A CANVEY school in special measures is on the road to improvement, according to the latest report from Government inspectors.

Furtherwick Park School was branded inadequate by Ofsted inspectors who visited in January 2009. They were critical of the quality of teaching and levels of absence among pupils.

But in a report published yesterday, based on a visit in December, Ofsted said the school has made good progress.

In his report inspector John Mitcheson said: “The school has built upon the action taken to raise students’ achievements noted during the previous visit.

“This is reflected in significant improvements to GCSE results this year, which are the highest results ever achieved.

“Students are achieving more in lessons.”

Inspectors found teaching was good or satisfactory in all but two of the lessons.

They found persistent absence rates remain too high, but praised the school’s efforts to tackle truancy and agreed with the school’s judgement that it is on course to meet a target of a six per cent absence rate by April.