martonschool.myfreeforum.org

Visitor · Fledgling Poster Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 2

Why has the issue of the Chair of Governors gone so quiet ?

He carried out that appalling attack on a councillor in front of the staff, threatening them not to talk to him and breached confidentiality just before the greivance hearing.

Then he sent out a stupid letter in which he either got all his information wrong or didn't in fact know the facts properly in the first place. It was obvious children were getting round any safety measures by Blackpool or Lancashire on the computers.

Then I find out that the IT people were in school for 2 whole days last week checking computers. But didn't Turner say that the msag had worried and upset parents needlessly and they should apologise for in effect scaremongering ? He obviously hadn't told the authority this because they were worried enough to come into school. He hasn't sent a letter home apologising for his mistake either which I also think is awful.

The governmors should have suspended him. They have the right :

The grounds for suspension are:

the governor has acted in a way that is inconsistent with the school's ethos or religious character and has brought or is likely to bring the governing body or his office as a governor into disrepute;

the governor is in breach of his duty of confidentiality to the school or to the staff or to the pupils and unreasonable behaviour cannot be tolerated.

So it seems to me that it is not only Mr Turner parents should be worried about but the whole governing body. What on earth has happened at Marton that we have ended up with such a corrupt group of people in charge ?

Does anyone know if there is anything parents can do ? Writing to our MP and councillor yes, but that hasn't got very far.

Alan Veale · Master of Posters Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 118

Hallo “Visitor” and welcome!

Yes – Mr Turner has finally jumped off his podium and hidden behind the skirts of his mistress. She has also done her usual trick of pretending that problems regarding the administration of her school simply do not exist. If they do – then it’s something that Progress House can sort out. As for the LEA – well it was never their fault in the first place, was it?

So – all is quiet. But is it? Well – it may be to the majority of us, but to those of us who have been actively pursuing the authorities to get their acts together, there are several things going off that are not necessarily up to us to report back.

Let me set out a few scenarios: - You refer to the Board of Governors and the recent interest in school computers. I CAN tell you that the Action Group alerted the Governors to discrepancies in declared IT policies affecting the school, as stated by the school, and as stated by the LEA. We also (again) pointed out that recent events had proved the computers were not adequately protected from being connected to hard-core pornographic sites. That resulted in the visit from the IT people that you refer to, and their final acceptance that there was indeed insufficient protection from pornography. Basically, the Governing body (like most of us) have been kept completely in the dark about some very important issues affecting the children. Why? Because between them, the Head Teacher and the Chairman of Governors had chosen not to tell them. So yes, I agree that there is ample reason for the Board of Governors to suspend the Chair. Between you and me and the rest of the www – there are already at least two official complaints being referred about the behaviour of Mr Turner. No wonder he’s gone quiet!

Then there are issues regarding the number of children removed from the school that the LEA have tried to play down. The Action Group have proved that the LEA records are inaccurate, and one has to question whether this is deliberate falsification, or merely incompetence.

Finally, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the finance for the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) which was promised in 2003. What happened to it? Why did Mrs Coupe tell OFSTED (in March 2005) that this was part of the planned investment for the school – and yet appear to have done nothing whatsoever to ensure that the project commenced (as planned) in November 2004?

We have more. And I promise there will be further information made available to the general public in the very near future. Alas – none of it is good news for the school. But I feel it is important that (where practical) everyone should be made aware of the maladministration currently persisting in the hands of the Head Teacher, the Chairman of Governors, and the Local Education Authority. Together they should hang their heads in shame – but watch for the next public outcry from “a spokesperson”, claiming that the Action Group are making “defamatory remarks”. Twice now we have been threatened with legal action by the LEA – but nothing as yet has materialised. Strangely – the boot could be on the other foot…

Alan Veale