A secondary school rated “inadequate” just six months ago is to be renamed this spring.

First established in 1957, the Hugh Christie School (HCS) is a mixed-gender foundation school in Tonbridge.

Based in White Cottage Road, it caters for 963 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

However, the institution formerly known as the Hugh Christie Technology College lost its “good” rating from Ofsted following an inspection in March last year.

Its ”inadequate” grade was confirmed three months later when inspectors reported it failed to provide appropriate support for pupils after Covid-19 learning.

The Department for Education’s (DfE) regional director, Dame Kate Dethridge, then acknowledged HCS would become an academy following a meeting of her advisory board in September – something which must happen to any local authority school given this rating by Ofsted.

An announcement has since confirmed the school will be renamed as Leigh Academy Hugh Christie on March 1, and will be run by the Leigh Academy Trust (LAT).

Speaking in September, a statement by the Trust said: "Over the next few months, due diligence and consultation will take place to invite further feedback from stakeholders to continue the strong plan for improvement already underway.

"LAT executives have begun working closely with the school and look forward to these relationships developing positively in the weeks ahead.

"Our overriding priority is a smooth transition for pupils, parents and staff to guarantee a bright future of HCS and the wider community."

LAT has now announced the transition of HCS to an academy will be completed on March 1.

The decision came after Ofsted's report stated bosses at the school “failed to check on the well-being and support for pupils who do not attend school regularly since the period of partial school closures caused by the coronavirus".

Hugh Christie was rated “good” in three categories – quality of education, personal development and sixth-form provision – but was told it “requires improvement” in its behaviour and attitudes and that leadership and management was “inadequate”.

Speaking about its failings, the report says: “Many of these pupils have not re-engaged with their education because they are not provided with the specific support they need.

“In addition, leaders do not consistently take action to ensure pupils are safe when staff raise safeguarding concerns.

“While leaders have positively developed many aspects of school life, they have not ensured that all pupils get the help they need to regularly attend school and behave well."

In response to the report, a spokesman for HCS said: “We are naturally disappointed with the overall Ofsted judgement, as most aspects of our school performance were judged as good.

"However, the safeguarding arrangements were considered ineffective and we fully accept those findings of the report."

HCS was inspected again in October last year and saw its latest rating improve to “Requires Improvement.”

As an academy, HCS will receive funding directly from the government rather than Kent County Council (KCC).

This allows the school to have more control over things like choosing whether to follow the national curriculum and setting its own term times.

LAT was formed in 2008 and is currently responsible for 32 schools across Kent, Medway, Bexley and Greenwich.

Two of these include nearby secondary schools Leigh Academy Tonbridge in Brook Street, and Mascalls Academy in Paddock Wood.

HCS will also be followed with its new Leigh Academy title by the controversial transition of Hartley Primary Academy to Leigh Academy Hartley, plus the high-profile change of Oasis Academy on Sheppey to Leigh Academy Minster.

The other Kent academies taking on the new name this year following their acquirement by LAT are: Paddock Wood Primary, Dartford's The Leigh Academy and Dartford Primary, High Halstow Primary in Medway, Milestone Academy in New Ash Green, plus Cherry Orchard Primary in Ebbsfleet and Horsmonden Primary in Tonbridge.

A further five will make the switch in Maidstone. They are: Bearsted Primary, Langley Park Primary, Molehill Primary, Oaks Primary and Tree Tops Primary.