The relationship between staff and pupils is the real strength of a St Albans school, according to Ofsted inspectors who recently visited.

In its first Ofsted visit since it converted to become an academy school in April 2012, The Marlborough Science Academy, in Watling Street has received a "good" rating.

When its predecessor school, The Marlborough School, was last inspected, it was judged to be satisfactory.

The school was awarded "good" marks in the achievement of pupils and the quality of teaching categories and "outstanding" marks in the behaviour and safety of pupils and leadership and management categories during its visit last month.

Annie Thomson, headteacher, said she was delighted.

She added: "In an even more rigorous and focussed framework this is truly an excellent but fitting result for our school, everyone has been working so hard it is very pleasing to have our progress noted and recognised by Ofsted."

The inspectors observed teaching in 45 lessons and 12 lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders and relationships between students and pupils were described as "a real strength".

The report said "staff form highly positive relationships with students, which in turn has a positive impact on students’ attitudes to learning in the classroom, their improving attendance and punctuality to lessons."

There are 1,200 pupils at the school and 220 pupils attend sixth form and the Ofsted report highlighted "a friendly academy where students enjoy their learning."

Furthermore teachers were praised for their "strong subject knowledge and great enthusiasm for their subjects, which they use effectively to engage and challenge students’ in their learning."

Inspectors said the school was not yet of an "outstanding" rating because attendance in the sixth form is below average, not all staff follow the academy’s behaviour policy consistently, some teachers give tasks to students that are not challenging enough and not all teachers follow the academy’s marking policy fully.