates two other secondary schools in the Worksop area, Outwood Academy Valley and Outwood Post-16 Centre.

Outwood Academy Portland has come under fire over the last few years for its rules and punishments, which some parents have described as “Draconian.”

Views on the issue have divided the community, with some parents in favour of strict rules and others concerned about the negative impact they could have.

But staff at the school have continued to defend their disiplinary procedures, stating that their Ofsted reports are a result of the way the school tackles any disruptive behaviour.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “When we started working with the schools in Worksop, Portland was in the Special Measures category.

“The school is now Outstanding, which has been achieved due to our strategic approach to the behaviour system. This ensures that the learning of the majority of students is not damaged by the behaviour of a very small minority.”