A SCHOOL which had to fight for its survival is celebrating after it was declared the most improved in Essex.

Thomas, Lord Audley School in Colchester has been praised after its GCSE examination results went up nearly 20 per cent this summer.

The school was threatened with closure eight years ago as part of plans to reorganise secondary school education in Colchester.

However, it survived following a community campaign, which was supported by the Gazette, and the collapse of the Labour Government and its Building Schools for the Future initiative.

The school had been in special measures but this year was rated as good by Ofsted inspectors.

It also saw a major improvement in its examination results with the number of students getting five or more A* to C grades - including English and Maths - rising from 35 per cent last year to 54 per cent this year.

The percentage of disadvantaged students attaining the grades also rose significantly from 24 per cent last year to 47 per cent this year.

And the number of students getting and A* to C in both English and Maths GCSEs rose from 36 per cent to 60 per cent.

In addition, the school also scored highly on the figure used to measure students' progress.

The school's delighted headteacher Helena Boast put the success down to a number of factors including the improved attendance of the Year 11 cohort and a rigorous regular cycle of practice exams to identify gaps in knowledge.

Ms Boast said based on this information, personalised programmes were put in place for students and these had led to improved confidence and success leading up the final exams.

She said: "A changing culture of the school has impacted on more students as they come through the school.

"I must also praise the continued commitment and dedication of the staff over time embedding developments and improving the quality of teaching.

"We are proud to be the most improved school in Essex. However, we are not complacent and will continue to strive to improve further and respond to future challenges.

"We are particularly pleased with the outcome of our Ofsted inspection and GCSE results this year.

"We have been striving to improve the quality of education for our students and we will continue on our journey of improvement as we move forward this year."

Lyn Wright, who is the lead secondary standards and excellence commissioner, said: "The results compare favourably with similar schools and also with some schools that have a more able cohort.

"These increases will offer the learners greater choice in their next steps and, as a result, improved life-chances over time.

"They will also give all stakeholders confidence in the strategies adopted by leaders in the school.

"The improvements in outcomes are a credit to the strategic leadership of the school and the rigour with which learners were prepared for the examinations which they undertook.

"The improvement since 2014 and 2015 puts the school firmly on track towards further successful Ofsted judgements in the future."