Former head of Haringey children's services Sharon Shoesmith, sacked in the wake of the Baby P killing in the borough, is appealing against her dismissal. !7-month old Baby P died at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend, who were convicted of causing or allowing the boy's death and are awaiting sentencing. Baby P was on on the Haringey 'at risk' register but social workers allowed him to stay with his mother, being unaware of the presence in the house of her boyfriend and an associate. Haringey was also the scene of the shocking death of eight-year old Victoria Climbie in 2000 and all hell broke loose in the media when the Baby P verdicts were announced in court and the press were free to report the case. Children's secretary Ed Balls promptly intervened, commissioned a startlingly rapid inquiry and Shoesmith was sacked without compensation, to be replaced by Enfield director of children's services Peter Lewis on a salary of £200,000 plus. Shoesmith didn't help her case by refusing to apologise and repeatedly pointing out that inspection body Ofsted (who were fully aware of the pending Baby P trial) had given her department three stars in a recent review. Ofsted, trying desperately to protect its own back from the enraged and panicky Balls, promptly revised its opinion of Haringey, saying it hadn't been given all the facts. The appeal, if it goes ahead, will cast some fascinating light on what really went on in Haringey, how Ofsted carried out its duties and the regime and decision-making processes (do what the Sun newspaper suggests, some would say) in Ed Balls' department.