The council was ordered by ministers to improve school standards and was placed under formal intervention in 2006 after disastrous GCSE and primary school test results the previous year.
But GCSE results for 2009 showed an improvement, with 40.2 per cent of school leavers in the city achieving five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths. This is an improvement of 4.7 per cent on the previous year, but still well below the England average for 2009 of 49.8 per cent.
Improvements were also noted at primary level key stage 2 test results, with the city moving 11 places up the council rankings last year.
Cabinet member for children and young people Councillor Clare Campion-Smith said: "The government now agrees that there is good evidence of continued progress but there is still plenty to do to raise achievement and narrow educational gaps such as between boys and girls and in some black and minority ethnic communities."
The council's running of education came under further fire last year for failing to act on a predicted shortfall in primary school places. About 300 children faced a nervous wait for a place during the confusion.
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