A Dereham high school has been praised for its determined leadership and strong education planning in its first Ofsted inspection since being formed into a multi-academy trust.

Northgate High School was rated good overall and inspectors commended the school's senior leaders for showing continual improvement even during a period of significant change.

The report noted numerous other areas of achievement, including positive student behaviour, high standards in safeguarding and strong teaching with effective learning assessments and outcomes.

Head of school, Andy Mason, said: 'The key is working with the parents, working with the students and working with our staff to get the very best. It is those partnerships that make this school a special place.

'We want to make sure that everybody who has a stake in the school has an opportunity to share their voice and we try to always work in close partnership with parents and students in every aspect. I think that is what makes it work.'

Ofsted also complimented the school for planning further improvements, noting that the school was 'placing even more emphasis on checking how well teaching is helping the different groups of pupils to make good progress'. It said its plan highlighted the school's work to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who enter the school with low prior attainment in English and mathematics.'

Chief executive, Glyn Hambling, said he was 'immensely proud of the head of school, of the senior leaders, of all the teachers, of the children but above all the partnership between all those different stakeholders'.

He added: 'The governors, the adults and parents, the students and the teachers, without that partnership you don't get successful outcomes.

'Now we've got a lot to look forward to and we're not going to rest on our laurels. We need to push forward and that's the important thing, we need to use the inspection to help to inform not only Northgate High School but all the schools in the trust to look at how we are going to continue to move forward and how are we going to continue to do the best for our pupils.'

* Does your child attend Northgate High School? What do you think? Email steve.shaw@archant.co.uk