A SPECIAL school whose future was in doubt has won praise from official inspectors.
An Ofsted report praises headteacher Martin Ord for leading Lydgate School, New Mill, "through a period of turbulence and uncertainty linked to the reorganisation of special educational needs within Kirklees".
It says the school, which caters for 80 children with complex learning difficulties and disabilities, is a good school.
It notes pupils aged five to 16 make good progress and achieve well, particularly in reading, maths, design and technology.
The report also praises the promotion of pupils economic well-being and says their awareness of the world of work is outstanding. It praises teaching and learning, quality of care and behaviour of pupils with older pupils benefiting from inclusion experiences in college.
Inspectors note that the school building looks "tired" but it is due to be improved during the second phase of the £25m revamp of special education in Kirklees, which includes building three new schools and refurbishing others, including Lydgate and Longley School.
Head Mr Ord said: "We are very pleased with the report. Our success is down to a brilliant and dedicated team of teachers, parents and staff and a lot of hard work from the children themselves.
"We are keen to increase our links with the local community and build on our success with local employers who provide work experience opportunities for our students and colleges.
"We are already working on the areas to improve as part of the inspection which includes refurbishing parts of the building from our own budget and improving resources for science teaching."
Inspectors say to improve further the school should make learning more challenging for some pupils, develop a tracking system to show progress steps for pupils with complex needs and train governors to be more involved with school planning at an earlier stage.
Ofsted inspectors Jeffery Plumb and Anna Dawson added in their letter to pupils: "Please sustain your love for learning and support your teachers in enabling Lydgate to become an excellent school."
