The report comes just months after the local education authority replaced the school's entire board of governors with an interim executive board in an effort to make rapid improvements at the school.

Although the school has been served notice to improve, the school's leadership has welcomed the inspection report, saying it endorses its own assessment of the school's current development.

The report is highly supportive of the school's new leadership, including the interim board and new headteacher Heather Scott, who it says has "triggered significant changes to help raise standards of attainment".

Susan Gradwell, the chair of Barlby's interim executive board said, "We know there are a number of issues which we are addressing very seriously but we are delighted by Ofsted's positive comments because we also know we are heading in the right direction".

Heather Scott, who has been Barlby's headteacher since September added, "We welcome the findings of this report which are centred on the impressive changes made in a short space of time by the staff and students at the school. This gives us an excellent endorsement of the steps we've already taken to make improvements at Barlby. One of our major steps to success has been to embrace achievement and to ensure that all of us, every student and member of staff, are focused on how well our students are performing".