MAUREEN Strudwick may have been passed over for the headship by the new bosses taking control of Thomas Clarkson Community College but so has everyone else who applied.

It was revealed today that the head the Brooke Weston organisation wanted for the job has either been mysteriously rejected by them or has turned down the post which will now be re-advertised.

Sir Peter Simpson, executive principal of Northamptonshire based Brooke Weston, will now assume day to day running of the school in conjunction with two senior colleagues.

Of the failure to appoint a head he said “the decision has been taken not to make an appointment at this stage, but to advertise again in the hope of attracting a candidate who is an exact match for the challenges facing the school.”

In a letter to staff he said that “in the interim, once the school becomes an academy, the duties of the principal will be assumed by experienced and senior people from within the Brooke Weston organisation.”

In addition to himself these will include Miss Trish Stringer, principal of Brooke Weston Academy and Dr Andrew Campbell, executive vice principal.

“Working together they will take over the management of the school and the expectation is that Miss Stringer will take the leading role,” said Sir Peter.

Last month it was revealed that Ms Strudwick has lost out on her bid to become head of the Wisbech school once it acquires academy status.

She made the short list but Sir Peter revealed that subject to only “final due diligence” the name of the head picked from a shortlist of 16 and later whittled down to four and who was due to take over at Easter was to be announced shortly.

Sir Peter was emphatic that the school’s new bosses were placing on record “the very significant achievement of Maureen Strudwick and her staff”.

Ultimately though their concern was for the future “and to us that future seems to be better served under new leadership.”