St Joseph's proves to be a class act with Ofsted inspectors

Ofsted inspectors praised St Joseph's RC High School for having standards of attainment above the national average and were impressed by the high expectations of teachers.

The Chorley New Road school, which was last examined by Ofsted inspectors in 1996, boasts an above average number of pupils gaining five or more GCSE grades A* to C and the quality of teaching for all year groups was considered to be "good".

The 14 inspectors described the pupils' attitude as "excellent" with a "friendly and calm" atmosphere in the school buildings.

The attendance record is "very good" and significantly higher than most secondary schools, which inspectors believe adds to the pupils' progress. The headteacher, Leo Conley, was singled out for praise for his strong leadership skills, as was the senior management team for providing such good support.

Links between the school and the community were described as "outstanding", with Year 8 pupils offered the chance to work shadow, Year 10 pupils involved in an industry awareness workshop and Year 11 pupils enjoying work experience.

Parents' questionnaires revealed that their view of the school is good and they feel comfortable about approaching staff with queries.

But some parents felt their children did not receive the correct amount of homework and some wanted more information about how their children were doing at school.

Ofsted inspectors claimed that the school had more strengths than weaknesses, but issued advice on how to improve further, with a need to be more consistent in the use of marking and assessment and increase the monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school by managers at all levels.

During the same week as the Ofsted inspection, the school was also inspected by the Salford Diocese to check the quality of its religious education.

The RE department was praised for the "exceptionally good quality teaching".

Headteacher Mr Conley said he was delighted with both reports.