A YEAR of hard work has paid off for Thomas Clarkson Community College as Ofsted inspectors returned and found a vastly improving picture.

A year after the school was judged to require a notice of improvement, inspectors have lifted the notice and declared the school’s overall effectiveness as satisfactory.

After hearing the news, principal Maureen Strudwick said: “This is wonderful news. We are delighted. This judgment reflects the commitment and hard work of a great team.

“What is most satisfying is that a large amount of the teaching here is now judged to be good or outstanding.

“We are also pleased that Ofsted has said our capacity for improvement is good. That shows great faith in the school.

“What I need to do now is work with the community so that we can restore their faith in us.”

Ofsted says teaching has continued to improve and significant improvements have been made in students’ behaviour.

It said Ms Strudwick and her staff have established “a strong culture of high expectation and achievement”.

The report noted that “morale is now high, with staff committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for students.

“Teaching continues to improve. It is now particularly strong in key subjects of English and mathematics.

“The proportion of teaching that is good or better has improved to 68 per cent, with more examples of outstanding teaching than ever before.”

The report adds: “Relationships are very productive and teachers have high expectations. As a result, students enjoy their lessons and show very good attitudes to learning.”