THE new headteacher of a girls’ school has vowed to improve discipline and boost its Ofsted rating.

Didcot Girls School governors have appointed Belgian national and former deputy headteacher Fernand Dierckens, 44, to take the reins at Oxfordshire’s only all-girls comprehensive school after the sudden retirement of Paula Taylor-Moore in May.

The school had been stung by criticism from Ofsted inspectors who visited the school a month earlier, rating it “satisfactory” where previous inspections had labelled it “good”.

Inspectors highlighted pupils’ “disruptive behaviour”, saying some parents were worried about a lack of discipline and incidents of racism and bullying.

At the time, Mrs Taylor-Moore said: “There is a problem with about 25 pupils who continue to chat during lessons, do not do what they are told to by teachers and arrive late for lessons.”

Now Mr Dierckens, who has been appointed acting headteacher until the end of the academic year, said he was “very confident” the school’s rating would improve by the time Ofsted inspectors return in 2010. He said: “If they came back this side of the summer, we’d welcome them.”

Mr Dierckens, who has taught modern languages at the school since 1996, said a new senior management team was stepping up discipline to crack down on trouble-makers.

New standard operating procedures — outlining when and how pupils will be punished for bad behaviour — are being implemented across the school.

He said: “Starting with the uniform, which is fundamental, we will have a renewed focus on making sure the girls present themselves formally, so that school is like coming to work.

“iPods and mobile phones are now banned in class. Our mantra is that when pupils go into the classroom, they must be ready to learn.

“If lessons are disrupted for others, pupils need to come out of the lesson. There are now clear procedures for doing that and a clear follow-up, and I’ve had huge support from parents.”

He added: “It seems I do have a reputation that I’m very, very strict, but I always say to the girls that I’m strict but fair.”

He said the 1,350-pupil school also needed better maths results.

After Ofsted’s visit in March, HM Inspector Meena Wood wrote to the pupils to tell them: “In a minority of lessons, and especially in mathematics, too many of you are not achieving your potential as the teaching does not help you to learn as effectively as you should.”

Mr Dierckens said that a deputy head was now working with the maths department to drive up standards and an extra teaching assistant had been appointed.