A Hampshire MP has championed a secondary school after it was given a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating.

On Friday, February 14, Dame Caroline Dinenage – Conservative MP for Gosport – visited King’s Academy Bay House to congratulate the hard work of both staff and pupils.

The latest Ofsted inspection found King’s Academy Bay House to be ‘Good’ across the board.

Having received a ‘Requires Improvement’ assessment at their last inspection in November 2022, Bay House was one of the five schools of the Gosport and Fareham Multi-Academy Trust (GFM) to merge with King’s Group Academies (KGA) at the start of last year. 

In February 2024, amid local concerns about education standards for Gosport children, the Conservative MP convened and chaired a secondary school summit attended by school and college leaders, Multi Academy Trusts, Department of Education officials and Ofsted representatives, to help drive improvements.

Bay House’s recent Ofsted report noted that staff are positive about the improvements and many feel that KGA Trust leaders do all they can to enable staff to focus on pupils’ learning.

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The Ofsted report said that "pupils’ behaviour is calm and purposeful relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils follow the school’s clear routines and act respectfully towards each other and staff." 

Praising the work of teachers and senior leadership, Caroline Dinenage said: “Education is the closest thing that we have to a silver bullet.  

“Children only get one chance to go through the school system, it’s vital that it equips them with the knowledge and skills to go on and achieve their full potential.

“I am so impressed with the drive and dedication from staff, academy leaders, pupils and parents who’ve driven these significant improvements at the school so rapidly.

“The effect of a strong Multi Academy Trust grouping can’t be underestimated in delivering this progress and it’s worrying that the Government are threatening to undermine this in current legislation.”

Headmaster of Bay House, Chris Willis, added: “We are tremendously proud that our school has been judged as ‘Good’ in all areas, a testament to the dedication, hard work, and determination of our staff and pupils.

“The inspection report reflects the incredible strides we have made as a school and highlights the positive and respectful culture that we have fostered.”