A GUISBOROUGH school is celebrating picking up a national achievement award, two years after it was controversially slated by Ofsted inspectors.

Belmont Primary School also received praise in its latest Ofsted report, with inspectors stating: "Belmont is a good school where pupils enjoy their work and are keen to learn.

"There is a high proportion of effective teaching."

The school was one of a number across the country to be singled out by Stephen Timms, the school standards minister, for a special School Achievement Award.

Two years ago inspectors criticised the quality of the teaching and aspects of leadership and management at the school and created a special debate in the house of Commons for inspection procedures to be reformed.

The school's case was taken up by MP Ashok Kumar. National procedures for school inspections have since been altered as a direct result of Dr Kumar's intervention.

Colin Linthwaite, the school's headteacher, said that the staff and governors had worked hard to improve the school and had received a lot of support from parents and pupils.

"The parents have been absolutely superb throughout this whole debacle, as have the governors and the LEA.

"Parents have been very supportive and continue to be so and we appreciate their efforts.

"Everyone has been really helpful in trying to get us through this stage," he said.

However, inspectors did point out that the school needed to look more closely at art and design and design technology, as well as work further in maths in terms of problem solving in real-life situations.