THE head of the Chase school in Malvern, Richard Jacobs, has been placed on special leave.

A letter issued to all parents and carers and uploaded to the school's website this afternoon says that the current deputy head, Mike Fieldhouse, has agreed to take over as acting head.

The letter is signed by Matt May, chairman of the school's board of governors.

Mr Jacobs warned staff and parents last week that at least 15 teachers would have to be made redundant this year, in response to the falling numbers of pupils entering the school.

The latest redundancies follow two previous rounds of job losses, which saw 25 teaching and support roles go.

Mr May's letter says: "With Richard Jacobs on special leave, the governors of the Chase can reassure you that the current deputy headteacher, Mike Fieldhouse, has agreed to step up to the position of acting headteacher.

"Mr Fieldhouse is highly respected by the staff, students and wider community and the governors have absolute confidence in the ability of his experienced leadership team to cover this difficult time."

The letter makes no mention of the reason for Mr Jacobs's absence on leave.

One parent contacted the Worcester News, saying that concerns about the situation at the school had been rising amongst staff and parents for some time.

The Worcester News has attempted to contact both the school and Mr May for comment.