A FORMER failing school has got back on track - by showing naughty pupils the red card.

Last year, News Shopper reported how Athelney Primary School was put into special measures after a disastrous Ofsted report.

Inspectors said the school in Athelney Street, Bellingham, lacked strong leadership, had inadequate teaching standards and problems with pupil behaviour.

The school's headteacher, Linda Horsfield, was pushed out following the damning report in September 2005 and replaced by Irene Cleaver.

Now, more than a year on, the school has been taken out of special measures and new headteacher Mrs Cleaver has introduced a cards systems to encourage pupils to behave.

She explained: "There are five different coloured cards. Every pupil starts out on a green card.

"A white card is a warning, a pupil shown a blue card will miss some of their break time, a yellow card will see them referred to a senior teacher and a red card means they will have to come and see me, and I'll make contact with their parents."

Mrs Cleaver says the system has worked well in the school, and is also being adopted by other primary schools across the borough.

A pupil who manages to stay on a green card for 10 days receives a reward, which is decided upon by fellow classmates, and may include getting extra time to play sport.

Mrs Cleaver added: "This system is based on positives rather than negatives and it really works.

"In the past two terms, there have been no exclusions, whereas before there were around three to four exclusions per term."

When the school went into special measures in September 2005, it was subject to rigorous inspections by top Government inspectors every three months.

In the latest inspection in November, Athelney was officially taken out of special measures.

It was rated as a satisfactory and improving school, and acknowledged pupil behaviour was good, with parents saying it has improved significantly.