The decisive actions of the school’s staff, its Governing Body, Executive Principal John Henrys, Director of Learning, Trish Stringer and the Brooke Weston Trust, were recognised. In its latest monitoring visit Ofsted found that ‘senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement.’

‘Teaching has improved’, the focus is on raising pupils’ achievements and staff that needed it ‘received coaching from the school’s most effective teachers.’

Mr Henrys ‘has devised a range of strategies to strengthen … the quality of leadership, the quality of teaching and pupils’ behaviour throughout the school. These have been accompanied by immediate actions to bring about rapid improvements in the areas most in need of attention.’

Under his ‘skilful leadership’ weaknesses identified at the last inspection ‘are being tackled successfully.’

New subject leaders have been appointed in business studies and modern foreign languages and the science department will be fully and permanently staffed from September. Governors have increased the frequency of their meetings and the Trust’s Director of Education ‘is working closely with school leaders to ensure that strategies to raise the achievement, attendance and behaviour of disadvantaged pupils are sufficiently effective.’

The improvement plan ‘sets out clearly the actions that are needed, and pulls no punches.’ Ofsted noted that strategies to improve the quality of teaching are effective and ‘the large majority of pupils’ said that teaching had improved. After his visit to the school in June the inspector said: ‘In almost all of the lessons I visited the pupils behaved well and learned effectively.’

Students had a ‘good impression’ of the newly- appointed Associate Principal, Janina Taylor, and were ‘encouraged’ by her willingness to listen to their views as she works ‘to improve behaviour, the quality of teaching and their enjoyment of learning.’

The Brooke Weston Trust ‘has taken concerted action to ensure that the school improves quickly’ with the Executive Principal committed to the role ‘until the job is done.’

Mr Henrys said: ‘This is a very positive report and I would like to thank all the staff at Corby Business Academy for their hard work and diligence. They have been very responsive to these strategies to drive improvements in teaching, behaviour and aspiration for our students and their contribution has been crucial to this ongoing process.’

Brooke Weston Trust’s CEO, Dr Andrew Campbell said: ‘This is an extremely encouraging report which highlights that everyone from Corby Business Academy and the Trust is committed to returning the school to its former Good rating as soon as possible. Interventions are having a measurable and dramatic effect and I would like to thank school and Trust staff for their hard work and skill in achieving such dramatic improvements in a relatively short space of time.’