A HEAD teacher at a troubled Burnley school is to step down.

Gill Broom will leave Hameldon Community College, which has been placed in special measures twice, at the end of August.

The Coal Clough Lane school, which is run by Lancashire County Council and was formed from a merger of Ivy Bank and Habergham High School in 2006, has a chequered history, having been rated ‘inadequate’ in 2007 and 2013.

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Ofsted inspectors said it still ‘requires improvement’ following an inspection last summer.

Declining student numbers continue to be an issue with only 40 parents applying to send their children there as their first choice in September, compared with 60 last year.

The school has spaces for 150 pupils in each year, but there are just 331 students in all year groups currently attending.

Miss Broom said she has “decided to pursue new interests in life” after 31 years in education, 20 of which were in Burnley.

She said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank students, parents, governors, the local authority and all the agencies with which the college works for the professional and personal support that has been given to me over the past 20 years.

“Hameldon is a very special community and I know that all staff will continue to work tirelessly to support the students in their care.”

Cllr Gordon Birtwhistle, who represents the area on Burnley Council, said: “She has been the headmistress for many, many years and I’ve met her on a number of occasions.

“She’s obviously had a difficult time with the school, but I wish her all the best and hope she has a happy future.

“We will have to see who the new head is and see if they can turn the school around.”

County Cllr Tony Martin said County Hall will be advertising for a new head teacher.

He said: “She has been a good head teacher for a number of years.

“It’s a particularly difficult school situated in one of the poorest areas of the the town.

“It’s been a difficult job to do.

“Being a head is a difficult job in any school, particularly in a school like Hameldon.

“We’re looking to employ the best people we can to ensure the school’s progress goes from strength to strength.”