THE new acting headteacher of a pioneering school rocked by claims of high levels of bullying and truanting last night insisted that its fortunes would be turned around.

The Northern Echo revealed yesterday how Karen Pemberton had been suspended as head of Eastbourne Comprehensive School, in Darlington, after a damning audit report emerged.

It lifted the lid on what were said to be serious problems within Eastbourne and the borough council has launched an investigation into "concerns around the management of the school".

The council-commissioned report said pupils feared being attacked in corridors, staff were shocked by the "frightening" behaviour of some children and that truanting levels had become a grave concern.

But Eammon Farrar, who took charge as acting headteacher yesterday, pledged that unruly pupils would be brought into line.

Mr Farrar was chief executive of the country's first education federation - a link-up between Eastbourne and Hurworth Comprehensive School.

The federation will still end on July 31, but Mr Farrar said he would be calling on help from the village school.

"I have very strong, high standards and expectations of the children," he said.

"I have left them in absolutely no doubt whatsoever that I expect those standards to be met immediately. That's the way it's going to be.

"We are still in the federation and I will be enlisting the help of some of my staff at Hurworth School."

Eastbourne School had been placed into the "special measures" category by Ofsted, but came out of that last November.

Mr Farrar said: "It is not easy at all to get out of special measures, but any school can fall away quickly.

"It is quite frightening how fast things can happen if they're allowed to and, as the audit clearly found, things have very quickly gone downhill."

However, critics of the federation criticised the possibility of Hurworth being asked to provide support.

Ward councillor for the village Rod Burtt said: "My major concern is the interests of Hurworth, and it should not be damaged by what's going on at Eastbourne."

He said senior figures from the "previous regime" within the council's education department should shoulder the blame for the situation, adding: "If I was a Hurworth parent, I would be very concerned."

The council again declined to comment on the audit report and said the investigation was ongoing.