Bournemouth “superhead” Brian Hooper is the man being lined up to take the helm at the failing St Aldhelm’s Academy.

Mr Hooper is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ambitions Academies Trust, said to be involved in negotiations to take over the failing Poole school.

Recent years have seen him transform struggling schools in the area and pupils and parents will be hoping he can do the same at St Aldhlem’s in Herbert Avenue. He is the long-standing head of the Tregonwell Academy, formerly Bicknell School, which operates over three sites in Bournemouth.

The school offers education to pupils with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties and was ranked Outstanding following its latest Ofsted inspection.

Inspectors said: “The executive head teacher is determined and relentless in his focus on improvement. Pupils rapidly improve their attitudes and behaviour.”

He also took over the former Queens Park Junior School when it was placed in special measures in 2011. Less than a year later, the school was rated Good and inspectors graded it Outstanding – the highest possible rating – last year.

It is now known as Queens Park Academy and inspectors said: “Leadership and management are outstanding. The leadership team has improved the academy considerably.”

Just last summer Mr Hooper was drafted in to turn around the fortunes of Kings Park Academy in Boscombe which recently came bottom in the league tables and was rated as Requires Improvement.

An interim inspection carried out since he took over praised the “strong inspirational leadership that is bringing rapid improvement” and added: “Staff morale is restored to a high level and all are working as a team to keep pupils safe and quicken their progress.”

The Ambitions Academies Trust also runs Longspee Special School in Poole. The school has not been inspected since it became an academy.

Supply teachers drafted in

Pupils returned to their desks at St Aldhelm’s Academy yesterday for the first time since its shock closure last week.

Some supply teachers were drafted in to ensure lessons went ahead as normal while negotiations continue about the school’s future.

Talks are currently underway with a potential new sponsor and Conor Burns MP met with Schools Minister Lord Nash and the Regional School Commissioner for the South West Sir David Carter on Tuesday in a bid to iron out the school’s problems.

It is currently rated Inadequate in every respect and recently posted some of the lowest GCSE results in the country.

The school also lost more than £1million in an email scam last year and currently has unpopular open plan learning spaces which will cost £1million to rectify.