Parents of pupils at Community College Whitstable hope its new name could remove the stigma they say is attached to the once-troubled school.

From September 1, the town's only secondary will be called The Whitstable School following its second name change in 20 years.

The reason for the rebrand is not clear, but in a letter sent to parents, head teacher Ana Gibson said: "We are delighted about the change and we believe that the new name emphasises our creative and academic aspirations for this town."

The school, which has about 850 pupils, has undergone several changes in recent history.

In 1998 it switched from the Sir William Nottidge School to the Community College Whitstable.

In 2015 former head Helena Sullivan-Tighe was suspended following a review of the institution's poor exam performance, later winning a payout after appealing against disciplinary action taken against her.

The same year the school was rated as 'requires improvement' by Oftsed.

New head teacher Ana Gibson was appointed in 2016 as the school looked for a fresh start – and in March this year it celebrated a remarkable turnaround in its fortunes when it was rated 'good' by the education watchdog.

Michelle Mullord Rafferty, whose children attend the school, says the name change is in keeping with the school's new image.

"When you say your children attend CCW there’s almost a stigma attached to it as by my understanding it was the same when it was called The Nottidge," she said.

"In my opinion the new leadership team have made amazing progress and have obviously changed the name to reflect this and move on from negativity.

"If this makes my children and any other child feel more comfortable then good on them. The school were never going to please everyone and I wish adults were more positive.

"It’s done now, so let’s all try and show our children some acceptance and positivity."

Mrs Gibson says the school will retain its gold logo following the name change, and there will be "no cost implications to any stakeholders".

She also thanked pupils, staff, governors and a parent focus group for their involvement in the decision.

But some parents have taken to social media to express their anger, claiming they were not consulted over the move.

Steve King, whose son attends the school, said: "It seems over the past few years parents have become less involved with decision making at the school.

"Once there used to be family forums where you could be involved with and discuss decisions made. Then, when the change of staff happened, these forums stopped. No consultation with parents."

The school has been approached for comment, but has not yet responded.

What do you think? Email whitstablegazette@thekmgroup.co.uk.