martonschool.myfreeforum.org

disillusionedteacher · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 24

I have already posted this on the Governors board, but it is also relevant to this thread, so I make no apologies for posting it here too:

I am a teacher at Marton Primary School. I am remaining anonymous because I dare not give my name.

I am shocked and horrified by the behaviour of Mike Turner, the Chair of Governors. In my opinion, he is not fit to be on the governing body, and certainly not fit to be Chair of Governors. He seems to be under the false illusion that he, and he alone, is responsible for the running of the school. He is NOT fulfilling the role of Chair, but seems to have gone power mad.
The rude, unprofessional and possibly slanderous comments he made, during a school staff meeting, about a local councillor (one from his own Lib dem party, incidentally) were disgraceful, as were other comments he made about the impending grievance against Mrs Coupe. His actions are totally inappropriate. This is not just my view, but the opinion of many other members of staff, who are also frightened to speak up.

Marton School is in a terrible mess. Mr Turner is compounding the problems with his bombastic and unprofessional behaviour.

martonteacher · Fledgling Poster Joined: 07 Feb 2006 Posts: 2

I too am now speaking up. Mr Turner has rightly been criticised for his words and actions. However the previous evening Mr Turner had been seen entering school. The content of the meeting clearly had the full support of Mrs Coupe. She is the person pulling the strings and determining what happens. Everyone must be aware of this. Mr Turner is obviously out of his depth and is being manipulated.

Michael Shore · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 15

Congratulations to Mr Turner, for once again encouraging more users to get involved in the debate.
He has single-handedly made this forum even more popular than anyone could have hoped.
If what has been reported on these pages is true, namely that the Headteacher has been charged with a grievance, why is he discussing it in front of staff? Surely she must be innocent until proven guilty! It also makes things clearer as to why the school is in such a mess.
Anyone prepared to tell us what Mr Turner said about Mr Bamborough? Or is it really too crude and offensive?
I will be expecting a letter to come home with my child over the next week or so to put Mr Turners lob-sided view forward, as he always seems to rise.
Now then, where did I put my fishing rod?

disillusionedteacher · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 24

I will tell you exactly what Mr Turner called Jon Banborough:

"A brainless (or braindead) idiot."

If I were Mr Bamborough I would be looking into taking legal action against Mr Turner for that slanderous comment. To make a comment like this in a private conversation is one thing, to make it in a meeting with all school staff (a meeting held about a totally different matter) is disgusting.

HM · Something to Say Joined: 16 Oct 2005 Posts: 48

This is actually more serious than I, and no doubt others, thought. The allegation made by Mr Turner of a grievance procedure surely needs investigating. But by whom? If it IS true then he certainly should not have been speaking about it - aren't such things confidential? Also when did this grievance start ? It must have been before the suspension because I wouldn't have thought anyone could start a grievance against school when they are on suspension. In which case was Mrs Alderson suspended BECAUSE of the grievance?
Doesn't it now become a legal matter ? An employee surely can't be suspended because they have taken out a grievance against their employer ? Any tribunal or court would never accept this as a legitimate reason.
Mr Lund must have known about all of this all along. How has it been allowed to continue - he MUST know that the authority can never win such a case in court ? Or is he hoping, as has often been stated on this website about the Action Group, that Mrs Alderson will just give up and go away. In this context the length of time for things getting sorted is beginning to make sense.
I just hope that more parents are reading this forum now so that they can get some insight on what is really going on behind the scenes. No wonder Mrs Coupe and Mr Lund wanted this site closing. The last thing they must have wanted was such an embarrassing disclosure by the Chair of Governors being brought to public attention.

Archangel · Fledgling Poster Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 4

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

I should be grateful to Mr Turner for prompting this debate. We are now finally seeing some genuine reaction from some of the “happy staff” that we have so often been told about by Mrs Coupe and her champion toady! I may mock, but things could not be more serious. To have teachers posting on here under the pseudonym of “disillusioned” is an extremely sad reflection of what the staff at Marton School are having to suffer on a daily basis.

