An Oxford school, whose staff and governors were angered when Government inspectors said it was failing, has now been taken off special measures.

Headington Quarry First School now provides an acceptable standard of education for its 68 pupils, according to inspectors from the Office For Standards in Education.

When the school was put on special measures in 1999, Mike Stranks, the then chairman of governors, wrote to Chris Woodhead, the then chief inspector of schools, to complain.

Now inspectors have said the rate of pupils' progress and the standards they achieve at the Quarry Place school have both risen significantly since its failure two years ago.

Ofsted blamed staffing problems for the failure of the school, which was relying on a series of supply teachers in 1999. New teachers have since been appointed to all three classes.

Most of the pupils in Years One and Two now achieve national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

Last year's National Curriculum test results for writing and maths at key stage one and standards in spelling were still well below average. Results for reading were in line with national expectations.

However, inspectors have praised pupils' attitudes to learning and their behaviour. They found a significant improvement in their ability to sustain concentration and effort when working alone.

A third of pupils' attendance is below 90 per cent for this school year.

All of the teaching was satisfactory or better, pupils receive regular feedback from teachers to help them improve and the curriculum is managed effectively, the inspectors said.

However, standards in writing, particularly in handwriting, spelling and punctuation at key stage two, attendance and outdoor play need to be improved.

The headteacher, Kate Rule, said she felt the latest report reflected the school accurately.

She said: "We all worked extremely hard to prove the original report wrong. This has always been a good school and now we have proved it very positively. We are not looking back any more, but forward to the future with a very good inspection report."

Brendan Greehy, the chairman of governors who took over after the school went onto special measures, said: "The Ofsted report that we got when we went into special measures said there were problems dealing with more able pupils.

"Most of the schemes of work had to be rewritten and there is much more emphasis on short- and long-term planning. I am a parent governor and I don't have a problem with the teaching."