Parents are keeping their children at home in protest over the decision to oust the headteacher at a Marlow school branded “inadequate” last week.

Parent campaigner Rachel Shelmerdine said “a number” of parents have decided to withhold their youngsters from Bisham School.

It followed angry exchanges between parents and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead officials on Monday after long-standing head Jim Cooke was replaced with interim headteacher Vicky Brand.

Parents said they are not happy sending their children to school while uncertainty remains over the school’s future.

Mrs Shelmerdine said: “I do not want him going there while nobody knows what’s going on.

“I’m seeing the head on Thursday and I need to be reassured that there is some sort of strategy for the school.

It comes after Ofsted delivered a scathing report following an inspection in September, despite an on-the-spot visit in April finding fears raised over pupil behaviour at the 115-pupil school unfounded.

Among the many criticisms in the newest report, teaching standards and marking came under fire, as well as pupils’ progress.

The leadership and team of governors were lambasted for not doing enough to take the school forward or to scrutinise performance.

Mr Cooke and head of governors John Gordon, as well as a parent action group, said they refute findings of the report and are making an official complaint against the Ofsted inspection.

Alison Alexander, director of children services at the Royal Borough, said: “We understand that parents may feel like they wish to keep their children away from school during this period of change.

“We would encourage those parents to speak to the interim head who will be able to discuss any concerns they have.

“Bisham CE Primary School has been judged as inadequate, requiring special measures by Ofsted and we are using our power of intervention to oversee the school improvement.

“An interim head is on site alongside local authority officers. They are committed to working with the school staff, governors and parents to drive forward standards of education.

“We are all committed to ensuring all children have access to high quality education.”