A school with a "legacy of underachievement" has been put into special measures by Ofsted.

Inspectors made the decision after visiting Portslade Community College in March and judging it to be "inadequate".

In their report the inspectors branded teaching at the school as unsatisfactory and said by the time Year 11 pupils leave, their attainment is well below average.

They also noted the downward trend in exam results over the last three years.

Just 26% of pupils gained five A* to C grades, including maths and English in 2009.

The report said: “Many of the steps taken to reverse the college’s serious decline are new and at this stage there is insufficient evidence of a positive impact.”

However improvements under headteacher Stuart McLaughlin, who joined the school in September, were recognised.

The report stated: “There are indications that improvements are happening. This is because the newly appointed principal, and a reinvigorated governing body, are tackling the legacy of underachievement.”

The high morale of students and staff were also noted, along with parents’ positive views of the changes.

Yesterday Mr McLaughlin said the outcome of the Ofsted report was inevitable following last year’s poor results but added that he is confident the school can be turned around.