HAYDON Bridge High School could be out of special measures by this time next year, according to one of the school’s governors.

County councillor and school governor Colin Horncastle made the remarks at the latest Allendale Parish Council meeting.

The school was first placed in special measures by Ofsted following an inspection in December 2014, and suffered a turbulent few years under academy trust Bright Tribe.

However, Northumberland County Council took back control of the school last year, and Coun. Horncastle insisted it was now moving in the right direction.

Speaking at the meeting last week, Coun. Horncastle said: “Everything is going really well at Haydon Bridge, the plan is to be out of special measures by this time next year.

“There’s people on the IEB (Interim Executive Board) who have been through this before ­– the lady who brought Prudhoe High School out of its problems is on the board. Two of them are inspectors, they know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re saying Haydon Bridge will be viable.”

However, concerns were raised about the school’s most recent Ofsted report from October.

Parish councillor John Hill said: “The last Ofsted inspection wasn’t very positive. I want to see evidence that things are changing.

“There were major concerns in that report.”

The report outlined concerns in middle leadership, teaching in some subjects, and the school’s action plan, but praised the work of headteacher Darren Glover and the new IEB.

Coun. Horncastle added: “The last 12 months have been great for Haydon Bridge High School. They’re at the stage where it requires improvement, and that’s a massive leap forward in a very short space of time.”