But now thanks to the input of pioneering headteacher Christina Zanelli and the dedication of the school's children, parents and the whole community, it has received a glowing Ofsted report and is officially a "good school".

Inspectors also rated the school as "good" for its capacity for sustained improvement.

Oakridge, which has a roll of just 40 pupils, has also been among the top 5% of schools nationally for SAT results for the past two years – an achievement Mrs Zanelli says is down to the sheer enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved who wanted to see the school thrive once again.

After three years as headteacher, Mrs Zanelli is to leave the school in September to take up a new post as head of the town's West Cliff School, but she anticipates at its next inspection Oakridge, which came out of special measures in December 2007, will be graded as "outstanding".

In the inspector's report it says pupils "thrive" both academically and personally in the extremely caring and well-organised environment.

The report continues: "Pupils have a strong voice and are fully involved in making decisions to help improve the school.

"The learning environment is vibrant and stimulating and pupils participate with enthusiasm in lessons and extra-curricular activities. They enjoy school visits to local places of interest which provide first-hand experience and an initial stimulus for a wide range of topic themes."

The inspector did list some areas for improvement, including a need to develop the school's global awareness within the curriculum and to improve the quality of teaching to ensure it is consistently good or better by December.

Mrs Zanelli said she is over the moon with the inspector's findings.

She said: "The school is now a real family, that's at the heart of what we do. We've really tried to throw ourselves into the community and show what our kids can do.

"The kids are happy – that's the key. The children enjoy coming to school and want to learn.

"I'd like to thank the staff for all their hard work, they have worked tirelessly throughout my time here," she said.

"The children are brilliant and the parents have really supported us."