Longford Intermediate School's period under limited statutory management is one step closer to ending, with the release of the Education Review Office's (Ero) supplementary report into the school's performance.
Longford Intermediate School principal Keith McKenzie said the report, which was released to the school last month, was "good news''.
"The limited statutory management is another dimension from the Ero report, but it is certainly a positive indicator for the statutory manager,'' Mr McKenzie said.
A 2007 Ero report recommended to the Ministry of Education that there be intervention at Longford.
A limited statutory manager was appointed in August 2007 to deal with employment and performance issues.
Limited statutory manager (LSM) Yvonne Preece said the recent Ero report was ‘‘very probably indicative'' that her work with Longford Intermediate was coming to an end.
"I'm really pleased with how well things are going at Longford. The pupils are buzzing and everything feels really positive at the school,'' Mrs Preece said.
She was pleased with the work the board of trustees had been doing.
"They have been going particularly well. A lot of credit for the turnaround in the school's performance has to go to the staff,'' she said.
Longford board of trustees chairman David Barton said the board was pleased to receive the confirmation from Ero that the school had returned to the regular cycle of review.
"The 2007 report identified ongoing concerns about the lack of professional leadership, curriculum management, teaching practices and governance procedures,'' Mr Barton said.
"The 2008 report evaluated the progress made in addressing the significant issues identified and prioritised by the board of trustees, the LSM, and the principal.''
This had resulted in significant improvements in pupil's attitudes towards learning and the culture of the school, he said.
The classroom and playground behaviour had changed significantly, Mr Barton said.
The latest Ero report also observed high levels of pupil engagement in their learning, with teachers providing interesting and challenging programmes.
The report said the office was confident the board of trustees could manage the school in the interests of the pupils and the Crown, and bring about the improvements outlined.
The school will now be part of the regular review cycle and there is likely to be a full review done in 2009. The last full review was in 2004.
Mr Barton said the trustees recognised there had been significant problems at the school.
"As a board we are working closely with the principal, who is implementing systems and procedures to strengthen management and teaching effectiveness to further improve learning for students,'' Mr Barton said.
He said the board had been encouraged by the positive support and encouragement the community had offered the school.
Mr McKenzie said staff had pitched in during the difficult period. "It is good to come out of the other side of this,'' he said.
