A HAMPSHIRE college has announced a change in leadership.

Dr Maxine Room CBE will take over from Derek Headrige as principal of Totton College.

The further education and training expert was drafted in to improve standards at the college after taking a Highbury College engineering department from ‘unsatisfactory’ to ‘outstanding’ in just 18 months.

But two years after an Ofsted report slammed Totton College saying it was "inadequate", this year inspectors said it "requires improvements" across the board.

In July Ofsted said leaders at the college "have failed to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good;" that "the proportion of learners on 16 to 19 study programmes who achieve their qualifications is too low;" and that teachers "do not ensure students make the best possible progress."

And they added that "learners’ attendance is low, especially in English and mathematics, and this impedes their progress".

The rating is just one grade up from the "inadequate"status it was given in 2015 and comes two years after the National Association for Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders took on management of the college with a £2million loan.

As previously reported parents and students launched a campaign to save the college when it was revealed falling student numbers had contributed to the college's financial difficulties.

But Councillor David Harrison - who campaigned against the controversial NACRO merger - said

he was shocked by Mr Headrige's resignation.

He said: "It's not an easy job to turn a college which is threatened around. It's difficult to recruit people to this sort of job."

Now Dr Room - who runs training company Medacrii Associates and oversaw the merger between London colleges Lewisham and Southwark - will take over from Mr Headrige from October 9.

A spokesperson for the college said: "Dr Room, who has a wealth of experience and has led innovative work in the sector, will take over from Derek Headrige who has taken a promotion to a new role within the education and training sector.

"Dr Room will be supported by current Assistant Principal, Hannah Avoth, who will be promoted to Vice Principal, and Acting Campus Principal where required."

Nacro’s Director of Education Lisa Capper said: “This is a strong set of appointments and I know they will take the College to the next stage of its successful development.

Councillor Peter Edgar, Executive Member for Education at Hampshire County Council, said:

“We are very keen that young people in the Totton and Waterside area, and across the county, have access to good technical and work-based training and education. We await information about the cover arrangements they will be putting in place and assurances that they will continue to provide vocational training and study opportunities beyond the current academic year.”

He added that Hampshire County Council has "no recorded land interest in the college site."