THE headteacher of one of Malvern’s largest schools says it is moving in the right direction after an Ofsted report called for widespread improvement.

After a recent inspection of Dyson Perrins CE Academy, schools watchdog Ofsted said the school requires improvement with concerns that the pupils are not making enough progress and that teaching, while never inadequate, could be improved in many areas.

However, lead inspector Lisa Fraser noted pupils’ academic achievement and the steady improvement in GCSE results at the 749-pupil Yates Hay Road school.

She also reported that teaching in certain subjects was outstanding and the students were well-behaved and safe.

Headteacher David Griffin said a new, tougher Ofsted framework meant inspectors had not been able to give the school full credit for its progress since its last inspection in December 2010.

The grade three rating the school attained this time around would have seen it labelled satisfactory before the goalposts were shifted last year. Mr Griffin said it was important that people realised the latest report did not signify a return to the special measures that Dysons was placed in back in 2009 after an inspection which education chiefs at County Hall labelled harsh.

“Under the new framework, inspectors were, unfortunately, unable to give full credit to our school’s improvement since the last inspection, such as our five-plus A* to C grades being the best among the state schools of Malvern,” said Mr Griffin.

“We are delighted that attainment is in line with national expectations and students’ behaviour is good.

“The bar has been raised under the new Ofsted framework and our school is already working on areas to improve.”

In her report, Mrs Fraser said: “Although results are now in line with that expected nationally, given students’ starting points, they are not making as much progress as they could.”

But she also notes that school leaders have taken robust action to improve teaching by tackling underperformance and that ideas brought in by several strong new senior staff members have not yet had a chance to make an impact on results.