A BURNLEY ‘superschool’ has been deemed ‘inadequate’ at its latest Ofsted inspection.

Inspectors went into Shuttleworth College last month, and highlighted a number of failings, particularly in relation to the achievement of pupils.

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Describing the Burnley Road school as having ‘serious weaknesses’ the report said the curriculum was not sufficiently broad or balanced, and that the proportion of students gaining A* to C at GCSE was too low.

The school’s rating for leadership and management had also fallen from ‘good’ at the previous inspection to ‘requires improvement’.

But new headteacher Ruth England, who had only been in post for a matter of days when the inspection was carried out, called the report a “historical doc-ument”.

In 2008, the school was placed in special measures by Ofsted following an inspection, but Shuttleworth improved enough to receive a satisfactory rating in 2010. But, over the past four years, the school’s inspection ratings have steadily dropped.

Mrs England said the inspectors highlighted a number of areas where she had already identified problems and instigated change.

She added that the report would serve as a starting point for change, and reiterated her commitment to make Shuttleworth, an ‘outstanding’ school within five years.

She said: “We’ve got plans in place to address all the concerns raised, and have begun to tackle every area.

“This report is not going to have a negative impact. People will be a bit concerned, but we want to allay their fears.

“By this time next year I’m confident the examination results for Year 11s will have improved.”

Mrs England said the school was in the process of appointing several new staff, including new deputy and assistant heads.

She added that the new head of governors, Simon Davies,acting head of Thomas Whitham Sixth Form College, would bring a wealth of experience to the role.

Mrs England said: “Being a fellow headteacher, he’s got exactly the right perspective on what we’re trying to do.

Of the five Burnley superschools, some are showing signs of improvement.

Hameldon College, which came out of special measures last year, was also rated inadequate at its last report, while Sir John Thursby was told it requires improvement. But Blessed Trinity and Unity College were both declared good schools following inspections in the summer.