BLESSED Trinity RC College in Burnley is officially in special measures after a critical report by Government inspectors.

A team from Ofsted, who visited last month, said the superschool was failing to give its students an acceptable standard of education and those reponsible for leading, managing and governing the school had not secured the necessary improvement.

Headteacher Bernadette Bleasdale said the 1241-pupil college, which gained the best GCSE results in Burnley last year, would turn its fortunes around.

She said: “We are all stunned by the report. We’re aware that there are areas for improvement, but Blessed Trinity has a great many strengths and we feel that we’re building on them all the time.

“The report contains a huge number of positive comments and the word ‘exemplary’ is used more than once to describe how we support out students.”

Inspectors said boys achieved significantly less than girls and ‘too much learning time is lost because of inadequate behaviour in lessons and around the school.’ Improvement planning is out of date, lacks focus and is insufficiently detailed to empower staff, the report said.

Referring to the college’s move to a single site under the Building Schools for the Future programme, the report states: “The last four years have been a difficult and turbulent time.

"The complex reorganisation and rebuilding programme has impacted on every element of the life of the school.

“While the physical stages of this reorganisation are now complete, it has become clear that until relatively recently the demands placed on leaders and managers have distracted them from addressing other urgent needs.”

Inspectors recognised the school had ‘excellent’ and ‘exemplary’ practice in areas such as student support, attendance and safety.

Father Brian Kealey, chairman of governors, said: “We fully accept the Ofsted report and are taking it very seriously.”

Lancashire County Councillor Susie Charles, cabinet member for children and schools, said: “This report is, of course, a disappointment.

"However, I feel confident that the staff and pupils at the school, working alongside our advisers, will soon be able to address the issues specified in it."