A POOLE school has improved so much over the past few months that it is now out of special measures.

Ashdown Technology College on Canford Heath was judged to be failing its pupils following an Ofsted inspection in February 2012.

However the school, which in September will reopen as the Magna Academy Poole, is now rated a “good” school following an inspection on July 15-16.

Interim headteacher of Ashdown, Ms Judith Fortune said: “The senior leadership team would like to thank students, staff, parents and governors for all their hard work and support in ensuring that Ashdown Technology College was judged by Ofsted as a good school across all areas.

“We are proud and pleased that the school closes in such a strong position,” she said.

Rated good in all aspects, the report said: “The school has improved dramatically since its previous inspection, as a result of strong leadership.”

The report by lead inspector James Sage said: “The school has made huge improvements in students’ behaviour through strong leadership, raised expectations, excellent individual care and support, and much better procedures that are used well by all teachers.”

With 650 pupils aged 12 to 18, the school is not yet outstanding because a small proportion were not making the progress of which they were capable and a small amount of teaching required improvement, said the report.

Laura Dagnall, chair of governors, said: “After so much hard work by everybody it’s just so fantastic to have it officially sanctioned.”

She said they knew the school was heading in the right direction and particularly pleasing was that student’s behaviour was rated so highly. “We were told behaviour was really nearly outstanding, We couldn’t have asked for anything better than this.”