A SECONDARY school has been put into special measures after Ofsted found it was inadequate in every area.

The education watchdog publishes a damning report on Cecil Jones College, in Southend, today revealing teaching and pupils’ attendance, behaviour and achievement are not up to scratch.

It is a major blow to the school and Southend Council, which drafted in “superhead” Mark Schofield earlier this year in a bid to boost performance.

However, inspectors found the school had fallen since its last inspection which graded it as “satisfactory” in January 2012.

Mr Schofield, who took Shoebury High School from a “notice to improve” to “good with outstanding features”, said: “We are disappointed the school has gone into special measures.

“The clear issue is students making enough progress. That’s the position we are in. We have to make more progress to raise aspirations across the board.”

The council asked Mr Schofield, who remains headteacher of Shoebury High, to take charge in January after officers, who were still monitoring the school after it was last put into special measures in 2009, warned pupils were under-achieving.

Inspectors, who visited the school nine weeks into his headship, recognised Mr Schofield and the new governors had identified the right priorities to improve the school. But Ofsted found pupils, particularly those from poor backgrounds, were falling behind, especially in maths and English.

In her report, lead inspector Linda Austin, said: “The lack of consistently good teaching over recent years has contributed to underachievement for nearly all groups of students. As students themselves commented, their progress depends very much on the teaching and the set they are in.”

Some parents complained about pupils’ disruptive behaviour, which was preventing other pupils learning in some lessons.

The school, in Eastern Avenue, will face regular visits from inspectors and could be turned into an academy, unless Mr Schofield turns it around.

Jane Theadom, the council’s head of learning, said: “We are disappointed by the latest outcome, given the positive feedback from inspectors, who noted the real impact being made by the new leadership team and new governors.

“However, we are pleased the report is clear the school is now heading in the right direction after changes made just two months before the inspection.”