A headteacher says he is aiming to make students “life ready”, after the school was placed in special measures last month.

Stuart McLaughlin of Bower Park Academy, Havering Road, Collier Row, believes that despite the school facing an uphill battle following a damning Ofsted report, there is now even more of an incentive to strive for improvement.

He said: “I am really excited to be working at Bower Park Academy.

“Following the last Ofsted, we have many challenges ahead but I am absolutely confident that the school will rapidly improve to achieve my goal to get to good within two years.

“I believe that every student, no matter what their starting point or personal circumstances, can and will achieve success at Bower Park.

“By providing high quality teaching and learning, combined with the support to help students overcome any barriers to learning, all students will thrive and achieve success.”

The school was rated inadequate in four out of five areas by the education watchdog, including outcomes for pupils and quality of teaching.

Inspectors who visited the school in December said governors had been “woefully slow to implement the improvements needed” since the previous inspection in 2014 where it was rated as “requires improvement”.

Looking to the future, Mr McLaughlin says a key element of achieving success will be encouraging pupils to aim high to help prepare them for the real world.

He said: “We expect students to come to school prepared to learn and try their best at all times.

“They will be entering a rapidly changing world given how quickly technology is developing.

“I want to help students develop the skills, attributes and qualities that will enable them to not only be both highly employable but also to succeed in this rapidly changing world.

“In effect, we want every student to leave Bower Park Academy life ready, able to achieve a great deal of success and happiness as adults.”