FROM Bollywood to beginners Spanish, Royds Hall High School offers something for each and every one of its 800 students.

Street dance, animation workshops and drama as well as traditional sports are among the out-of-school activities which it offers to "hook students in" to what they like to do.

The Paddock school has recently undergone a successful assessment by government inspectors from Ofsted.

And it received particular praise for the extra-curricular activities on offer which celebrate the varied cultural backgrounds of those who attend there.

But it's not all play and no work at this "rapidly improving" school.

Having achieved specialist science college status in 2004, the school is working hard to develop its plan to improve attainment and facilities in science and information and communication technology, which has already received acclaim.

It is well-placed to do so having award- winning Information and Communications Technology teacher Paul Dunn to help get the message across to students.

Paul has been named the 2006 Teacher of the Year for ICT in Practice by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), which recognises excellence and exemplary practice.

Sponsorship from Deighton-based Hanson Logistics has meant a wealth of state of the art resources arriving in school to help bring teaching to life.

Deputy head girl Seona Smith said: "Everyone is more eager to learn. We have laptops in science and interactive white boards and more equipment throughout the school which means every day is different and something new. There's more of a buzz around the school."

Science governor Brian Castle said although it was early days in the school developing science college status, results so far had shown a marked improvement.

He said: "What we are trying to do is inspire children to enjoy science, creating an atmosphere of focused enthusiasm."

Strong links with the schools' feeder primary schools have meant year five and six pupils visiting the school for half a term to take part in hands-on science work and other subjects.

Certificates and badges reward their enthusiasm.

The school - praised by inspectors for its honest self-evaluation and action is constantly changing and striving higher.

It sets clear policies for behaviour and expectations and its Partners in Progress scheme, or School Council, has 25 children elected to give students views on how the school can do better.

Security marking systems on mobile phones, improvements to the school meals system and drinking water available in classrooms are all ideas which have recently been suggested and put into practice.

A Peer Assessment Project, where students mark their peers own work has also been successfully put into place, eventually dispelling initial fears by a few parents that it was a way of teachers getting out of marking students' work.

The scheme involves students reading and examining each others work every few weeks to help keep them focused and learn from each other.

Headteacher Dr Wendy Bradford, who received particular praise for her "exemplary leadership" during the visit in January, has been head for the past four years.

She said:

"The progress our students make is second to none and our parents are wise enough to look beyond the league tables and realise what actual progress is made," she said.

"We are catching up from behind but we are determined to get to the finishing line and hit national standards."