Teachers in Bradford have mounted a fightback after their school was pilloried for failing its children two years ago.

All Saints CE First School in Little Horton was one of only eight schools in Bradford to fail their Ofsted report after an inspection in 1996.

But inspectors have returned to lavish praise on the outstanding progress made by staff and pupils despite classes being severely disrupted for a year while repairs were carried out on the 140-year-old building.

Children had to be bussed to Undercliffe for lessons while the work took place.

Standards have soared over the past two years after the shock of the Ofsted report galvanised the staff into action.

The children, who are mostly Asian, are now achieving results in reading and writing in line with national expectations.

Last year, 80 per cent of the seven-year-olds reached the national standards in reading, and 82 per cent in writing.

And in maths they are way above the national averages with 93 per cent reaching the expected level.

All Saints, which caters for about 280 children, now hopes to be taken out of special measures which all failing schools are placed under so that their performances can be carefully monitored.

Without substantial improvement, some schools risk outright closure.

Headteacher Beverley Robin-son said: "It came as a great shock when we were put under special measures. It made us stop and look at what we were doing and we went back to basics."

The staff were given fresh training, targets were set and initiatives such as the literacy hour and the numeracy project were adopted.

Mrs Robinson said the school would have got nowhere without the staff pulling together.

"Particular praise should be given to the staff for their skill, dedication and loyalty in achieving such results during a very difficult time," she said.

The inspectors' report said: "Pupils are benefiting from an excellent start to their formal education.

"Provision made in the classroom is good and in some cases outstandingly so.

"The leadership and management of the school are effective and influential. There is a clear sense of purpose and direction, and the initiatives identified for school improvement are well-phased and on target."

Staff unity was also highly commended.

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