A school which was given the worst possible rating by the education watchdog has improved but progress must continue to be made, a report has found.

Waterhead Academy in Lees was placed in "special measures" by Ofsted following a report last year which said its pupils had been "failed for far too long".

The report rated the Huddersfield Road school "inadequate" after the inspection.

Since then, the school has also begun the process of moving to a new trust, in a move said to be "in the pupils' best interests". 

An Ofsted monitoring visit was conducted on September 24 and 25, which found improvements have been made.

The report said: "Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

"The school has continued to act swiftly to make improvements. Although leaders have a realistic understanding of the progress that has been made thus far, the school’s evaluation of the impact of its actions, particularly on the quality of education that pupils receive, could be sharpened.

"That said, refined improvement plans appropriately set out the next areas that need to be tackled.

"Leaders have been successful in shifting the culture at the school. High expectations for behaviour are embedded. Staff no longer turn a blind eye to poor behaviour.

"They have the confidence to tackle it because they know that they are supported by leaders. Older pupils reflect on, and appreciate, the positive changes around pupils’ behaviour.

"Leaders have turned their attention now to shaping pupils' attitudes to learning so that pupils are more engaged in their learning.

"Pupils’ day-to-day experience of school has been improved. They benefit from the calm atmosphere in the building.

"Pupils are no longer exposed to derogatory language.

"The school reinforces its expectations of behaviour and also teaches pupils about how they should behave, especially towards one another."

The school has also managed to improve attendance, though the report noted that there were still "too many" pupils not attending school as often as they should.

While Ofsted highlighted that the curriculum had become "embedded" in the school and a successful recruitment programme had benefited pupils, the regulator also said that some teachers were not checking students' understanding of the subject before moving on to new learning.

It said that this results in misconceptions not being rectified and gaps in knowledge development. 

The education watchdog also commented that there are "still too many children underachieving".

Inspector Jenny Jones, who authored the report, said that actions taken to rectify gaps in reading knowledge have not been urgent enough and that affected pupils have not had sufficient exposure to the school's reading curriculum. 

However, she noted that the school was "further along in its journey to promote a love of reading" than the previous visit and that pupils are exposed to a wide variety of texts and genres.

Ms Jones also said that the school is now acutely aware of the underachievement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and that it is taking action to address this, such as the appointment of a new SEND leader.

Commenting on the report, James Wilson, principal at Waterhead Academy, said, "Everyone at Waterhead Academy has worked hard to improve the school in all areas.

"The feedback from this monitoring visit recognises the advances made over the last year.

"The inspectors recognised the academy's successful efforts to drive meaningful change.

"We aim to maximise each child's potential so we can confidently declare that each student received their GCSE passport to success.

"In addition to providing high-quality teaching and pastoral care within a positive and supportive culture." 

The report also concluded that the school's governance team has strengthened its role with trustees and governors providing robust oversight.