A SECONDARY school has completed an incredible turnaround after moving from special measures to being judged outstanding in just over two years.

Carlton Bolling in Undercliffe has just been given the top rating by school inspection body Ofsted, making it one of the highest rated schools in the district.

The glowing report praises head Adrian Kneeshaw’s “highly aspirational vision” and describes behaviour and pupil attitude to learning as “exemplary.”

The judgement comes just a few years after the school was put into special measures after Ofsted inspectors claimed pupils were “not protected from the risks of extremism.” It made national headlines, and led to the entire governing body being fired and replaced.

In October 2015 the school came out of special measures following another inspection, when it was bumped up to “requires improvement.”

Since then the school has experienced some of its best exam results, and has found itself at the upper ends of league tables that measure pupil improvement.

The new judgement, which will be uploaded onto the Ofsted website next week, means Carlton Bolling is one of just six schools in the Bradford district to have been given the top rating, and the only non-academy school to be classed 'outstanding.'

The report gives the school, which has over 1,500 pupils, an outstanding rating in all areas except for its sixth form, which is judged as good. The school is currently planning to close its sixth form and increase the number of pupils it takes on in lower years.

It points out that the majority of pupils at the school are either of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage, and it also has a number of pupils who have recently arrived from Eastern Europe.

It says: “All staff and pupils share the headteacher’s highly aspirational vision for the school. They are absolutely committed to being successful and working as one community to achieve their ambitions.

“Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary. Pupils want to come to school and want to learn, and they work hard to achieve all of which they are capable.

“Leaders’ work to keep pupils safe is exemplary and subject to local and national recognition. Pupils speak openly about how school prepares them to stay safe, for example from radicalisation, child sexual exploitation and online risks.”

One of the only negatives in the report is that “a small number of pupils need to catch up in history and Spanish.”

Mr Kneeshaw, who started as head shortly before the school was put in special measures, said: “It reflects the progress pupils make here. Young people that start here are from the lowest quartile nationally.

“I expected this result. We have a fantastic staff, we don’t have to ask them to do extra work, they want to do it. Improving the school is about changing people’s mindsets, changing the narrative.

“I never though that we couldn’t do this. I expected the outstanding judgement based on the most recent results. We knew we had the right measures in place, our safeguarding measures are recognised internationally.

“This result is a real vindication for the school for the staff and for the area, it is what this area of the city deserves. But now we can’t let it slip, we’re already looking to our next inspection.”

Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Skills and Employment said: “Huge congratulations go to everyone at Carlton Bolling College on what is an exemplary report.

“We know that the school has been making huge strides and we work closely with the school’s Headteacher Adrian Kneeshaw and governing body.

“It is wonderful to see Carlton Bolling’s achievements being recognised in an Ofsted report which judges the school’s leadership and management; its teaching and learning, the outcomes for pupils and their personal development, behaviour and welfare all to be outstanding.

“What comes across in this report is that everyone at the school from the headteacher to the pupils share the same vision and passion to succeed and this is having real results.

“The school is ensuring pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are making excellent progress and that they are prepared exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.

“My congratulations go to everyone connected to the school.”