A second headteacher has left a school which has gone through a staffing crisis since being rated inadequate by inspectors.

The departure of consultant head Karen Bye, along with an acting assistant headteacher, has continued an exodus from Marshlands Primary, in Marshfoot Lane, Hailsham, which started when it was placed in special measures by Ofsted in November 2006.

Two governors and 14 staff members have left, including the original headteacher Peter Kavanagh, who had taken up his position only weeks before the school was criticised for having unacceptable behaviour and results.

In a report from its latest monitoring visit Ofsted said the school had been experiencing "staffing turbulence" and standards remained exceptionally low in Years 2 and 6. The school was making satisfactory progress overall.

Marshlands now only has until November to prove to the inspectors it can be turned around or it will be faced with closure.

A second acting headteacher, Yasmin Ashraf, has been in charge since January but will be replaced by new permanent head Wendy Gibbins this month.

Marshlands is in one of the most deprived areas of Sussex and has an above average number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.

An East Sussex County Council spokeswoman said: "Everyone concerned remains committed to continuing to raise standards and expectations at Marshlands to bring it out of special measures."

Following her monitoring visit last month, Ofsted inspector Sheila Browning said truancy, standards and achievements were still inadequate but satisfactory work was being done to improve teaching and management of the school.

She said: "The school's roll continues to fall and, to take account of significant changes in the school's population in Years 2 and 6, the targets set for 2008 in literacy and numeracy were lowered.

"The revised targets are appropriate, but very modest when compared with those set for schools nationally."

  • Staff and pupils at St Catherine's Catholic Primary in Littlehampton have been celebrating after it was removed from special measures.

The school had previously slumped from being one of the highest achievers in West Sussex and has replaced its headteacher.

It follows the success of other Littlehampton schools Flora McDonald Junior and Connaught Junior, which have emerged from special measures and the less severe notice to improve category.

William Penn Primary in Coolham, near Horsham, has been told it is making good progress towards being removed from special measures under the leadership of a new headteacher, while St Leonards CE Primary in St Leonards - which is advertising for a new head - has made satisfactory progress.

St Bartholomew's Primary and Whitehawk Primary in Brighton have both been removed from notice to improve this term, as has Southdown Junior in Newhaven.

White House Primary in Hailsham, Cornfield School in Littlehampton, and the Out Of School Learning Service in Chichester remain in special measures.

Highfield Junior in Eastbourne, St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary in Bexhill, Hawthorns First in Worthing and Three Bridges Junior in Crawley are all under a notice to improve.