A primary school has been praised for making significant improvements just a year after receiving the borough’s worst Ofsted report for nine years.

The inspectors credited King Athelstan’s leap from inadequate, the worst rating, to good, the second highest, to the headteacher’s leadership and an enthusiastic team of staff and governors.

Following their two-day inspection in October, they wrote: “The school has improved significantly since the previous inspection and it now provides a good quality of education for pupils.

“One parent or carer wrote, ‘I have seen so many positive changes in the last year which are commendable’.

“They have had a relentless focus on raising attainment by improving the quality of teaching so that it is now good. Their track record of bringing about rapid improvement shows that they have good capacity for sustained improvement.”

They said the quality of teaching was good overall, pupils behave well and are enthusiastic learners, and their attainment in English and maths prepared them well for the next stage in their learning.

The inspectors said the school should raise achievement in maths, and improve the quality of teaching so more lessons were good or better.

In July, the council announced a two-year soft federation with near-by St John’s primary school, with plans to consult on the possibility of becoming a voluntary controlled Church of England school.

Executive headteacher Janet Tuck said the consultation would probably start in March 2012, but she was unsure what effect the positive Ofsted report would have.