Fairwater High School in Cwmbran achieved its best ever GCSE results this year with 69 per cent for A*-C grades.

This was up from 54 per cent last year and beat itstarget of 58 per cent.

After a difficult 18 months the school has considerably turned things around.

Back in December 2011 Torfaen Local Education Authority (LEA) asked Education Minister Leighton Andrews for permission to replace the governors with an interim executive board after the school’s standards were deemed "unacceptably low".

Chief education officer Mark Provis said the school’s governing body had shown it was incapable of turning the school around and recommended it being suspended.

The LEA claimed the school had poor literacy levels, attendance and behaviour.

Torfaen council decided to withdraw the application in May of this year after monitoring the school and seeing the predicted GCSE grade improvements.

But things are now looking up for the school, as this year’s results are an all-time high.

Deputy headteacher Helen Coulson said: "We’re so pleased. This is by far the best result we have ever had at the school.

"We smashed it. I think we’ll put a banner up and show off while we can.

"We’ve worked really hard over the past 18 months and have a bright and able bunch.

"We’re a bit concerned about English results and may be getting them re-marked, so hopefully we could see the result go up even further.

"Estyn will be coming back in the first term – we’re just waiting for the call."

Chair of Governors at Fairwater High School Rosemarie Seabourne said: "I’m absolutely delighted. We’ve worked really hard to achieve this result.

"We’ve had a lot of issues over the past 18 months what with the talk of removing the governors, but we set ourselves targets and this was exactly what we were expecting.

"Staff have worked really hard and congratulations to all pupils."