A HASLINGDEN school - which saw five acting headteachers in just seven years - has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes in just under 18 months.

Last year education inspectors from Ofsted said standards at St Mary's RC Primary were 'satisfactory', following a visit to the Lime Road school.

But concerns were expressed at the 'turbulent' environment for youngsters, which had seen a succession of headteachers come and go.

St Mary's had been threatened with closure and almost all of the teaching staff were temporary.

Governors and the education authority had been told that an action plan, promising improvements in writing, ICT provisions, monitoring and all-round achievement, had to be carried out.

But now within a year-and-a-half, under the guidance of new headteacher Donna McNicoll, and a new teaching complement, the school has made 'outstanding progress', according to the same watchdogs.

The school's results in the 2007 national tests for 11-year-olds has demonstrated that standards reached by the end of Year Six are above average.

Ofsted inspector Judith Straw said: "Standards have risen significantly for all pupils.

"The use of assessment information to track pupils' progress and other inspection evidence shows that all pupils have made good progress in writing.

"Teaching is consistently good with examples of outstanding teaching. Teaching across the school is innovative, exciting and challenging so that pupils learn with enthusiasm and pleasure and make rapid progress."

St Mary's was singled out, along with Cloughfold Primary, as possible sites for closure by Lancashire County Council in 2005. But St Mary's won a reprieve.

Mrs Straw added: "Since the time of the last inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed and there has been a complete change of all the staff working in school.

"The new team is dynamic, enthusiastic and extremely well led by the headteacher.

"Both the headteacher and the leading teacher provide excellent role models for more recently-qualified teachers. "All teachers take responsibility for leading in different subjects and for monitoring the standards, achievement and provision."

Significant investments have been made in ICT equipment for the school and the St Mary's roll is now expanding, the inspectors found.