A "SUPER-HEAD" is being parachuted into a south Essex school in a determined drive to turn around its fortunes following a damning Ofsted report which branded it inadequate.

Cornelius Vermuyden School, in Dinant Avenue, Canvey, received the lowest possible Ofsted rating and was placed in special measures after a recent Ofsted inspection.

At the time, inspectors found that staff “feel unsafe” and pupils “plan fights” at the Canvey school.

Now, Desi McKeown, the current headteacher at the Deanes school in Thundersley, will act as executive headteacher at Cornelius Vermuyden to help guide the school back to “good”.

The move comes after headteacher Ian Hockley said he had made the “difficult decision” to leave the school.

A letter to parents said Mr Hockley, who stepped up to become headteacher in 2018, was leaving to “pursue other opportunities”.

Discovery Education Trust had been helping run the school since January but has now handed over the reins to the South East Essex Academy Trust (SEEAT), which also runs the Deanes School.

The Trust has now agreed to send in Mr McKeown, who has a track record improving schools. The Deanes School achieved a “good” rating in 2023 after three years in the “requires improvement” category.

Andrew Cooper, chief executive of South East Essex Academy Trust, said: “Following the concerns raised by Ofsted about the Cornelius Vermuyden school, the Department for Education approached us to see if we could provide support to the school.

“We were happy to do so. From April, one of our experienced headteachers, Desi McKeown from the Deanes School, will act as interim executive headteacher and lead an experienced team to enable further improvements for the pupils and staff in the school.

“We have also secured support from Zenith Multi Academy Trust, Harris Academy Chafford Hundred Teaching Hub, Basildon Academies and Essex Local Authority, so this is a genuinely collaborative approach to supporting the school, led by SEEAT.”

At this time. the arrangement is in place until December 2024.

Mr McKeown will still remain as executive head of the Deanes School but will be supported by Kelly Corp who will act as Head of School whilst helping Cornelius.

Last week, Desi McKeown was shortlisted for Headteacher of the Year award at the Pearson National Teaching Awards.

He has been at The Deanes School for almost ten years joining shortly after it was recommended the school close due to “falling pupil numbers”.

However, the last decade has seen significant improvements and now “more parents than ever want to send their children to the school”.