BRECON High School is in need of "urgent improvement" according to education inspectors Estyn – and an interim headteacher has already taken over.

The result of the school inspection, carried out in November, will be a significant disappointment to the school which is due to move into a £22 million purpose built new building in September.

The report, which has found teaching and learning as well as leadership at the 478 pupil school are "unsatisfactory and need urgent improvement", comes just over two years after the school was removed from special measures – Estyn’s most serious school grading.

An interim headteacher, Richard Jenkins, who has been seconded from his post as senior deputy at Porth Community School, has taken charge at the school from today.

A letter, by chair of governors Councillor David Meredith, has been sent to parents at the school today following publication of the report.

Cllr Meredith has written: "We are, of course, extremely disappointed by the findings of the report and wish to reassure you that the Governors, Senior Leaders and the Local Authority will be working collectively to address the six recommendations for improvement contained in the report.

"Following the publication of the report the school and the Local Authority will draw up action plans which will detail how they are going to address the recommendations which Estyn must approve. Estyn will monitor the school’s progress going forward until they believe that sufficient progress has been made to enable the school to be removed from the category."

Estyn marks schools in five areas; standards, wellbeing and attitude to learning, teaching and learning experiences, care, support and guidance and leadership and management, and in three of the five the school was judged as "adequate and needs improvement".

Inspectors also raised concern at the "large budget deficit" that has dogged the school for the past nine years.

Estyn said: "Although there is an agreed recovery plan with the local authority, senior leaders have not been able to set balanced in-year budgets nor are they able to plan to reduce the deficit over the next five years."

Headteacher Rob Broadbridge had taken over at the school in September 2014 and brought it out of special measures.

Estyn said: "Brecon High School has an inclusive and caring ethos that supports pupils’ personal development well. Most pupils feel safe and many behave well in lessons and around the school. However, over time, weaknesses in leadership and governance have contributed to insufficient and un-sustained improvement in key areas of the school’s work, including the quality of teaching, pupils’ attendance and the standards they achieve."

Parents have been invited to attend a briefing at the school on Wednesday, February 6 from 6.30-7.30pm.