Bradford Carlton Bolling named 'School of the Year' after 'extremism claims'

Chief executive officer Adrian Kneeshaw (centre), along with fellow staff members, collected the award during a ceremony on Sunday

A school once accused of failing to protect students from extremism and rated inadequate has been given its second award of the year.

Carlton Bolling in Bradford was put into special measures by Ofsted in 2014, but achieved outstanding status by 2017.

It has been given the Pearson National Teaching Award for 'Secondary School of the Year - Making a Difference'.

Pearson National Teaching Award said it went through "a remarkable turnaround".

The school's chief executive officer Adrian Kneeshaw said the award was "an absolute vindication of all the hard work and determination" in improving the school.

Carlton Bolling was also was awarded the World Class Schools Quality Mark for offering pupils the best education earlier this year.

Carlton Bolling College in Bradford was rated "outstanding" by Ofsted in 2017

Mr Kneeshaw said the school's success was a result in "recruiting the best people who buy into your vision to work hard" in improving the once dubbed "most broken school in the country".

"This award shows what can be achieved with sheer hard work," he said.

"It goes against the belief of all those who didn't think it would change. I wasn't prepared to accept that."

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Organisers of the Pearson National Teaching Award said Carlton Bolling was "a traditionally poorly performing school in one of the most deprived areas", but now "has results in line with the very best among similar schools".

In 2014, Ofsted's report said: "The college does not protect students from the possible risks posed by extremism well enough."

Inspectors said the governing body was "an obstacle to improvement, rather than a champion of it" and made decisions that "accommodate the needs of Muslim students well, but do not take sufficient account of other faiths".

Bradford Council sacked the board of governors soon after the report's release.