A SECONDARY school has hit back at claims it is failing children after being branded as one of the worst in the district.

Theale Green School's Progress 8 score fell below government expectations, but leaders have described the system as a 'crude measure' of success.

Education chiefs use the rating to measure progress between primary and secondary school, with a particular focus on English and Maths.

The school received a 100 per cent pass rate in the most recent set of A-Level results and has recently become part of a multi academy trust.

Kirstin Robb, head of marketing at Theale, said: "The Progress 8 scores are a very crude measure that does not give the full picture.

"There are other measures, such as Achievement 8, which give a more balanced picture of how well the pupils at Theale Green are doing.

"There are also the excellent A-Level results, which placed us in the top 25 per cent of schools in the country.

"This has seen students gaining places at positive destinations, such as Oxford University, to further their education."

Reading Chronicle:

Theale received a 'requires improvement' rating from Ofsted in May, while the Sixth Form programme was found to be a strength of the school.

Along with John Madejski Academy and Newbury College, Theale Green fell short of the required Progress 8 standard.

Critics have argued that the new grading system has complicated the way progress is calculated, as it involves combining the old and new methods.

Ms Robb added: "Theale Green School is working hard to improve standards and has made significant progress this year.

"This year's projected Progress 8 results are significantly better. The school will also be joining the Activate Leaning Education Trust, which we expect to accelerate this improvement."

The school was plunged into special measures following a previous visit from Ofsted and Dr Beeson arrived in 2015 after serving as deputy head at Bradfield College.

She was replaced by Julie Turner in time for the start of the current academic year.