A RAMSBOTTOM woman who took over as head of the "worst school in Britain" has been awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours List for her services to education.

Mrs Anna White (45) of Chatterton, Stubbins, took charge at the beleaguered Ridings School in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1996 and turned it round.

The school hit the national newspaper headlines. It had been closed for two days in the previous month after the head teacher resigned and the local education authority feared that control of pupil behaviour and discipline at the school had been lost.

An Ofsted set for later in the year was brought forward, which the school failed, and Mrs White arrived from her post as deputy head at Todmorden High to guide the school out of an academic maelstrom.

She began her teaching career at Broad Oak in Bury in 1980 but left the area in 1985 to further her career.

In 1996 while at Todmorden she was approached by Calderdale MBC about taking on the headship at the Ridings.

She said: "I was honoured and flattered but asked for 24 hours to think it over and talk to my husband who was away in Venice running a marathon."

Husband Mr Nigel Jepson, head teacher at Haslingden High School, encouraged her to "go for it".

Mrs White continued: "I made my mind up to take it on. I was delighted to be given the chance and to be asked to go in and help."

Headships are usually offered with three months' notice but Mrs White was installed at only four days' notice.

"It was very dramatic," she recalled. "I had very little time to think."

From the outset she considered her appointment in a positive manner.

For this reason and on account of her hard work and that of her fellow staff members, the school's results since then have been superlative.

"The problems at the school had been blown out of all proportion but we were placed under a special measures regime as a failing school."

Over the next 24 months officials from Her Majesty's Inspectorate visited the school on no fewer than 14 occasions on behalf of Ofsted.

But Mrs White said proudly: "We came out of special measures in October 1998 and were the fastest school in the country to do so.

"For a school that was regarded as the worst in Britain that is a superb achievement. It is remarkable, the result of a lot of hard work.

"We will continue with that to improve attendance, exam results, ethos and motivation at the school before and then on beyond our next Ofsted inspection in October."

She added: "I am not sure when I am going to Buckingham Palace but I think it will be sometime in the summer."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.