A SCHOOL received the thumbs-up from education watchdogs just days after being told it would close.

Ofsted inspector David Scott said Alderman Blaxill secondary, in Shrub End, Colchester, “is making a real difference’’ to students.

The school, in special measures until 2009, now provides a “satisfactory” education standard and is “improving quickly”.

But the site is still due to close in 2014 after Essex County Council published a closure notice last Friday following consultation.

Associate headteacher Phil Jones said the school had benefited from being part of the Stanway Federation, which runs Stanway, Alderman Blaxill and Thomas Lord Audley schools.

He said: “We have focused on what was under our control to provide students with the best possible learning experience.’’ They were proud of Ofsted’s comments, “which recognise improvements made, despite having to work against a background of speculation about the future and closure announcements. The report shows students benefit from being in a smaller school with more individual attention.”

In a parent survey, 96 per cent said their child enjoyed learning at the school, while 91 per cent said teaching was good.

A temporary dip in the number of secondary-age pupils led to the closure decision. But the federation and campaigners want the site reopened when numbers rise. Mr Scott said that since the last inspection “the school has reduced exclusions, raised attainment and improved attendance significantly. Students are motivated to learn because of good relationships with staff and each other.”