I will re-iterate a point that I made in an earlier posting – that it was the teaching staff that first brought my attention to what was happening inside school. It doesn’t matter about the numbers – two or twenty – but it DOES matter to me that people who have such a responsibility for developing my children’s future are having to endure such a corrupt line management.

You may recall the incident with the supply teacher last year – caught viewing pornography on a school computer. The outside world (including parents) only got to know about it through this discussion forum. Would you believe that both Mike Turner and David Lund have both been adamant in recent statements that the supply teacher had brought in his own disc, and was NOT using the internet? Now – neither of these gentlemen was a party to this incident, so they can only give such a statement based on what they have been told. The Action Group have documentary evidence from three different witnesses that the teacher was accessing the internet, even to stating which web-sites he was on! Ruth Coupe was the only other party to that incident who knew the truth – so I leave it to you to work out how Messrs Turner and Lund got their story wrong. “Marton Teacher” got it exactly right in their posting above – these gentlemen are being lied to and manipulated by an expert.

There are other teaching staff out there who know a lot more. I would urge them to re-think this whole thing, to remember that this is still a free country, that you cannot be harmed for speaking the truth, and to know that Mr Bamborough is an independent figure. He wants to get to the truth of the matter without the influence of people like Turner and Lund. I would particularly urge Val Brookes and Kathryn Bastow to speak to him, and to give your honest appraisal on the current administration at Marton Primary School.

Alan Veale

jonbamboro · Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:16 pm Post subject:

Firstly, I would like to thank all those of you who have been in touch with me over recent events. If I haven't already replied to you it is probably because I am trying to get some info. However, I have had a lot of mail so please bear with me. The staff at Marton School are under a lot of pressure at the moment and I really don't want to add to that. However, my invitation for an in confidence chat still remains. I for one am big enough and idiotic??? enough to withstand any bullying attempts. I have no intention of taking everything said on this bulletin board at face value, however, I have to say that I am finding much more truth than fiction!
Keep up the debate, but please bear in mind that this is a PUBLIC forum. It doesn't do anyone any good to throw insults around, wether they are aimed at the Head, Chair of Gov, the Action group,Dir of EDU or even me!!!

Cllr. Jon Bamborough
education@anchorsholme.com

Lisa · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 69

I would like to state that I have seen a letter that Mr Lund sent to a parent last year that confirms he knew full well the circumstances that took place regarding the viewing of pornography in the school.
However, another incident occurred within the last couple of weeks and I am not sure whether this has been reported outside of the school, but I have been told that the Head is aware of the situation.
Parents who still have children at Marton please take notice of this. My friends have removed their children from the school for much less than this. My friends have written to Mike Turner and Ruth Coupe and they have totally ignored their complaints.
If there are any governors reading this please take action!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone has any doubt about this being true then ask the teachers, ask Mrs Coupe ask - you are entitled to know the truth.
_________________
Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.

Albert Einstein

R. Thornton · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 99

It is interesting that the above points have been raised once again. Many times on this forum and in letters to school and the authority, questions have been asked about the security of the school system (and therefore the authority's network) and NEVER has a response been received. We have seen that Mr Hill used a child's photograph on an adult site and we do not know whether or not he has other contact pages - it does not appear to have been investigated.

If you have access to last week's Times Educational Supplement I urge you to read the front page. In the government's own research into children accessing pornographic websites it is in Year 6 where it is most common - NOT in high school. The school CANNOT be complacent, and ignore our requests for reassurance that every effort is being made to protect the children at Marton.

WORRIED TA · Fledgling Poster Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 3

I am new to this site, I have followed the postings as an observer only, but I feel the time has come to speak out about the unacceptable situation at Marton.

It used to be a wonderful place to work, in fact most of the staff didn't think of it as work, it was school, silly, but we went to school not work. Sadly this is no longer the case, so much has happened over the last 17 months it is hard to remember what school life was like before Mrs. Coupe.

