NUNSTHORPE'S primary school is using government funding for deprived children to turn the school around under the new Oasis banner.
Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe has made "reasonable progress" in raising standards since opening in September after its predecessor was judged as "inadequate" and placed in special measures in November 2011.
Nunsthorpe Community School, as it was then, was inspected again in April 2012 – before the new building reopened as an Oasis Academy – and inspectors said that progress between those dates was also "inadequate".
However, Mark Gillyon, principal since September, said a new report shows the school has turned around.
"It's the first step in a long journey, although we know there is still much to be done," he added.
The school is in a highly deprived area where more than 43 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals – students who are often low achievers, according to national research – and a large proportion also have special educational needs.
Schools receive a pupil premium of around £600 every year for each student in this category, which amounted to about £140,000 extra this academic year.
Next year, it is being increased to about £900 – nearly £200,000.
Some schools absorb this into their budget, but Nunsthorpe has targeted it to help the struggling students it is allocated for.
It has been used to buy books and sound cards for students to keep at home in households where they are lacking, and school trips have been subsidised by up to 75 per cent, which has increased the proportion of such students who go on them from five to up to 50 per cent.
Mr Gillyon added: "The Ofsted inspector was very complimentary about how we had chosen to spend what is a significant amount of extra funding here."
The school has struggled academically and has not hit Government floor targets for English and maths in the eight years since they started keeping detailed records.
Last year, 72 per cent reached level four in maths – 12 per cent above the floor target – and while reading standards were good, writing let students down, bringing the overall English percentage below the required 60 per cent.
However, since hiring four more teaching assistants – paid for by the pupil premium and briefed to help those most in need – and spending £30,000 on an overhaul of the library – prospects are good.
Next year, the two categories become three – maths, reading and writing – and Mr Gillyon expects writing to be around the floor target and students to exceed it in the other two.
