A BRADFORD secondary school is out of special measures following a recent Ofsted inspection, and school leaders have said they are committed to achieving an Outstanding rating for the academy.

Laisterdyke Leadership Academy in Thornbury Road was visited by Ofsted earlier this year, and was given a ‘requires improvement’ rating by inspectors.

This was the first visit since Star Academies Trust took over the school, which had formerly been Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, and had bee branded inadequate by Ofsted in its previous inspection in 2015.

Following the visit, inspectors praised the school for moving forward and improving teaching standards, but said there is much work to be done, something the school has acknowledged and is working hard on.

In the report, Ofsted said: “Supported by the trust and governors, the new principal is moving the school in the right direction.

“Leaders have high aspirations for what the pupils can achieve.

“Following the appointment of the principal, pupils’ behaviour is improving, and their attendance has started to improve.

“Pupils’ behaviour needs improvement, because expectations and routines to ensure pupils consistently conduct themselves with self-discipline are not fully embedded.

“The school community is generally a harmonious one. However, a very small minority of pupils do not feel able to tell an adult if they are worried about bullying.

“The curriculum has been remodelled so that it better meets the needs of pupils.

“While still variable, the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress are beginning to improve, including in subject areas which have seen poor recent outcomes.

“Although current pupils’ progress is improving, in 2018, pupils’ progress at the end of Year 11 fell below the national average.

“Progress was weak in a range of subjects, including English, science and the humanities subjects of history and geography.

“The progress of disadvantaged pupils has been poor for two years.

“The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is variable. Teachers’ use of questioning and the clarity of their explanations of tasks are inconsistent.

“Consequently, the progress made by pupils is variable, within and between subjects.

“Students in the sixth form benefit from a supportive wider curriculum, including work experience, which further develops their skills.

“Students’ progress on their A-level courses is variable and requires improvement, especially in applied general subjects.”

The school has said it committed to improvement and achieving better outcomes for students.

A spokesperson for Laisterdyke Leadership Academy said: “We are pleased the school is out of special measures and that the Ofsted inspectors recognised that there have been improvements across the school since its last inspection.

“We remain committed to driving up standards further and continuing to improve outcomes for all our pupils. We are now focused on our next milestone of achieving an outstanding rating at our next inspection.”

Laisterdyke is run by Star Academies Trust, which runs a number of primary and secondary schools in the district.