Ref. 11164-63ANDREW Nye has resigned as headteacher of Seven Fields Primary amid rumours that the school is set to be placed on special measures.

An Ofsted report - which has not yet been made public - is expected to be highly critical of the Penhill school.

Mr Nye worked at the school, which has 305 pupils, for 21 years.

The news has surprised and saddened Swindon education chiefs as Mr Nye played a key role in helping to reverse the town's failing fortunes in education.

As chairman of the Swindon Association of Primary Heads (SAPH), he was drafted in to help during the chaos of 2001, when the council failed its own Ofsted inspection.

His role in helping to start the Educational Partnership Board, which was set up to improve standards, has been described as invaluable.

Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms), the authority's lead member for education, said: "I am very shocked. He will be sorely missed by pupils and parents in Penhill.

"He was instrumental in setting up the Educational Partnership Board, which has been the salvation of schools in Swindon.

"I understand the Ofsted report wasn't as good as he had hoped, and he has obviously taken this to heart.

"His decision is extremely courageous."

Michael Keeling, the current chairman of SAPH, tried to get Mr Nye to stay.

He said: "Andrew was a man who had enormous vision for education in Swindon.

"He had a great knowledge and understanding of the big issues affecting schools, and did a great job of representing the town's primary heads."

No-one from Sevenfields School was available to comment.

l The school's last Ofsted report, in 1999, praised governors and staff, despite finding below average exam results.

Seven Fields was in the lowest five per cent nationally for English, while results for maths and science were also poor.

But inspectors said the school which also has a nursery and takes children from three to 11 suffered because of a high proportion of pupils with poor abilities.

Teaching standards were high, and the school was said to be making progress.

League table results for Key Stage Two exams released in December were poor, but showed an improvement on the previous year.

They also showed that nearly a third of pupils have special needs, and the truancy rate is above average.

What are special measures?

Schools are placed on special measures when Ofsted inspectors find that they are failing, or likely to fail, to provide pupils with an acceptable standard of education.

The Education Act 2000 says local education authorities can intervene to turn failing schools around. In addition, governing bodies can be replaced with an interim executive board, a partnership can be set up with another school, where staff and facilities are shared, or a private company can be brought in to run the school.

There are currently three Swindon schools in special measures:

Holy Family Catholic Primary School (inspected January 2004)

Freshbrook Primary School (inspected May 2003)

Headlands (inspected October 2002)

King William Street Primary, Hreod Parkway and Churchfields schools have all previously been in special measures but have all been deemed to have improved.

Tamash Lal