SPECIAL measures have hit Woolston High School hard but, according to a school insider, the atmosphere has brightened since the head teacher's resignation.

As reported in last week's Warrington Guardian, head teacher, Mark Gannon, quit when Ofsted placed the school under special measures after it failed to address "serious weaknesses".

The school's problems were highlighted in a report in December, last year, which branded it "ineffective" and "unsatisfactory".

The school was placed in special measures in March after a further inspection found that it had failed to address its weaknesses.

The insider said: "The atmosphere inside the school has really improved since the head teacher left but the special measures have really hit the teachers hard."

Meanwhile parents and pupils have been speaking to the Warrington Guardian in the aftermath of the head's departure.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said: "I am very disappointed with the school. I think it has actually gone down hill in the last few years and the only thing that the head could do was resign."

A pupil added that, since special measures had been imposed, some teachers have become stricter while others are giving more homework.

In the meantime, a package of measures are being driven forward by staff, governors and Warrington LEA in a bid to target weaknesses and bolster the strengths of the school.

Inspectors have provided the school with a clear set of priorities for improvement and negotiations are under way to secure an interim head teacher.

Patsy Hodson, chairman of the governors at the school, said: "We want to see this school improve and provide high quality education for all our children. To achieve, this we will all need to work together: staff, pupils, the LEA, governors and the community.

"We are working closely with the LEA to secure an interim head teacher who will help us begin that process."