THE Royal Grammar School has received one of OFSTED'S best reports following an inspection last November.

Inspectors told headteacher Tim Dingle that their report on the school in Hamilton Road, High Wycombe, was probably the best they had written in the past year.

They found that boys' attitudes were excellent, academic standards were exceptional, even compared with other grammar schools, teaching was fine, there were many outside activities for pupils and the head and governors led and developed the school well.

Mr Dingle said: "What we are proud of is that we serve our children well.

"The teachers at the RGS are fantastic; incredibly hard-working, professional and inspirational.

"I cannot praise them enough for their enthusiasm and dedication."

At a time when many schools locally and nationally cannot find teachers of any sort the RGS is still receiving 20 applicants for each post. It is below the 50 to 60 it used to get but the sort of problem most heads would like.

One advantage for the school, which has 1,360 pupils, is that its boarding sector has 12 flats which young first-time teachers can use rent-free in return for being on duty once a week.

Mr Dingle is keen to attract young teachers and says the RGS is able to attract staff who otherwise might have gone into the private sector where they would be earning £4,000 to £6,000 more.

He said it was important for the RGS to give support to other schools and is planning to help the troubled Hatters Lane School in High Wycombe.

The RGS is a specialist language college and staff give classes in language teaching to teachers from elsewhere, as well as going out to primary schools to teach French.

The school also helps inner city schools in a London Education Action Zone with maths.

For instance they go into Stockwell Park, a failing comprehensive in Lambeth, which Mr Dingle says has every major social deprivation you can imagine.

The OFSTED inspectors' report did point up a few improvements needed at the RGS. They included more design and technology work, better target setting, improvements to the few lessons that were uninspiring or where the teachers were too controlled, and changes in the timing of parents' evenings to fit in better with parents' needs.