THE future is bright for a secondary school, which has its failing tag lifted to become one of Bolton's good schools.

Smithills School is finishing the academic on a high note after it was taken out of special measures, to be graded as "good".

Inspectors reported: "As one Year 10 pupil said: ‘It’s just like a different school'."

The government's education watchdog singled out the headteacher Mike Sidebottom for praise for bringing "much-needed sense of direction and purpose to the whole school community"

The inspectors stated: "His style of leadership brings out the best in his leadership team and the rest of the staff. During this inspection and earlier monitoring inspections, staff and pupils commented on the difference that the principal has made to the culture and morale in the school."

Ofsted added the "strong team of senior leaders" has driven forward improvement at an "impressive" rate.

Pupils were said to benefit from "high-quality" teaching and pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and are making better progress. Teachers are described as having "high-expectations" of what pupils can achieve.

Young people were described as behaving well and welcoming to visitors to the school.

Ofsted reported: "Pupils are well prepared to move on to further education and training. Destination information for recent years shows that the proportion of Year 11 pupils that go on to further education, training or employment is above the national average."

Mr Sidebottom said: "As a result of the hard work and commitment from both staff and pupils, Smithills has moved at an ‘impressive rate’ to achieve an Ofsted grading of ‘good’.

"Smithills is truly proud of ensuring that every pupil is at the heart of a ‘dynamic’ and ‘inclusive’ learning environment which enables everyone to be successful.

"I am extremely proud of all the Smithills family for their passion and dedication over the last 12 months."