An honest bureaucrat in Britain

The chairman of the schools watchdog has finally quit today after he described the Isle of Wight as an inbred, poor, white, crime-filled ghetto.

Ofsted chief David Hoare said the island's school results – among the worst in the country – may be linked to its social problems.

While many go there for 'champagne' holidays, the way ordinary islanders lived was 'shocking', he said, with ghettos 'within inches' of sailing clubs for the rich.

Three weeks after the comments he finally resigned and informed Education Secretary Justine Greening he would quit with immediate effect. 

The former banker apologised three weeks ago after his views were branded ill-judged and insulting, saying he was merely highlighting the problem of low educational standards in coastal towns.

But it appears that this was not enough and he has fallen on his sword.

Mr Hoare made the controversial comments during a speech to teachers at the Teach First conference in Leeds, the Times Educational Supplement reported.

The management consultant, who has a home just across the Solent, said his dinner party guests think of the Isle of Wight as a 'holiday land'. He added: 'But it is shocking. It's a ghetto; there has been inbreeding. There is a mass of crime, drug problems, huge unemployment.'

The Isle of Wight was the second worst local authority when it comes to secondary education and the third worst when it comes to primary education, he said.

But Isle of Wight Council leader Jonathan Bacon said Mr Hoare's comments were an 'insult to the proud and hardworking community'.

'They are ridiculous and disclose a complete lack of knowledge of the Isle of Wight and its education system,' he said.

Mr Bacon said he would complain to Education Secretary Justine Greening.

Out of the 69, 972 households on the Isle of Wight - 4,000 of these are home to single-parent families. Almost two in five of these parents are not in full-time employment.

The island has one area, the ward of Ryde North East, that is listed in the top 10 per cent of the most deprived areas of Britain for a number of concerning factors. It is listed in the most deprived 10 per cent for its crime, income, education and living environment.

SOURCE