A city high school which was plunged into special measures last year is 'in a good position from which it can improve quickly', according to its first Ofsted monitoring report.

Jeremy Rowe, who joined Sewell Park College as acting headteacher in September, said the school is doing so well that he had upgraded its target for this year's GCSE results, from being among the top five most improved schools in Norfolk, to being the most improved.

Inspector Ian Seath visited the school on February 6, and his report, due to be published today, said the school's action plans are 'excellent', and sets targets which were 'ambitious but realistic'.

He wrote: 'The school is quieter and calm. Improved attendance, noted at the last inspection, has been maintained and remains close to the national average for this type of school. The number of exclusions is now very low, with a declining trend.

'In part, these changes are due to the school's new behaviour policy. Students are clear about what is expected of them. The rules are now applied with more consistency across different classes.'

Mr Rowe, who will return his permanent headship at Sir John Leman High School in Beccles after Easter, said the improvements were sustainable, and not achieved through quick fixes.

He said teachers who were not good enough had gone, others had improved, and the school had set higher expectations of pupils.

He added: 'The structures to maintain that high level are in place and that's the hard bit. The easier bit it maintaining those structures and ethos. They are there.'

The school is expected to become an academy under an outside sponsor.

Do you have an education story? Email martin.george@archant.co.uk