MP Alex Burghart visited the Ongar Academy at 10 years

The Ongar part of my constituency covers part of West Essex and contains some of the most beautiful and friendly villages in the constituency.

Many of the secondary school-age children in this area attend The Ongar Academy on Fyfield Road.

The school, which still feels very new, is actually celebrating a decade if being an academy.

I recently visited The Ongar Academy to meet its headteacher, Jonathan Sands, and chair of Governors, Brian Payne, to catch up with how the school is doing in its 10th year.

Mr Sands has been in post for just over a year, and I was very impressed by his grip on the school and his vision for the future. I am looking forward to working with him for what I hope will be a long time to come.

With just under 500 students attending, it is possible for staff at the academy to have a good working knowledge of each and every pupil.

MP Alex Burghart enjoyed a visit to The Ongar Academy (Image: Alex Burghart) Jonathan Sands told me that all staff positions are filled, and there is a low turnover of staff, which shows that confidence and happiness within the team is high.

I was also very impressed with Jonathan's decision to bring in a system of rewarding good behaviour from the students, rather than punishing poor behaviour.

For example, if a student remembers their books and pen for a lesson, they earn points. If they forget them, they miss out on those points.

This matters because at The Ongar Academy, points mean prizes.

For the younger years, this might be a badge, and for the Year 11s, students need to have been awarded a certain number of points if they want to go to the end-of-school Prom.

There’s still work to be done, but there was a positive feeling within the school, which felt good, and I am looking forward to seeing The Ongar Academy continue to thrive in the coming years.

Alex Burghart is Conservative MP for Brentwood and Onger.