THE future looks bright for a school which has been listed as one of the most successful in the south east by education inspectors.

Abbotsfield School for Boys, in Clifton Gardens, Hillingdon won praise for improving students' grades and turning round its finances in an Ofsted report published on Tuesday (Feb 5).

Robert Preston, headteacher of the secondary school, said: "I am extremely proud of what the school has achieved. The standards in the past three years have risen quite significantly. We had an inspection in December 2000 that recognised improvements across the board. The future looks very good indeed."

The school's Ofsted report in 1998 identified five key problem areas that needed improving quality of teaching, behaviour of pupils, grades, leadership and finances. These all improved satisfactorily.

When Mr Preston took over the school in September 1998, teaching standards were satisfactory, but shortly after they were described as exceptional.

On pupils' behaviour, Mr Preston said: "Pupils previously did not appreciate homework, or how important studying can be. Now they do and this has resulted in a marked improvement in the school's SATS and GCSE grades."

Grade A* to C GCSEs among the school's 590 boys, aged 11-15, went up from 27 per cent to 45 per cent.

Leadership and management, which were identified as needing improvement before Mr Preston took over, also saw a marked improvement, and the finances, which had a deficit of £160,000, are now in surplus of £2,000.

Also listed among Hillingdon's most successful schools was West Drayton Primary School, in Kingston Lane, West Drayton.

It was placed on special measures in January 1998 but the mixed, 420-pupil school had the order lifted in February 2001.

Headteacher Adrian Ingham said: "We have made some improvements in grades but this is a long-term job, not a short-term fix."

Whiteheath Infant and Nursery School and Whiteheath Junior School, Ladygate Lane, Ruislip, were also praised in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's Annual Report on Quality and Standards in Education 2000/2001.