Matthew Slater, the headteacher of Kantor King Solomon High School in Redbridge, has left the school after an absence of seven months.

Parents were told that he had decided to go for “personal reasons” in a letter from the chairmen of the governors, Stephanie Sollosi and Richard Burack.

It gave no other detail and offered no comment on Mr Slater’s contribution to the school, which he joined as head teacher in 2015.

But the governors passed on his thanks to “all the KKSHS staff, parents, carers and students for making his time at the school so enjoyable and for the roles they all played in making KKSHS the fabulous and warm school it is today”.

Despite his prolonged absence, the school had continued to thrive under the care of interim head Hannele Reece and the rest of the school leaders and staff, the governors said.

“At this critical time of year, with many students about to take important public examinations, we remain assured that, thanks to the experienced, committed and hard-working leadership and staff, all our students have been able to enjoy a stable, calm and productive learning environment this academic year,” they said.

Mr Slater arrived after a period of uncertainty at the top of the school. In 2014 the headteacher Jo Shuter was forced to leave after only a year after being banned from teaching because of financial allegations relating to a previous school. KKSHS was run by a temporary head for a year.

In 2016, the year after Mr Slater’s appointment, it received a good Ofsted report.