Kirklees’ flagship Free School has been turned around.

Batley Grammar School headteacher Brigid Tullie vowed to improve things after the school was graded as Requires Improvement two years ago by Ofsted.

At that time the school, which has many pupils from the Huddersfield area, had more than doubled in size from a 350-pupil fee-paying school in 2011 to a Yorkshire’s first free school with 687 pupils less than two years later.

But it was criticised for poor results in maths and English and inconsistency in teaching, as well as poor target setting and progress checks.

True to her word, Mrs Tullie, along with her staff, have tackled the many challenges head on. And their efforts have been rewarded with a rating of Good following a recent Ofsted inspection.

Last summer, the school posted excellent GCSE results, with 92% of students gaining five A* to C grade GCSEs, including English and maths.

The 36 A Level students passed 96% of all subjects, with 52% achieving grade C or above.

Mrs Tullie was singled out for praise by Ofsted “The headteacher is relentless in her push for improvement throughout the school.

“She has a clear vision for the school and uses information from a variety of sources in order to provide the best for all pupils.”

Inspectors acknowledged the rise in standards, stating: “From average starting points, pupils make good progress and reach standards higher than those seen nationally in English and mathematics”

They also praised leaders and governors for implementing many changes in a short space of time and pupils for their good behaviour.

Mrs Tullie said she was “delighted” with the report and in a letter to parents promised further improvements with aim of becoming Outstanding.

Parent and chair of governors echoed the view and praised the staff for their “determination, professionalism and hard work in driving our school forward.”

Batley Grammar is the only Free School in Kirklees. It has pupils aged four to 19 and is run by the Batley Academy Trust, with the governing body as the board of trustees.

The Conservatives have announced plans for a further 500 Free Schools if they are elected in May.