A Bradford head teacher has resigned ahead of the publication of a damning inspection report of standards at his secondary school.

Tim Brookes has walked away from Hanson School in Swain House, after two and a half years in the job as education watchdog Ofsted put the school in the failing ‘special measures’ category.

Governors have re-appointed the school’s former deputy head teacher Alan Davis as executive head teacher from January.

The move follows extensive criticism by Ofsted of the school’s leaders and managers, including its governing body. Leaders at all levels lacked a clear vision for the school or a coherent plan to bring about improvement, the inspection report states.

Sue Williamson, the school’s chairman of governors, said: “After serving at Hanson School for more than nine years, two and a half of those as head teacher, Mr Brookes has decided to step down from his post.”

In the Ofsted report, which was published yesterday following a two-day visit to the school last month, inspectors said Hanson was struggling to meet targets, even in its specialism of maths, science and technology. Overall attainment continued to be well below average and achievement was inadequate, especially in English and maths, and boys from a white British heritage made the least progress.

The overall quality of teaching was not meeting the needs of the students and lacked the capacity to eradicate the legacy of underachievement. A lack of challenge, the slow pace, and poor behaviour that disrupts too many lessons, prevented the majority of students, who want to succeed, from making good progress.

In February, the Telegraph & Argus exclusively reported how a boy aged 12 and two aged 13 were arrested at the school after they armed themselves with weapons, while in June Mr Brookes and Carlton Bolling College head teacher Chris Robinson issued a joint statement to the T&A saying the schools were working together to identify students involved in fights outside of school.

Yesterday, Derek Needham, the school’s senior deputy head teacher, said: “We are working very hard to tackle the issues raised by the inspection team in the report. We have already brought about improvements at the school and we acknowledge more rapid improvements need to take place. We are hoping that the move to the new school will provide a fresh start for Hanson.”

The school is moving to new buildings as part of the £236 million second phase of Bradford Council’s Building Schools for the Future.

Lesley Hart, director of school improvement at school support services firm Education Bradford, said: “We have been working closely with the governing body for some time to secure a strong improvement plan for the school.”

The returning Mr Davis worked at the school in the early 1990s. He went on to be the executive head teacher of a federation of schools in Kirklees and is now a National Challenge Advisor.