A RETIRED headteacher who was in charge of Dr Challoner's Grammar School during a child abuse scandal will not return to his posts on two Buckinghamshire County Council education committees.

John Loarridge, 73, stood down as Church of England representative on the council's life-long learning committee and its schools organisation committee at the beginning of the year.

His move followed an investigation which was set up to look at his handling of a child abuse case at Dr Challoner's 20 years ago.

The abuse case came to court last year and a former history teacher at Dr Challoner's, Richard Small, was jailed for four years for indecently assaulting three pupils from the school.

The investigation report, commissioned by Buckinghamshire County Council and published in April, criticised Mr Loarridge for a four-year delay in reporting allegations against Small to the council and police.

Now Mr Loarridge says he will not return to the county council posts. The Buckinghamshire County Council posts are in the gift of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education, which oversees 280 C of E schools in the diocese. Mr Loarridge is a member of the board.

The diocesan director of education, Leslie Stephen, is expected to issue a statement on July 6 to say that Mr Loarridge has had a difficult past few months.

But he will continue on the diocesan board of education. Mr Loarridge also stood down as governor of three private preperatory schools in the county, pending the outcome of the inquiry. St Mary's School in Gerrards Cross and The Beacon School, in Chesham Bois, have both invited him back.

He is negotiating with Chesham Prep School to resume as chairman of the school's governors. Marion Clayton, the county council's cabinet member for schools, said that the council had asked the Oxford diocese to look at its representation.

She said: "John chose to step down. We'd like to recognise all the hard work and commitment John has given to education over the years in Bucks."