Clive Frost was given the unenviable task of stopping the rot at a failing Sussex school.
When he took over as acting head of East Brighton College of Media Arts, there was a never-ending catalogue of problems to overcome.
They included poor attendance levels, unsatisfactory teaching, bullying, truancy, low staff morale and below average achievement in core subjects.
The task of turning the school around proved too much for one "superhead" who left after just two terms.
Mr Frost stepped into the breach as a temporary leader, and by all accounts he has done well to introduce a series of improvements over the past eight months.
Inspectors from Ofsted have noted higher standards in teaching, and pupil behaviour is slowly getting better.
As Mr Frost prepares to hand over the reins he can feel pleased by the fact that he has managed to stabilise the school.
But by his own admission there is still work to be done, especially in the fields of attendance levels and punctuality.
So a silver star for Mr Frost. Let's all hope his successor gets a gold.
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