OFSTED inspectors have carried out a two-day unannounced visit to West Somerset College after a Government appointed education chief called for a plan of action to improve this year's poor GCSE results.

Campaigners had called for the watchdog to be brought in after just 38 per cent of the 265 teenagers who took GCSEs gained five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths - below the 40 per cent target demanded as a national benchmark by education chiefs.

A team of five inspectors is understood to have arrived at the college without notice on Wednesday morning.

By midday parents had received text messages from the college inviting them to make their views known via Ofsted's Parent View website.

The inspection follows a visit made to the college a fortnight ago by newly appointed Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West Sir David Carter, whose responsibilities include monitoring the performance of academies and taking action against those seen to be under performing.

Minister of State for Schools David Laws said Sir David had asked the college to provide him with a clear plan setting out how it was going to ensure that results improved quickly and sustainably.

In a letter to Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset Justine Baker, Mr Laws said Sir David's visit had been aimed at better understanding what actions the headteacher and leadership team were taking to improve standards and to learn from this year's exam results.

Mr Laws said Sir David had arranged for an education advisor to visit the college shortly and that he would make a return visit "in the very near future" to check on the advisor's findings and to discuss the plan he had asked the college to draw up.

Mr Laws told Mrs Baker: "I appreciate and share your concerns about standards and educational performance at the academy.

"I can assure you that we will continue to monitor this situation very closely."

The backlash over the poor results saw concerned parents launch a petition - which secured 464 signatures - calling for college principal Gaynor Comber to resign and Ofsted to be brought in.

It also led to the setting up of the West Somerset GCSE Debate Campaign Group, which is continuing to keep up the pressure on the college, its board of governors and external education bodies.

Spokesman Becky Bevers told the Free Press yesterday (Thursday): "We welcome the visit by Ofsted as this is what the group has been campaigning for.

"Whilst we await the results of the inspection we will continue with our campaign to get answers from the college leadership team around the poor GCSE results, which as yet haven't materialised despite several requests."

The group is planning a peaceful protest in the college grounds on October 13 - the day of a scheduled governors meeting.

Around 25 parents attended a parents' forum meeting at the college on Tuesday evening, which was chaired by Mrs Comber and at which the GCSE results were raised.

Siobhan Hutchings, whose son started at the college in September, said she was disappointed by the meeting.

"I left feeling incredibly frustrated because nothing was really addressed," said Mrs Hutchings.

"We were told that the college had changed exam boards, that the results were unexpected and that lots of papers had been sent back to be remarked and some of those had been returned with higher grades.

"But when Mrs Comber was asked why the college had not released anything to counter the furore from parents, we were simply told that everything had to go before the governors and that would happen at the meeting on October 13.

"Parents said they wanted the college to answer their concerns now.

"I felt very angry as the meeting went on because nothing was truly being addressed."

Mrs Hutchings said she welcomed the Ofsted inspection.

"I am glad the inspectors have gone in and I will look forward to reading their report."

College governors told parents in a letter sent out in September that they expected Ofsted to visit shortly.

They have already admitted that they are gravely concerned at the college's apparent inability to improve student attainment at GCSE level and that the 2014 results were well below expectations.

In a letter this week to parent Lee Webb, a member of the West Somerset GCSE Debate Campaign Group, chairman of governors Martin McNeill defended the appointment of Mrs Comber, who became principal two years ago after eight years at the helm of Sir William Ramsay School in High Wycombe, which is also an academy.

Mr McNeill said the governors had gone through a very thorough process before appointing Mrs Comber, including appointing a professional firm of recruitment consultants to ensure a wide field of candidates were attracted.

He said that in addition to considering candidates' applications, the process also involved looking at other information that was publicly available.

In Mrs Comber's case this included an analysis of exam results at Sir William Ramsay and its most recent Ofsted reports.

The record of exam results showed that there had been a significant and lasting improvement in results during Mrs Comber's headship.

The percentage of students obtaining five or more A* to C grades at GCSE had risen from 38 per cent in 2004 - the year before she had joined the school - to 92 per cent in 2012.

Over the same period, the percentage of students gaining the five passes including English and maths rose from 23 per cent to 64 per cent.

Mr McNeill said the last three Ofsted inspections carried out at Sir William Ramsay had highlighted Mrs Comber's outstanding leadership and commitment to improving the achievement of students.