The chair of schools inspector Ofsted has stepped down from his post weeks after being criticised for referring to the Isle of Wight as a "ghetto".
David Hoare told an education conference earlier this month that the island suffered from a "mass" of crime, drug and unemployment problems.
And, in an interview with the Times Educational Supplement, he said of the Isle of Wight: “They think of it as holiday land. But it is shocking. It’s a ghetto. There has been inbreeding.”
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Hoare later apologised for the remarks, and said he had been trying to highlight his concerns "about the unacceptably poor performance of schools on the Isle of Wight over many years".
But the comments sparked fury from local representatives, with the island's Conservative MP, Andrew Turner, saying he was "appalled", and the Isle of Wight council branding the remarks "truly offensive".
In a statement released by Ofsted on Tuesday, Hoare said: “I have today informed the secretary of state that I will be resigning from my position as chair with immediate effect.
He added: “It has been a great privilege to chair the Ofsted board for the past two years. I am pleased that the organisation now has an excellent board in place with expertise across all of our remit areas, including early years and further education."
Senior non-executive board member James Kempton will step into the role vacated by Hoare while a hunt gets underway for a permanent successor.
Ofsted's chief executive Sir Michael Wilshaw is due to step down in the new year when his term comes to an end. He will be replaced by education secretary Nicky Morgan's choice, Amanda Spielman.