THE two new headteachers taking over Didcot’s secondary schools said they would be strict on uniform, punctuality and behaviour.

Rachael Warwick has moved from Bartho-lomew School, Eyn-sham, to Didcot Girls’ School, while Alwyn Richards has moved from Suffolk to follow long-serving Chris Bryan at the boys school, St Birinus.

Both said they wanted the schools to achieve an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted following on record-breaking exam results.

St Birinus was rated ‘good’ at its last two inspections.

Last year, Ofsted inspectors downgraded Didcot Girls’ School rating to ‘satisfactory’. The previous permanent head, Paula Taylor-Moore, has retired.

Mrs Warwick said: “I was really lucky at the end of last term to have time with (previous acting head) Fernand Dierckens, who did an excellent job, and to talk about what had worked well so we can build on last year’s achievements.

“There is tremendous optimism and a really shared will to move forwards and make progress, and I feel very privileged to be appointed to a school that is this positive.”

Pupils and parents who completed a questionnaire at the end of last year thought the school was improving, while pupils wanted expectations of them made clear, she said.

Mrs Warwick has written to parents setting out the standards she expects in pupils’ dress and timekeeping.

She said: “I hope and expect pupils will notice a return to the clarity of expectations in place last September.

“The focus with staff will be on really good quality teaching and learning, so students are encouraged to become independent learners.”

At St Birinus, Mr Richards said he was impressed by the behaviour and attitude of boys, and that many aspects of the school were already outstanding.

He said: “My core purpose is making sure teaching and learning in the classroom is as good as it can be, and teachers feel confident in what they are doing — and try out new things.

“Boys can have a particularly short attention span, but there are ways round that. It is about engaging their minds so they want to learn.”

Both schools posted record exam results this summer.

Fifty-eight per cent of girls and 59 per cent of boys achieved five A* to C GCSE grades, including English and maths, compared with 47 per cent at St Birinus School and 51 per cent at Didcot Girls’ School last year.

The schools’ joint sixth form has the largest Year 12 yet enrolled as it goes into the academic year with 260 pupils.

Mr Richards said: “The results in the summer were superb, and moving in the right direction.

“Becoming ‘outstanding’ is about knowing the school well, knowing what the strengths are and the areas to develop are.”

Didcot Girls’ School will hold an open day for visitors on Wednesday, September 29, from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.