FROM the outside it appears Bicester Community College has been ripping itself apart since it fell into special measures.

The blame game is in full swing and it seems that murmurings we’ve heard for more than a year may have had substance to them.

It is a pity, perhaps, those whispering last year were not prepared to go on the record then and force various issues into the public arena so they could be exposed and tackled at an earlier opportunity.

But now this failing school must be fixed and that can only happen by stripping everything back to the bare bones.

And that cannot be compromised by protecting reputations or careers.

Bicester, a town of dynamic growth, cannot have half of its secondary school children being failed.

No-one – be they governor, teacher, local education official or parent – should obstruct Bicester Community College being put back on its feet.