A school due to be axed under the Oxford schools shake-up has been praised by Government inspectors.

Donnington Middle School staff and pupils were given top marks and withdrawn from "special measures" after a further visit from inspectors at Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education.

The school was branded as "under-performing" three years ago and was told that its pupils were underachieving.

But now teachers and youngsters have got the thumbs up less than three months after councillors voted to close the school.

Inspectors reported that though the pupils' level of achievement was still below national average, it had improved. And teaching quality was said to be "satisfactory or better" in nearly all lessons.

Headteacher Paul Franklin said: "This is terrific news for all the staff. It highlights their hard work, along with help from governors and the education authority."

Mr Franklin was praised for providing strong leadership and a clear educational direction.