GOOD progress is being made towards raising standards at Yate International Academy since it opened nearly two years ago.

The former King Edmund Community School joined The Ridings Federation of Academies in a link-up aimed at getting support to improve.

In its first monitoring inspection by education watchdog Ofsted, inspectors said students' attainment was rising, the academy was developing well and it had a strong capacity to continue its improvement.

Progress in the large majority of lessons is now at least satisfactory – and even better in nearly two thirds of them. GCSE results for 2010 were broadly average, while A-level results were below average, but the youngsters involved had made the progress expected when their starting points or previous exam results were taken into account. Inspector Christopher Russell said pupils behaved well around the school and in most lessons. Attendance had improved and was now high, while the proportion of pupils who were persistently absent had fallen.

Mr Russell said there had been a significant reduction in fixed-term exclusions, although in a small minority of lessons that did not interest them, pupils sometimes engaged in low-level disruptive behaviour.

But a system introduced to help teachers manage classroom behaviour had helped and, as a result he found classrooms were purposeful and orderly.

He also praised the better way of tracking academic progress.

Mr Russell said: "The majority of teaching is now good, although it is inadequate in a very small minority of lessons. The main weakness in less-effective lessons is that the work does not challenge all students fully. The curriculum has a number of positive features, including a useful mixture of academic and vocational pathways for older students, early entry to GCSE and a skills-based curriculum in Year 7."

He said a wide range of extra-curricular activities, especially sport, were popular and collaborative sixth form arrangements offered students a wide range of courses. Mr Russell said: "The principal is providing clear and effective leadership."

Principal Roger Gilbert said: "There are elements of our work that we will strive to improve further but the confirmation of good progress being made, along with a rising trend in achievement and the new academy building (due to open next year), puts Yate International Academy in a strong position."