A HEADTEACHER has vowed to make her school outstanding after it went from failing to good in less than four years.

Wheatley Park school in Holton has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, despite having been put into special measures in 2009.

The 996-pupil school was given notice to improve after the watchdog found it was not giving an acceptable standard of education, needed to tackle misbehaviour and boost the achievement of the least engaged students.

The school came out of special measures in February 2011, and was praised in its most recent report last month.

Headteacher Kate Curtis said: “We’re all absolutely thrilled and very proud that we work we have been doing has been recognised.

“I think we have all worked incredibly hard, making sure all our children make the progress they need to make.”

Ms Curtis said the school would not stop at a ‘good’ rating, but aim for ‘outstanding’ at its next inspection in 2016.

She said: “We feel that if we have gone in three years from a very low point to being a good school then we can go further.

“We’re very excited about the next three years, which will take us from good to outstanding.

“We’re not just going to stand still. This report is going to be a milestone for us, not just a stopping point.”

In her report on the school, inspector Mary Myatt said: “The school has made good improvements to the quality of education since the previous inspection.

“The quality of teaching has improved. Teaching is good overall and, in some lessons, is outstanding.

“Students and staff share an increasingly strong sense of community. Students say they feel safe and value the range of additional activities which are available.

“The headteacher sets high standards for the school. She is well supported by the senior team and other members of staff.”

The report said that in order to be outstanding, some teachers had to improve lesson planning and do more to help students who are supported by additional funding.

Mum Marion Baker, whose 22-year-old son Sam spent five years at the school and whose 18-year-old son Danny is still there in year 13, praised the hard work of the staff and governors.

She said: “I was surprised when it went into special measures, and less surprised when it came out because they really pulled their socks up.

“The fact that it’s a large comprehensive school and has all the same sort of problems you would expect, for my children it worked fine.”

Chairman of governors Tessa Shaw said: “It’s recognition of a lot of hard work and the fact the whole school pulled together.”