A CONTROVERSIAL academy has received top marks from school inspectors.

According to Ofsted, it is rare to give such a young school a "good'' rating - but that is the grading that a team of inspectors has given the Kings Academy, at Coulby Newham, Teesside.

The two-year-old school shed seven teaching posts and two administration positions to balance the books last year when it was also revealed to have one of the worst truancy records in Britain.

A report by schools' inspectors - the academy's first - describes the £20m super school as "a good school with many strong features".

The proportion of students gaining five GCSEs at grade C or better rose from 34 per cent to 44 per cent last year.

Seven teachers and two support staff took voluntary redundancy last year, to counter the end of a £125,000 grant.

Kings was last year placed ninth in a national league table for truancy, with 8.2 per cent of half-days are lost to unauthorised absence at the school

The academy, which is sponsored by motor dealer Sir Peter Vardy, opened amid some parents' fears that the religious beliefs of the Vardy Foundation, that children should learn "lessons for life through the Bible" might influence lessons in religion and science.

School standards inspector Andrew Bennett said while attendance had risen year on year to 90 per cent, it remained too low, while the behaviour of a significant minority of students continued to challenge staff.

Chris Drew, principal of the King's Academy, said staff continued to work with students and parents to bring about the necessary improvements in behaviour in and out of the classroom.

He said: "The inspectors commented that it is rare for a rating of good to be awarded to a school so young. We will seek to use this report as a springboard to even better things in the future."