The new year has brought celebrations for Windhill Church of England Primary School at Shipley, which has been lifted out of special measures following a glowing inspection by schools watchdog Ofsted.

The new report judged leadership and management to be “good”, as is the behaviour and safety of pupils.

Head teacher Philippa Foster said: “This is great news for the school and reflects the hard work and dedication of pupils, staff, governors, parents and the wider community in bringing about this positivity.”

She added that the school was still keen to improve on what she said was a stepping stone to achieve greater success.

“We know there is a lot of work still to do, but we are so proud of this milestone,” Mrs Foster said.

The inspectors noted that: “Good leadership and management, spearheaded by the executive head teacher and the head teacher, have been central to the school getting back on track and out of special measures.

“Senior leaders have raised expectations, teamwork is strong and there is clear agreement on where further improvements are required.”

They also comment on the “relentless focus by staff to raise pupils’ achievement and improve the quality of their learning.”

In the report, parents agree that the school is improving rapidly and one parent said: “My child can’t wait to get there in the morning and is making better progress now.”

Other parental comments were: “The school is much stronger than it used to be” and “We have far more confidence in the school now.”

Referring to the behaviour and safety of pupils, the report states: “Pupils in all classes are happy. They feel safe, behave well and have positive attitudes to their learning.”

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services, said: “This is an really good achievement and a real positive start for 2013.”