A high school serving a wide area of the Fens is making satisfactory progress, says the government's education watchdog.

Ofsted inspectors visited Marshland High School at West Walton, near Wisbech, in September.

'Marshland High is a satisfactory school that is improving,' their report says.

'A culture of high aspirations is being embedded successfully by the headteacher, the senior management team and by staff and students alike.

'As a result, students' attendance has improved further and is now good, and standards, particularly in English and mathematics, are rising rapidly.

'The school recognises that there is more to do to improve the achievement for all groups of students, to improve results in English and to increase the overall number of students gaining the highest grades.'

Some students' behaviour is disruptive and impedes the learning of others, the report adds. It says good support exists for children from the travelling community and those in care.

Standards have improved and GCSE exam results in 2009/10 were close to national averages, although the number of students achieving the highest grades was low.

'Students are prepared well for life after school, with a high proportion of students progressing successfully into further education after Year 11,' says the report.

'Teachers show good subject knowledge in lessons and are confident in their approach.'