Richmond Park Academy has received a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted after being the first secondary school in the borough to be examined under the new system.

Ofsted has toughened its criteria and removed satisfactory from its marking categories, meaning good is the lowest acceptable benchmark for a school to achieve.

Headteacher Lesley Kirby said: “I am most proud of the judgement made about the high quality of teaching because this has been our central focus for some time and our hard work has clearly born fruit.

“The school’s overall good Ofsted judgement is a testament to the persistence and skill of the staff and the positivity of the students.”

The school in Park Avenue, East Sheen, was visited by inspectors shortly before half term.

Mrs Kirby said: “The credit for this momentous achievement goes to all the staff, students, governors and parents who contributed to the evidence gathering and the hard, hard work that has been going on for some years to get our school to this standard.

“We want an outstanding judgement at our next inspection.”