Brislington Enterprise College's innovative 'schools within a school' plan has been recognised by the watchdog Ofsted for its positive impact.

Inspectors who visited the 1,137-pupil school in Hungerford Road reported students felt safe and secure in their £30 million new buildings, which opened a year ago.

They described the secondary school as a "welcoming environment of which the students speak with pride", and said students' behaviour and attitude to learning were good.

The college splits its mainstream 11-16 students into five learning communities, two for younger students and three for the older ones. Students spend most of their time in these smaller communities.

The Ofsted report said: "Students reported that the move to the new buildings had improved behaviour, demonstrating the success of the five communities and the vigilance of the college in ensuring their happiness and security."

The inspectors noted that the "human scale" of the communities and the "inclusive ethos of the college meant that students received good care, support and guidance".

They also praised the innovative curriculum, which offered students a good range of choices and experiences.

Their report recognised that the college leaders had a shared "commitment, vision and determination... to build and sustain a settled and forward-looking community in which all students can achieve their potential.

"Recent improvements in standards and in students' progress demonstrate they have sound capacity to bring about sustained improvement."

The school was judged satisfactory overall. To improve further, the inspectors said, it should improve the quality of teaching and assessment.

In a letter to the students, lead inspector Andrew Harrett said: "Brislington is a really interesting and different sort of college. You can work with the adults to help them make it into the excellent place they are striving to provide for you. For some of you, that means being there on a regular basis. You don't all attend as regularly as you should, and that stops you from learning skills and getting qualifications that will make all the difference in the future."

John Matthews, principal of BEC, said: "We are delighted with this report. We have striven to make our students feel safe and secure in the environment where they spend the majority of their time, and we feel we have achieved this objective. We must not forget that security in turn leads to self-confidence and an overall nurturing and successful learning experience."

Des Craddock, chairman of governors, said: "I congratulate staff, students, and others who have contributed to the improvements in standards of learning and behaviour. The college leadership continues to address areas for further improvement identified in the report with the support of parents, the community and carers, who are committed to a vision of excellence in educational standards and the wellbeing of all students."