STAFF and students at a secondary school are celebrating after getting the thumbs up from education chiefs.

Macclesfield Academy achieved a 'good' grade in every category after an inspection from schools watchdog Ofsted.

It marks another stride in progress at the Park Lane school which became an academy in 2011.

In June last year, Ofsted found the school needed improvement in two key areas: pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching.

In its most recent inspection the watchdog found concluded that the quality of teaching was a specific strength at the Academy with a "good proportion" outstanding.

A report said: "Teaching has improved significantly in the very short time since the last inspection and has resulted in higher standards and students making swifter progress."

An innovative curriculum was credited with underpinning the good progress that students had made.

Inspectors found students behaviour was once again good and commented that students "display high levels of concentration and interest and are keen to share their ideas".  The watchdog also noted a "positive ethos which

pervades the school" and the impact of the Academy's "zero-tolerance" of poor behaviour.

The school's management were also given a nod with inspectors praising the "vision and decisive action of a highly committed and enthusiastic headteacher and his staff".

Commenting on the report, Richard Hedge, headteacher, said: "I am delighted that the inspectors recognised the impact of the fantastic efforts that all my staff and students have made since we opened the Academy seven terms ago. I am especially pleased that the outstanding teaching of so many of my colleagues was identified as a key factor in our success. We have worked so hard to create a welcoming community where students succeed because of the way we provide an enriched experience for each individual. The report shows that we are well on our way to making this a reality.  However, this is only a first step. We have a long standing commitment to making our best better and we will continue to innovate and improve in order to meet the needs of every single one of our students."