A headteacher has hit back at claims his school is failing children.

Last week Bishopsford Arts College was criticised by a company looking to set up a free school nearby, which said the majority of the Morden school’s pupils are being let down.

Headteacher Andrew Barker has condemned the attack - and said his school has been steadily improving for years.

Mr Barke said: “To throw out Bishopsford to get themselves in the headlines is not beneficial for the young people of Morden.”

John Morahan, the chief executive of Yorkshire Nationwide Schools, has announced plans to open a combined primary, secondary and sixth form in the area next year under the government’s free schools legislation - which allows businesses and community groups to set up schools outside of council control.

He criticised the fact that only 35 per cent of pupils leaving Bishopsford achieved five high GCSE passes including Maths and English last summer.

Mr Barker said the Lilleshall Road school had been progressing well over the last three years, and expected significant increases when its next results are announced in August. He said: “A lot of work is being done in challenging circumstances.”

Last week Bishopsford was praised for its sustained improvement by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Mr Morahan told the Wimbledon Guardian that his school, which could be spread across three or four sites, would aim to provide a curriculum based on the English baccalaureate - with every 16-year-old studying English, maths, science, a foreign language and either history or geography.

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