THE parents of hundreds of school pupils in Darlington can be forgiven for being confused.

In April, a pioneering project linking the failing Eastbourne Comprehensive with the successful Hurworth Comprehensive was hailed as a great success.

The "federation" between the two schools - the first of its kind in the country - had produced a significant improvement in Eastbourne's performance.

It was such an improvement that it was decided the federation, which was launched in July 2003 with the help of Government funding, should be brought to an end early.

Eastbourne's headteacher Karen Pemberton, along with Hurworth principal Dean Judson, were publicly praised by federation chief executive Eamon Farrar for their efforts in making the £2m initiative a triumph.

Less that a month later, the situation has changed drastically. Ms Pemberton has been suspended after a council audit revealed serious concerns about the management of Eastbourne school, and claims of high levels of bullying and truancy.

It begs the clear question: Why have such serious concerns only just emerged in the past three weeks when the federation has been in operation for nearly two years?

No doubt the on-going investigation by Darlington Borough Council will explain in due course how a public declaration of success could turn into such a mess so swiftly.

Given the public money involved, the high profile the federation has been given nationally, and the concerns generated by the council's intention to close one of Darlington's secondary schools, that explanation must be placed firmly in the public domain.