I have seen well respected teachers and teaching assistants leave or go off sick due to stress.

I have seen well over 60 children taken out of the school by caring parents not willing to jeopardise their children's educations. Several of these children are school staff's children.

I have seen a fantastic teacher and friend suspended without any charges being brought against her. Just 2 weeks after putting in a grievance against Mrs. Coupe.

I have seen staff moral plummet to record lows, we have been threatened on numerous occasions with our jobs, jibes such as remember Mrs. Alderson and remember Mrs. Connor ( a SSA who stood up to Mrs. Coupe and took her children out of Marton only to find she was then moved from Marton.)

No one can do anything about what is happening because the rot sinks to deep, my hope now is that the action groups efforts to get the DFES interested works and that an independent investigation will show the true state of Marton Primary School.

BBCCSA · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:16 am Post subject: Re: Working at Marton

mary · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 81

Worried TA, we CAN do something about it. It's what many people are already doing - speaking up and sticking together. That's how things begin to change.

There are many incidents in history where this has happened - gradually people have realised the truth, and begun to work together. Remember, there is strengh in numbers.

Stick with it - believe in yourself and your feelings. The truth WILL eventually come out.
_________________
EVENTUALLY THE TRUTH WILL OUT, JUSTICE WILL BE DONE.

WAYNE HEYS · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject:

Worried TA, I can only assure you that the Action Group(not to be mixed up with "a vindictive minority") are and will continue to try and get Marton School back to where it was some 18 months or so ago.
There are more staff now posting on here which quite clearly demonstrates that they are not happy at work.The Marton pack of cards will eventually collapse but it takes time as there are so many areas which need to be addressed.
From the outset the Action Group has shown that irrespective of how many doors are shut in our face,we will strive to find the truth,we will not go away,and we will act upon information we have which has been validated.Many rumours have been spread regarding Mrs Alderson,s suspension,I wonder who the author of these rumours where, the LEA must have a very weak case if 8 months after the initial suspension,the cannot see fit to charge here with anything specific,
Mr Lund has gone quiet,Mrs Coupe has kept her silence and now Mr Turner has become the mudslinger at regular opportuniteis,its just a pity as head of the Governors, that he does not spend as much time and energy dealing with complaints of the Action GROUP. to allegedly call an elected councillor a the names that he did,shows me that he is sadly lacking in behavoural skills and questions should be asked as to whether or not he is the right person to hold the position that he currently holds !!
,SO , strength in numbers,be brave enogh to post your opinion's and as far as disciplinary action ............its laughable !!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAYNE HEYS · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:19 pm Post subject:

Worried TA, I can only assure you that the Action Group(not to be mixed up with "a vindictive minority") are and will continue to try and get Marton School back to where it was some 18 months or so ago.
There are more staff now posting on here which quite clearly demonstrates that they are not happy at work.The Marton pack of cards will eventually collapse but it takes time as there are so many areas which need to be addressed.
From the outset the Action Group has shown that irrespective of how many doors are shut in our face,we will strive to find the truth,we will not go away,and we will act upon information we have which has been validated.Many rumours have been spread regarding Mrs Alderson,s suspension,I wonder who the author of these rumours where, the LEA must have a very weak case if 8 months after the initial suspension,the cannot see fit to charge here with anything specific,
Mr Lund has gone quiet,Mrs Coupe has kept her silence and now Mr Turner has become the mudslinger at regular opportuniteis,its just a pity as head of the Governors, that he does not spend as much time and energy dealing with complaints of the Action GROUP. to allegedly call an elected councillor a the names that he did,shows me that he is sadly lacking in behavoural skills and questions should be asked as to whether or not he is the right person to hold the position that he currently holds !!
,SO , strength in numbers,be brave enogh to post your opinion's and as far as disciplinary action ............its laughable !!!!!!!!!!!!!