YOUR secondary schools are in safe hands. That's the message to parents in Filton and Bradley Stoke from head teacher Dave Baker, who is running both Abbeywood and Bradley Stoke Community Schools.

Mr Baker, head of the successful Bradley Stoke school since it opened in 2005, was asked to step in at struggling Abbeywood when its head Ann Duff left suddenly less than a month into the school year.

He is now awaiting the arrival of Government inspectors who will decide whether the school is providing a satisfactory standard of education or requires special measures.

The watchdog Ofsted gave the school a notice to improve in October 2010, just after it had relaunched in £30-million new buildings that replaced the former Filton High School.

After six weeks in charge of both schools, Mr Baker says there are clear signs of improvement.

"There has been progress since the notice to improve was given. Things are moving in the right direction. It's a matter of whether they have moved far enough."

The 2011 exam results were not as good as the school had hoped and there is now a strong focus on targets for 2012.

The aim is for 53 per cent of students to achieve five or more GCSE passes at A* to C including English and maths and 70 per cent to gain at least five A*-C grades in any subject.

Mr Baker says "drastic action" will be taken if necessary, reducing students' timetables so they can reach the benchmark. He is also looking at medium and longer term measures to improve the performance of all groups of students.

If Ofsted puts the school into special measures, Education Secretary Michael Gove is likely to want to see the school turned into an academy.

Bradley Stoke Community School is becoming an academy under the new Olympus Academy Trust from January 2012.

There would be scope for other schools to convert and join the trust but Mr Baker insists his involvement in Abbeywood is not "academy by the back door".

"The governors are focused on the Ofsted outcome. We will look at future options after that," he said.

The schools already work together as members of the Concorde Partnership. Mr Baker said: "This is in part about cementing a partnership that is already there. I am determined this will provide opportunities for staff and students to interact much more between the organisations for mutual benefit."

Mr Baker's first few weeks have been spent trying to create stability at Abbeywood while reassuring parents and staff at Bradley Stoke that he is still very much in charge there too.

"I am in both schools every day," he said. "There are strong leadership arrangements in place at both schools."

Because the schools are close together, Mr Baker is already known to many students at Abbeywood.

"I think I came with a bit of Draconian reputation," he said.

"Students at Abbeywood were unsettled by the sudden changes. Some of them need to have a little more structure and we have been reminding them of expectations and establishing a zero tolerance culture.

"The vast majority of students want to please and to do well and have been responding very positively.

"Staff have been reassured by my presence and have been very positive. Parents have been very supportive and we are keen for them to share their concerns as well as hearing about what they think is going well.

"They have told us they would like more communication from the school, so we are starting regular newsletters."

Mr Baker acknowledges that some parents at Bradley Stoke have concerns about the arrangements but he points out that the sharing of information is not all one way and each school can learn from the other.

The dual role is a challenge, but one he is clearly enjoying.

"It is really interesting to see what works in one school and what works in another," he said.