A Birmingham school where a teacher was suspended for allegedly assaulting a pupil has had its head teacher moved to a new role and is set to be put into special measures.

Education chiefs decided to act amid deteriorating behaviour and achievement levels at Shenley Court Specialist Arts College and Sixth Form Centre in Weoley Castle.

The school's former head Carole Gumbley has been transferred into a new role within the local education authority.

She has been replaced by Ruth Harker, head teacher of top-performing Bournville School.

Police were called to the school earlier this year following allegations that a teacher grabbed a 12-year-old pupil by the throat and dragged him down a flight of stairs.

The male teacher is still suspended while police investigations continue.

Birmingham's LEA last night said Ms Gumbley had not been sacked.

A spokeswoman said: "She has been offered, and has taken up, a post within the city council working on developing children and family services.

"Meanwhile, a very experienced head teacher is supporting Shenley Court along with other heads from the South-west network of schools and officers from the local education authority."

The proportion of pupils achieving the benchmark five A* to C GCSEs at Shenley Court fell from 36 per cent in 2003 to 30 per cent last year.

The figure was significantly below the city average of 51 per cent and the national average of 51.5 per cent for state schools.

An Ofsted team that recently inspected Shenley Court has yet to publish its report but found concern in all areas.

Ms Harker said: "The situation is the school is likely to be placed in special measures.

"Basically the school needs to improve in all the areas that Ofsted looks at."

Ms Harker has been appointed to lead Shenley Court because of her success at Bournville School.

The school, where she had been head for the last eight years, has been designated a "leading edge" school by the Government.

Ms Harker is also drawing on expertise from schools surrounding Shenley Court, where many of the pupils have been affected by the collapse of Rover's nearby Longbridge plant.

Ms Harker, who took over the post after the Easter holiday, said: " A significant minority of pupils did have behaviour which is unacceptable.

"There was a lack of consistency and rigour in the way it was addressed. Children need to know the boundaries. We have strengthened the consequences of poor behaviour but the focus has been on rights and responsibility.

"It is about modelling the behaviour we want from our children and reinforcing the positive behaviour that most of the children show."

Options for 14-year-olds is another area of concern at the school now being addressed, and a stricter uniform policy is also being enforced.

Ms Harker said the school was at a "new beginning" which would help put its recent problems firmly in the past. I personally think being put into special measures is the best thing that could have happened because that will bring a package of support for the school," she said.

"I am very optimistic that the school will come out of special measures in a relatively short period of time."