The man at the helm of troubled Oasis Academy Lord's Hill believes it has the potential to become one of the best schools in Southampton. 

Interim Principal Simon Firth spoke out after the school, which has seen staff go out on strike over bad behaviour, was rated inadequate during an Ofsted inspection. 

The latest report into Oasis Academy Lord's Hill says the quality of teaching is inconsistent, many pupils are disengaged and many leave school without the qualifications they need.

(Image: Oasis Community Learning)

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Now Mr Firth, who took up his position the day before the inspection in June, has outlined his plans. 

He told the Daily Echo: “I know that Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill has the potential to be one of the best schools in Southampton and it is my determination to get it there.

"I am glad that Ofsted highlighted some positives, including that 'pupils are typically respectful towards each other and value the diversity of the pupil population.'

"However, there is no getting around the fact that the report and the judgement identifies significant areas for improvement for staff, students, and families alike.

"We are pleased that Ofsted has recognised, that we know what needs to be improved and that the hard work to get us there has already started.

"I took up the Interim Principal post the day before the Ofsted team arrived and since then, I have worked closely with staff, families, the local authority, and the Oasis Community Learning trust to put into place rapid improvement plans.

"We have added more leadership capacity to make rapid improvement.

"We are already beginning to see this pay off, including improvements in behaviour and attendance.

"But we need to do more, and we need to do it quickly so that every young person succeeds.

"I am grateful to OA Lord’s Hill families for their positivity, encouragement and support.

"I am holding a meeting for parents and carers next week so that we can share our improvement plans and hear their views on how we get there together, as a whole school community.

"We are contacting families directly but if anybody has any questions then please do get in touch with the school.”

Staff from the Romsey Road school, part of the Oasis Community Learning trust, recently took industrial action over a failure to manage student behaviour, staff safety and excessive workloads, but called off later dates in a bid to work together on improvements.

(Image: NQ)