Staff and pupils at Harris Academy Rainham are “extremely proud” after the school was graded Good by Ofsted inspectors.

The school, in Lambs Lane South, was formerly known as The Chafford School, which was graded Requires Improvement.

This inspection, which took place on May 15 and 16 this year, is the first time the school has been visited by the education watchdog since the Harris Foundation took over just shy of three years ago.

The turnaround of the academy was noted in the report, saying that the academy's leaders have a "good understanding of the school's strengths and continually seek to improve the areas that still need development".

Inspectors also commended the academy's culture of "ambition and high expectations" where the leaders "care about the pupils and have high expectations for what they can achieve".

Gareth Stananought, Principal of Harris Academy Rainham, said: "Our students, parents, staff and governors can all be extremely proud of our first Ofsted inspection report.

"There is a lot to celebrate in it - it shows that we've created a happy and successful school community where our students thrive.

"As the report makes clear, not only have we made significant progress over the past three years but we have a very bright and positive future ahead of us.

"I know our academy will continue to go from strength-to-strength."

The report highlights that: "Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and courteous.

"Pupils benefit from an extra-curricular programme, which enables them to develop skills and interests outside the classroom.

"Staff are highly motivated and proud to work at the school.

"The school's work to promote tolerance is strong. Pupils said the school is inclusive, respectful of the differences between individuals."

Inspectors gave three pieces of advice to the school's leadership in order to improve further at its next Ofsted visit.

These were: "Ensure that there are comprehensive plans in place to check the impact of the curriculum and wider curriculum on pupils' outcomes.

"Ensure that the quality of teaching and learning across all subjects is consistently high so that all pupils can achieve the highest possible outcomes.

?"Ensure that disadvantaged pupils make progress in line with their peers from similar starting points."