A secondary school academy described as "life-changing" by one of its pupils has received its best ever Ofsted result in its latest inspection.

It was announced this week that New Line Learning Academy, on Boughton Lane, Loose, was given a 'Good' rating for the first time in 12 years after assessors visited the school in November.

The establishment, which became an academy in 2007, gained Good ratings in all four assessment categories: Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development and Leadership and Management.

Previously, the school had been graded as 'Requires Improvement' and had struggled to change people's opinions.

Paul Murphy, the headteacher, said: "We are often last on the list for everyone's school selection.

"We have known for a while that we are a good school, we just didn't have Ofsted."

He said the school was particularly proud of the opening statement in the report which read: "There is a family feeling about the academy".

Within the report, the inspector said one pupil described the school as life-changing because of the help and support staff provided them.

It was praised for the improvements that had been made over the past two years, with teachers quickly challenging bad behaviour and ensuring pupils push themselves.

It was however criticised for not ensuring students had fully understood topics, with many of them unable to remember what they had learned previously.

Attendance figures have improved but it was noted that a number of disadvantaged pupils and some with special educational needs were missing too much school.

Mr Murphy said: "We are very proud of what our academy has achieved over the last two and a half years. Pupils, parents and staff have worked tirelessly making our academy one that we genuinely all feel proud of.

"Our vision of 'believe and achieve' will continue to drive everything we do and we are excited about moving forwards, continuing to improve our academy for the local community."

To celebrate, the school will be hosting a fun day on Friday, details of which have been kept top secret to ensure pupils are surprised when they arrive.

The school was forced to close last week after the sprinkler system was activated and parts of the academy were flooded.

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