Staff parents and pupils at a south Bristol special school are celebrating a positive report from Ofsted inspectors.

A team from the government watchdog has rated New Fosseway School as good, and has found that many pupils make outstanding progress.

New Fosseway provides for pupils aged six to 19 who have a range of learning difficulties or disabilities. Its lower school is in Throgmorton Road, Knowle, and its upper school is in New Fosseway Road, Hengrove.

In September, the school's staff and its 74 pupils will all be moving to the new Bridge Learning Campus in Hartcliffe.

Inspectors, who visited in March, found that acting head Judy Baker had led New Fosseway through a difficult time of staff sickness and the prospective move.

"[She] has not only maintained standards but moved the school forward," their report said.

"There is a real sense of teamwork throughout the school. This factor … has ensured that the school is a cheerful happy place where pupils are happy to be… There is a real sense of community."

The inspectors said strengths in teaching and high expectations of staff enabled students to make good progress in their learning and achieve well from very low starting points, regardless of their learning difficulties and disabilities.

A well-planned curriculum offered pupils a good range of experiences on and off the school site, Ofsted said.

Management of more challenging behaviour, a concern at the time of the last inspection, had been addressed well, the report noted. "Planning for the move to a new site includes enhancing the school's role further in the local community and beyond," it added.

Lead inspector Sarah Mascall said New Fosseway was well placed to improve further.

Ms Baker said: "We are delighted to be judged as a good school where students are so happy and make good or outstanding progress. Our parents are pleased with their children's success and staff all work together to achieve this. The upper and lower school are looking forward to being reunited in one place on the Bridge Learning Campus from September."