STAFF and pupils at a Cradley Heath school are celebrating after gaining the rare achievement of coming out of special measures with a ‘good’ grading.

Ofsted has brought Timbertree primary out of the failing schools category just 18 months after judging it ‘inadequate.’ Only five cent schools achieve a ‘good’ rating in their first full Ofsted after going into special measures, with most being marked ‘satisfactory.’ ‘Good’ is just one off the top ‘outstanding’ grade adopted by Ofsted inspectors and headteacher Hayley Walker said excellent key stage two SATS results had tipped the balance.

“Sixty one per cent gained level five in numeracy and a significant proportion of pupils made three sub levels of progress,” she said.

Children are expected to make just two sub levels of progress a year and level four is the national average for literacy and numeracy at the end of key stage two.

The school, which had been judged satisfactory in 2001 and 2006, slipped into special measures in March last year.

Six months later it was federated with Corngreaves Primary School, rated as outstanding in 2009 under the leadership of Tracy Ruddle, who became Timbertree’s executive headteacher.

The Ofsted inspector who visited Timbertree earlier this month acknowledged her “outstanding and inspirational leadership.”

Mrs Walker, who spent six years at Corngreaves prior to taking on the headship at Timbertree, said the schools were federated in the hope of repeating Corngreaves’ success - which had also gone from special measures straight to good with Miss Ruddle at the helm.

Miss Ruddle said: “I'm so pleased with the results. Very few schools that come out of special measures manage to be graded as ‘good.’ I feel this reflects the hard work put in by all of the staff, pupils and parents.”

She said the inspector was “very positive about the rapidly improving results” and also recognised the links made with outside agencies and the progress made with all children, particularly with those who need more support.