GOVERNMENT inspectors have described a school earmarked for closure as a place where "students love coming to".

Beardwood School, in Blackburn, is currently at the centre of fierce debate, after Blackburn with Darwen Council annou-nced its plans to close the school as part of its Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.

Now the passionate campaign by both parents and children to save it has received a boost in the form of a glowing Ofsted report for the Preston New Road school.

Inspectors conducted a one-day light-touch' inspection of the school - an indication of how highly the school is already regarded - on September 12, and found it to be "good, with an inclusive and caring ethos".

"Students say they love coming to the school," the report states. "They feel safe and have real opportunities to contribute to the decision-making process through the school council.

"The best teaching is enthralling, well planned and challenging." it adds, and "the quality of care, guidance and support provided to students is very impressive."

Inspectors also praised the positive relationships between pupils and staff, good behaviour and attendance, and low exclusion rates, though they said improvements could be made in under-peformance in some subjects.

For campaigners, Ofsted's findings, together with the school's record GCSE results this summer, make the council's plan to close Beardwood "even more illogical and wrong".

Headteacher Ruby Hussain, whose leadership was also praised by inspectors, said: "It's very hard for pupils to understand why we are closing, when the school is doing so well, and is increasingly successful."

If the council's £150m plans are approved by the Government, Beardwood will close by 2012. Its students would be sent to the three new super-schools to be built at Witton Park, Pleckgate, and a new East Blackburn Community College that will replace Blakewater College.