A FREE school is enjoying a fresh start after securing a new sponsor and revealing impressive exam results.

Parkfield has become part of the Reach South Trust and Principal Ian Golding has decided to stay on permanently in a bid to secure its future.

The school, situated at Hurn, next to Bournemouth Airport, has a troubled past.

Until recently it was unable to secure a sponsor and the progress made by last year's Year 11 pupils was among the worst in the country.

This summer 81 per cent of Year 11 pupils secured passes in English and maths at grades 4-9 - the equivalent of the old A*-C - compared with a national average of 64 per cent and last year's figure of 46 per cent.

So-called strong passes at grades 5-9 were at 50 per cent compared to 21 per cent last year.

Mr Golding has been on secondment for four terms from Oasis Community Learning but he has now left there and joined Reach South permanently.

The Trust also looks after Malmesbury Park and Hill View primary schools in Bournemouth.

He said: "My secondment was arranged by the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Department for Education who asked me to stabilise the school.

"It is an amazing place full of lovely children, staff and parents and I have really bought into it and decided to stay on."

The school now has around 420 pupils and Mr Golding said he is determined to see it succeed.

"The school has had a difficult few years but we are very excited about the future. The aim is to continue to deliver similar results - we are in really positive shape and out GCSE grades were astonishing."

An open evening is due to be held at the school on Wednesday October 3 from 4pm until 8pm.