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Ben Ticehurst talks about St John Fisher school
Ben Ticehurst took over as interim director of education at Peterborough City Council in November 2007.
Ben Ticehurst took over as interim director of education at Peterborough City Council in November 2007.Within months he was made aware of the concerns regarding St John Fisher school.
Despite the new dawn, Mr Ticehurst admits being concerned at the length of time it took to address the issue.
He said: "We started our intervention in February.
"We acted as early as we could starting with the warning notice.
"The school appealed. Ofsted backed us. And then there was more procedural to-ing and fro-ing before an Ofsted inspection and a subsequent report five weeks later.
"Then there was another delay when we asked the education department for permission to set up the IEB. It has taken six months.
"When you consider that the initial concerns were about the safety of pupils who were being bullied, I think it is worrying that it has taken so long for the local authority and diocese to be able to take any action."
Mr Ticehurst was also critical of the previous regime, lead by former head Mary Mihovilovic.
He said: "It's unusual for a head teacher and a governing body to be as unco-operative as it has been in this case. Their focus has been to prove everything that has been said wrong.
"But time and again we have been proved right.
"That characterised the regime at the school – it was a closed, isolated, inward-looking community."
Today, Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said he shared Mr Ticehurst's concern and would be raising the issue in Parliament next week to try and ensure councils would not have to wait that long in future.
He said: "I will be telling ministers that the current legislation does not allow the local authority to have the power to deal with failing schools.
"I think in this case the city council has done everything it can within the law to try and resolve the issue.
"It should never have got to this stage, and I will be asking why the city council had to wait months and months before it had power."
Mr Jackson said that the nature of the problems that had been raised should have meant that action was taken almost immediately.
He said: "After the Ofsted report was published more drastic action should have been taken.
"It is a very poor reflection of the Department for Children, Schools and Families, rather than Peterborough City Council."
Special Report: Damning Ofsted report for St John Fisher School
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