A SCHOOL working to “remove the barriers to learning” for its pupils has successfully secured a good rating.

Burnside Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), in Burnside Avenue, Chingford, received its second ‘good’ report in three years from Ofsted following an inspection in July.

Burnside PRU is part of the Hawkswood Group, which provides schooling for excluded pupils outside of mainstream education.

Executive head, Julian Lee, said it was a fair judgement but he did admit some teachers were disappointed the school had not been considered ‘outstanding’.

Mr Lee explained his school helps youngsters who have failed to thrive in mainstream education, but who are not always permanently excluded.

He said: “Our key job is to remove the barriers to learning.

“When they need a spell in our PRU, it is to re-engage them and to help them on their next steps.”

While the majority of Burnside’s students will move into employment education or the world of work, over 80 per cent of those going back to mainstream schools will successfully do so.

Since Ofsted’s 2013 report, which found the school to be ‘good’, inspectors found the leadership team had continued its “good quality of education”.

Improvements have led to pupils achieving ever better results over the last three years, with staff reportedly “determined” to raise standards throughout all areas of the school.

Nearly all pupils in key stage 3 made at least the expected amount of progress in all subjects, with key stage 4 students achieving equally as well.

Many achieved GCSE results last year which were comparable to pupils of a similar age.

Half of year 11 pupils achieved five GCSE passes, including in English and mathematics, at A* to C grades in 2015.

Safeguarding was found to be “high quality” and “fit for purpose”, with staff regularly updated on child protection roles and responsibilities.

Staff were praised in knowing how to identify pupils who may be at risk of extremism, and for the support given to young people at risk of child sexual exploitation and gangs.

Mr Lee added: “There’s absolutely no let-up on our drive to improve quality again and again and that is what we will continue to be doing.

“We are restless about wanting to get good results for our children, it’s the single focus for our work here at Burnside.”

An area the school can improve on before it becomes an ‘outstanding’ school was pupil attendance.

However, good work is reportedly being done to reinforce the importance of good attendance with the students and their families.

The inspectors suggested the school’s next steps will be to bring down the number of temporary exclusions, and to systematically check improvements are leading to better pupil outcomes.