A report published today has revealed the Community College Whitstable still requires improvement after an Ofsted inspection was carried out last month.

This is no change from the original verdict by the education watchdog in March last year, but despite a further decline in GCSE grades school officials remain upbeat about the future.

In a letter to parents consultant head teacher Jane Partridge said: "I am pleased to report the visit was very positive and concluded that the college is taking effective action to tackle the areas identified.

"This is excellent news and is down to the hard work and commitment of all staff, students and governors.

"The team who came in commented on the good conduct of the students both inside and outside of lessons."

Schools requiring improvement are subject to regular monitoring by Her Majesty's Inspectorate and the visit on Friday, January 29, was its second since being placed in the category.

Inspector Lesley Farmer said: "Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last inspection in order to become a good school."

The school has also put together a 70-day plan to be monitored by governors and Kent County Council's education department.

But despite the school's positive take on the report a disappointing drop in GCSE standards was highlighted.

School league tables released by the Department for Education last month showed that only 28% of pupils at the school achieved five A* to C grades last year.

This was an 11% drop since 2014 as it falls further away from the national 40% benchmark.

The report reads: "Senior leaders' firmly predicted upturn in GCSE results did not come to fruition.

"A further decline in standards took the school’s results for the 2015 cohort of Year 11 pupils to below the government’s current minimum floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

"Governing body members rightly were concerned and disappointed with a second year of declining results.

"Given senior leaders’ assertions in relation to the 2014 GCSE results, described as a ‘unforeseeable,’ as well as senior leaders’ firm expectations that 2015 results would go up, governors commissioned an external review of the leadership and management of the school immediately."

Governing body members rightly were concerned and disappointed with a second year of declining results - Lesley Farmer, Ofsted inspector

The external review produced favourable results for the school and stated that officers of the local authority have been acting appropriately to support senior leaders and governors since the decline in results.

But parents have been alarmed at the consultant head teacher's letter and feel they need to exert some pressure.

Parent Steve Wheeler said: "Anyone with a child who goes to The Community College Whitstable will be as alarmed as we were at the letter that went home to parents last week.

"The head teacher is under investigation and the school is under an Ofsted 70-day improvement plan because of its long-term mismanagement and underperformance.

"The alarm bell was only sounded after a second year of terrible GCSE results.

"Our children deserve better than this. Not getting into grammar school should not mean that they get a second-class education and are thrown on the educational scrapheap."

Mr Wheeler has also written to the school, local education authority, Ofsted and MP Julian Brazier to voice his concerns.

Meanwhile, the investigation into suspended head teacher Helena Sullivan-Tighe continues.

She was hauled before the governing body and relieved of her duties in November last year due to the school’s troubled performance in Ofsted and exams.

Mrs Sullivan-Tighe remains as head teacher in an official capacity but is absent from the day-to-day running of the school while the review continues.

In December last year, Jane Partridge was announced as executive head teacher and Karen Cross as acting head teacher.

There is no update on when the investigation will conclude.