A POPULAR school head has left his post just two weeks into the new academic year.

Rob Davies has left Carter Community School in Hamworthy with “immediate effect” despite no replacement having yet been found.

Until a new principal is recruited, current Vice Principal Sam Davidson will be in charge.

The school has Academy status and is run by United Learning, which operates other schools in the area including Winton, Glenmoor and Bournemouth Collegiate.

Mr Davies has been at Carter for five years and in January 2013 saw it named as one of the most improved schools in the country in the GCSE league tables.

Results in the summer of 2012 showed a huge increase with 46 per cent of students gaining the government benchmark standard of at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and maths compared with just 21 per cent the previous year.

But results took a tumble last year at 32 per cent and the school did not reveal its results this summer.

United Learning Chief Executive Jon Coles said: “Mr Rob Davies has decided to stand down as Principal of the school. He will do so with immediate effect.

“His decision has come about after a great deal of thought and consideration about what the school needs at present in terms of its leadership and the educational challenges it faces as well as his own desire to pursue new challenges.”

Mr Coles thanked Mr Davies for his work at the school and described him as “an immensely dedicated and hard-working head of the school with a real commitment to the success of Carter’s children.”

He added: “We believe that Carter has a successful future ahead of it and I have every confidence this improvement will be both robust and secure.”

A parent, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s a shame for the pupils. We’ve all just been told and they said he resigned on Friday but we all think there’s more to it.”

He said it is “unfortunate” that Mr Davies has left at the beginning of the school year.