A Bradford school principal is thanking staff for their extraordinary efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dan Styles, Principal at Tong Leadership Academy, thanked staff who he said were ‘working harder than ever’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the first day of lockdown and the closure of schools to the majority of pupils, staff ensured pupils were able to continue their learning at home by teaching lessons online.

Pastoral and support staff also offered emotional support to pupils and their families in isolation by making regular calls to check on their wellbeing throughout lockdown.

Dan Styles said: “I am incredibly proud of our school and the wonderful community we are all so very lucky to be part of.

“The strength of support offered by our teachers to our pupils has never been more apparent since the outbreak of COVID-19, the subsequent lockdown and our eventual return to school.

“Our teachers began teaching live, online lessons to pupils immediately to ensure that our pupils continued to make progress. They also called families every single week to stay in touch and offer support.

“The incredible efforts of our staff meant that nobody in our school community was left behind and that everyone was cared for.

“When we learned of the difficulties people were facing in our wider community as a result of the pandemic, our caring staff even began to gather donations for food and hygiene parcels to help alleviate this suffering.“

The school was recently praised by Ofsted who said that it had been ‘completely transformed’ since its conversion to academy status.

Dan Styles added: “Our school has never been in a stronger position. It is a place where young people are able to thrive and achieve their very best.

“The quality of our teaching standards, our facilities and our experienced and dedicated staff all contribute to our success.

“Year-on-year, our pupils’ exam results have improved significantly and we are all very excited about the progress we are making.

“Our facilities are second to none. Our pupils benefit from swimming lessons in our on-site swimming pools, we have a fitness suite, gym, a 3G and multi-sports area and we even have a theatre.

“For pupils who want to continue with their education post-16, we have a dedicated Sixth Form building and provision. Pupils have achieved a 100% pass rate at A level and in vocational studies over the past three years. Several of our talented pupils have recently taken up places at Oxford University.

“We are looking forward to a very bright future and to continuing to establish our school as one of the very best that Bradford has to offer.”