A SECONDARY school has been praised by Ofsted for its inclusivity, highlighting the way it has “enthusiastically” integrated Syrian refugee pupils.

Inspectors said Christopher Whitehead Language College, in St John’s, was good overall - and outstanding for its personal development, behaviour and welfare.

It was rated good for the effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, outcomes for pupils and 16 to 19 study programmes in its latest Ofsted report.

After visiting the school in May, inspectors said: “The headteacher and other senior leaders have ensured that the welcoming nature of the school reflects its values of internationalism and diversity. An example is the way leaders have enthusiastically received and integrated refugee pupils from Syria.

“Christopher Whitehead is an inclusive school where leaders and staff meet the needs of a wide range of pupils effectively.

“Pupils behave very well and have positive attitudes to their learning. The promotion of British values and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a significant strength of the school.

“Leadership, support and provision are effective for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Teaching over time is good. In some subjects, such as English, it is outstanding.

The report gave suggestions for improvement, including that governors need to evaluate the impact of all additional funding on pupils’ outcomes.

The report also said the progress of the first students in its sixth form was below the national average - although their results were in line with other sixth formers from across the country.

The school was told to ensure sixth-form students are fully prepared to face the increased rigour of A-level courses, and make sure outcomes at A-level are consistently high across a wider range of subjects as well as making sure disadvantaged pupils make more rapid progress at key stages 3 and 4.

They were also told to ensure expectations are consistently as high for lower attaining pupils, including in modern foreign languages.

Headteacher Neil Morris said: “We are delighted. We are grateful to the parents and the kids - their behaviour was described as exemplary.

He added: “We are the first school in Worcestershire to have refugee pupils. They are going to be invaluable citizens to the UK.”

Mr Morris said he had contacted Ofsted regarding some inaccuracies in the report.

He said some of these have changed and he is awaiting others to be amended.