THE new headteacher of a Tufnell Park secondary school ordered to improve by Ofsted inspectors has explained that staff were asked to reapply for their jobs so he could set up a leadership team which was “fit for purpose”.

Nicholas John begins his first term as head at Acland Burghley School next month with the challenge of lifting it out of Ofsted’s “requires im­provement” category of schools.

Historically a popular choice and highly-regarded, the school in Burghley Road has had a turbulent two years in which it was downgraded amid concerns about gaps in student progress and pupil behaviour. Oversubscribed 10 years ago, it still has year seven places available for the new term.

In a round of interviews with the local press on Tuesday, the New Journal asked Mr John whether some staff who reapplied for their jobs had been unsuccessful.

“Yes,” he said. “Every school is reorganised from time to time. The new team is really fit for purpose to address the issues that Ofsted has identified, bringing in external improvement experience, which I think will be helpful at this stage, and a really good understanding of the context of the school and some of its history.”

Mr John, who has taught in schools in Norfolk and east London, said: “My sense from the staff now is that they are really positive and looking forward to the new term, and there is a huge amount of enthusiasm.”

He has set up a management team which includes a focused “director of learning” for different key areas, and has recruited Paul Newbury, former head of music at Camden School for Girls, as his No 2.

Mr John said: “The opportunity arose for me to develop a leadership team that was able to meet the requirements of the school as it goes forward, and the team is predicated on student progress.”

He thanked Sue Higgins, headteacher at nearby Parliament Hill School who ran Acland Burghley as it searched for a new head, a process hampered by a candidate walking away after initially accepting the job.

Ofsted’s follow-up visits found the school was not improving fast enough at first, but then saw signs of improvement at a later stage.

Some parents who contacted the New Journal felt the speedy downgrading of Acland Burghley had been unfair, but Mr John said he was not a critic of Ofsted and was happy to listen to its verdict.

“I very much welcome Ofsted in to look at what we do and so we can explain how we can go forward, that we’ve got fuel in the tank and the right capacity to im­prove,” he said. “I value Ofsted’s values, if you like, that all children should have the same entitlement to education.”