URGENT improvements are being demanded at the Poole school branded the worst in the country.

St Aldhelm’s Academy at Rossmore, which came bottom of the league table for GCSE results, has received an offer of help from Borough of Poole.

The council is no longer involved in its management or monitoring because responsibility was transferred to sponsors Bournemouth University and the Diocese of Salisbury when it became an Academy in September 2010.

Cllr Janet Walton, cabinet portfolio holder for Children, Families and Youth Services, told the Daily Echo: “The council was very concerned to learn of the Academy’s GCSE results and shares the sponsors’ disappointment with this outcome.

“It has offered its support to work with the Principal and governing body to ensure all necessary action is taken to improve the situation.”

She said the council supported the decision to pursue Academy status in a bid to address a long record of under-achievement at the site.

A recent monitoring visit by government inspectors acknowledged that the Academy has made satisfactory progress towards raising standards.

She added: “The council believe St Aldhelm’s Academy has a vital role to play in the local community.

“We are looking to the sponsors to improve outcomes for all students as a matter of urgency and to deliver their long-term vision for the school.”

The results were branded “appalling news” by Cllr Phil Eades, ward member for Branksome West.

“The council was assured that the sponsors of the academy would preside over increasing academic standards, not bring us to the position where our local school has the worst GCSE results in the entire country.

“It is utterly unacceptable that the school choose to make the comment that the results were “disappointing but not unexpected” and that the year 11 students “had only been with us for eight months” – the vast majority of these children served their entire time at the school.”

He called on the council to conduct urgent scrutiny of what’s happening at the school to address the issues surrounding the results.

MP Conor Burns is keen to stress that results came from students who had 95 per cent of their education at Rossmore Community College.

“It’s really important people don’t assume the problem is because of academy status,” he said.