The headteacher of a school with controversial rules is to step down midway through the year to be closer to his family, he has announced.

Brakenhale School headteacher Bhavin Tailor announced he would leave in February next year, in a letter to parents on Thursday, December 14. Mr Tailor said he had made the decision due to his commute from London and because of personal circumstances.

It comes three months after a string of complaints from parents of Brakenhale pupils about strict behaviour rules that led some to liken the school to a “military camp.”

In his letter to parents Mr Tailor said: “With a heavy heart, I will be stepping down as headteacher of our great school.

“This is not a decision I have taken lightly. However, it is a decision I have come to due to my commute from west London and some personal circumstances. This will mean that I will be able to be closer to family, including those up north in Bolton.”

READ MORE: Complaints of ‘military camp’ rules at Brakenhale School

Mr Tailor began as Brakenhale School’s headteacher in September 2021. His time at the school has been punctuated with parents’ and pupils’ claims that rules were needlessly strict.

In January 2022 parents complained that pupils were barred from going to the toilet during lessons and made to line up several times a day.

In September this year pupils were told they must not remove their school blazers, even in 30 degree heat. The pupils also found that their lunch break had been shortened to 25 minutes, leaving them little time to eat.

And there were reports of new Year 7 pupils frightened and in tears over the threat of detentions for minor infractions such as wearing the wrong colour socks.

Some pupils also told the News they had been threatened with punishment for raising concerns about a photograph appearing to show assistant head Philip McKane in 'blackface' fancy dress.

READ MORE: Brakenhale School refuses to deny ‘blackface’ allegations

Yet complaints began before Mr Tailor’s time as headteacher. Brakenhale School was forced to drop a ban on facial hair after complaints in November 2019. And there was a petition against the school uniform policy in July 2021.

Some parents said they liked Mr Tailor despite opposing the strict rules. One, Keron Porter, pinned the blame on the Greenshaw Learning Trust, which runs Brakenhale.

He said: “He’s always come across to me like a very nice man. It’s not down to the headteacher – it’s down to Greenshaw Trust. That’s where the buck stops.”

But another parent Natalie Kerrison said she hoped the rules would change after Mr Tailor left. She said: “One of my children says they’re over the moon. Hopefully things will get better for them.”

The Greenshaw Learning Trust declined to comment on Mr Tailor’s resignation or the school’s behaviour policy.