PARENTS will be encouraged to see Oxford Academy coming out of special measures.

Headteacher Niall McWilliams, who took up the role at the Littlemore school in March, has obviously had an impact.

But given the school was dubbed the worst in the county, it could be argued the only way for the school to go was up.

The introduction of one-to-one reading and literacy lessons for pupils struggling in class, as well as a family mentoring support scheme, will hopefully continue the upward trend.

But one must be cautious of getting too excited.

It has only improved by one grade in the Ofsted rankings and still requires improvement.

Mr McWilliams has admitted this is only the beginning of the journey and there is a lot of hard work to be done.

The next aim is to move the school up to good, but the more immediate test will be this summer’s exam results.

Overhauling the problems of the past will take time, but the seeds for progression have been sown.

There is a wider debate to be had over the accountability of academies as we move forward.

But for now improving the educational provision for the children is of prime concern.

We cannot afford to let them down.