The provost of King’s College, Ross Harrison, will be stepping down after five years in the position.

The announcement comes almost exactly a year after the Philosophy professor tried to resign over serious criticisms of King’s College School, of which Prof. Harrison is also provost.

The Cambridge-based prep school, which educates King’s College’s renowned choristers, was condemned for failing to carry out adequate checks on the criminal records of its teachers.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) paid a surprise visit to the school after complaints from parents, who pay up to £18,000 a year for children who board. The ISI criticised the school’s anti-bullying, discipline and child protection policies.

Prof. Harrison offered to step down as the chairman of the school’s governors after the report was received, but his request was rejected at a meeting of King’s College Fellows because of the connections between College and School.

Instead, a statement was issued to parents, in which Prof. Harrison admitted to the “deficiencies in some of our policies and procedures”, and vowed to try to “repair the damage”.

Speaking to Cambridge News, Mr Harrison insisted that his imminent departure is unrelated to last year’s controversy. He said: “I considered leaving early because of the school, but my departure this year is simply because I will have reached the end of my tenure.”

The College plans to elect a new provost by the end of this academic year, to take up the post from the beginning of 2012.

Prof. Harrison said: “It still seems a long time to me until I leave at the end of December and there are many things to be done before then in the college. However, filling these positions takes time and so the process has already started. Once it is completed, I look forward to working with my elected successor to ensure a smooth transition.”