The head of a nationally-acclaimed Bradford school is to go to Lancashire for a year to help put a struggling school on its feet.

The head of Challenge College, Gareth Dawkins, is going to Moorlands School near Blackburn, which went into special measures in November.

He has been approached by Blackburn's education authority and asked to take over the secondary school, whose leadership was criticised in a report by Ofsted inspectors.

He said: "I will be looking to make some rapid improvements. It is nice to have such massive recognition and it is an outstanding compliment.

"The authority over there is taking quite a radical approach I suppose by parachuting someone in but they saw our leadership described as outstanding in the Ofsted report.

"I see in the school in Darwen scope for enormous potential and real opportunity for development and I believe I can work with people there. I really think I can make a difference to them."

Mr Dawkins is set to start in Easter and will be working there for 12 months.

He said: "To leave a school as good as Challenge is a very big decision but I am really pleased in one way. Normally in Bradford we hear about people coming in to sort out Bradford so for this to be working the other way round is great news."

Mr Dawkins has been involved in Challenge College since in came into existence after the Bradford schools' reorganisation in 2001. He worked alongside the team who were designing it while he was deputy head at his previous school.

He said: "To make a success of an inner-city school in Bradford is no small achievement and a huge amount of effort has gone in to make this work.

"The school I am going to is a similar size in a white, working-class mill town.

"I hope it will give me the chance to develop professionally."

Challenge's acting head teacher Steve Amos said: "It's a privilege and an honour for Gareth to be recognised for his excellent leadership qualities."

Challenge College received an excellent rating in ts first Ofsted report in October last year and its first set of GCSE results were well above average A*-C.

Mr Dawkins said: "I love Challenge to bits and I did find it emotionally draining telling people I was going for a year.

"I live in Heaton, in the school catchment area, have three kids and am getting remarried in July. Its a very busy time at the moment.

"At Challenge College we have turned a vision into a reality and I am looking forward to seeing the staff and students again in April 2005. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy working with a new team of staff and students in Blackburn."