martonschool.myfreeforum.org

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

An “independent” investigation by Council officers has been under way now for at least three months – its purpose: on the surface, it is supposed to find out WHO despatched copies of a confidential file to the media. In reality, the Council seem more concerned to find out WHO has been allowing sensitive material to be leaked to outsiders – not necessarily the same target! In theory, this investigation, if conducted properly, should have been concluded at least a month ago – but it seems to be edging ever closer to the summer holidays, and hasn’t even started to touch areas that most of us would consider as a higher priority. I wonder if anyone in Blackpool Council has switched on to how bad things are likely to get in September, if the present situation is allowed to continue? Thanks to Jackie, we now know that the expected intake is down to 31. We only have to go back a very few years to a time when the intake was 70 – but that was in Mrs Lancaster’s day. And it was only last year that one Council officer was rumoured to have been caught out trying to “doctor” the figures for the number of children who had been removed from the school… So – WHO can we trust?

I feel it is only fair that the investigation should now be given some urgency, and that it is seen to be thorough, with a result that is made available to all interested parties. Yesterday I sent a letter to the Chief Executive of Blackpool Council to remind him that time is running out. But in view of today’s postal strike, the letter is reproduced below to allow Mr Weaver (and all interested parties) the opportunity to read it on the day it was intended to reach him:

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

28 June 2007

Dear Mr Weaver

I wrote to you on 28 March 2007 regarding a leaked disciplinary file, and you acknowledged receipt on 13 April.

This letter is to ask you to note my position following what appears to have been four months of relatively little progress since you were made aware of the unauthorised disclosure of that document.

I am aware that an “independent” investigator is still conducting enquiries of persons who may have had some connection with the file in question, but I note that at no time has there been any approach made to myself, Mrs Jane Veale or the neighbour who received the various packages. Bearing in mind the serious nature of this incident, I am appalled by the way in which the Authority has conducted this investigation to date. I am also bound to say that I am aware that Mr Lund and his associates have not drawn the line at making random accusations in my own direction, while (to date) failing to make any official enquiries whatsoever into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the packages containing the document in question.

You should be aware that, following my receipt of a copy of the file, I have since had the opportunity to discuss its contents with some of the parties involved. You will also be aware that I have long held the view that Mrs Coupe’s administration is both ineffective and detrimental to the future of Marton Primary School, and so I was glad of the opportunity to query the claims made by Mrs Coupe within the said document. I have to say that the parties I have spoken to have been able to provide me with an altogether different picture of the circumstances leading to the disciplinary action. Having said that, with respect to the aforementioned investigation, I have continued to keep silent about the details I was given.

I would contend that this present “investigation” has little prospect of being brought to a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned without your personal and immediate intervention. Can you therefore provide me with your personal reassurance that this investigation has a specific time limit, is being conducted independently by a person with no direct connection to any of the parties affected, and that ALL of those parties (including myself) will have an opportunity to provide a statement as part of that investigation? Without that reassurance, I shall no longer feel obliged to keep confidential those details provided to me by the persons referred to above.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Alan Veale

jonbamboro · Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:17 am Post subject: Who Knows!!

I too contacted Steve Weaver last week to ask what had happened to this "investigation". I asked Mr Weaver to intervene in this 4 months ago and progress has been extremely slow to say the least.

I have given the Marton situation a lot of thought over the weekend and have reached some conclusions. The main conlclusion is that I believe, very firmly, that there has been an attempt at a cover-up by the LEA, school staff, officers of the Council and indeed even Councillors. I do not make these accusations lightly. I have evidence that I was lied to by senior Council Officers when I was a serving Councillor.

The other conclusion I arrived at is that there must be a proper investigation into the events at Marton School and the subsequent attempts to cover-up things.

Now that I am no longer constrained by the shackles of office (I got kicked out of my Council seat!!) I am able to take a more pro-active stance on this. I therefore intend to contact other interested parties, Mr Veale, Mr Thornton, Jackie etc..... with a view to pursuing their aims in other ways such as the media, ombudsman, and the Govt.

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

The main conlclusion is that I believe, very firmly, that there has been an attempt at a cover-up by the LEA, school staff, officers of the Council and indeed even Councillors.

Jon, never a truer word was spoken - that is the understatement of the last three years. Those of us who have been involved with this whole sorry business from the beginning, as members of the MSAG, know that there have been lies, cover ups and, shockingly, downright corruption. The difficulty has been getting this message across to people who would rather bury their heads in the sand, or tell us to forget the past and move on.

Many people's lives and careers have been adversely affected by the devious, malicious actions of those in positions of power within the school, the LEA and the local council. It is about time they were all taken to task.

This is one case which is not going to go away, and I, for one, am sincerely grateful that you are no longer shackled by the constraints of council office. I hope, Jon, that you can now use all your powers to get somebody, somewhere to listen!
_________________
EVENTUALLY THE TRUTH WILL OUT, JUSTICE WILL BE DONE.

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

I think some serious plans are underway !

http://www.7is7.com/otto/countdow...r=%23CCFFFF&fgcolor=%23000000

Wink

WAYNE HEYS · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:51 pm Post subject:

cAN YOU THROW SOME LIGHT ON YOUR POST !!!!

WAYNE HEYS · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject:

Indeed Mr Weaver was one official who I had faith in to carry out a detailed investigation ,alas, to date it has been fruitless, that said like Mary has already stated, the action group are going NOWHERE,these may sound like brave statements, but after almost three years of lies, lies and more lies I want to see this though, it has had implications for many people, some ex members of staff, some ex governors and some ex parents, well its about time Mr Lund came clean alongside many of his councill colleagues who have blatantly looked after each others backs.
Mr Fisher (the ex council leader) has let me down by his ignorance to the problems that lie within Marton,, and he is well informed as to the goings on, I must say that after this sorry episode, my believe in honesty, equality and fairness has been severly damaged.
Mr Bamboro's post is very interesting and I hope he does indeed shame the Council , L.E.A and anyone in connection with Marton School who has deliberatly been deceiptful over the past three years.
Cover up has been mentioned many times, its time for the authorities to come clean or get out of office !!

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

Well, well… One week on and have I had a reply from Mr Weaver? Of course not!

Perhaps one is on its way. Perhaps not. Perhaps Mr Weaver and his fellow Council officers choose to overlook the dangers ahead. “Icebergs? What Icebergs?”

Let us consider how this whole file business COULD have been handled: A confidential file in the ownership of the Council is reported to have been photocopied and issued to members of the media. It contains all manner of allegations concerning a former teacher at a Blackpool School, and has signed statements from a number of people that also malign the professional reputations of other members of staff. The statements are libellous, even though a number of them were requested to be withdrawn at the time by the persons concerned. The covering letter from the sender directly attacks the former teacher’s professional abilities. Knowing that these photocopied files have already passed through the hands of the local police, the trade union representing the maligned teacher, and several members of the public, the Chief Executive issues a personal statement confirming that he views this as a very serious matter indeed. He also confirms that an investigation will be set up immediately into the circumstances surrounding the leaked document, and agrees to co-operate fully with both the unions and the police in establishing the identity of the culprit. He offers a personal apology to the maligned teacher for any lack of care from his own officers that may have resulted in the document being leaked. A week later he confirms that an investigation has begun, chaired by a person independent of both the LEA and the school, and confirms that the police offer of forensic assistance will be taken up if the investigation fails to meet a conclusion after two months.

If that HAD happened, it would have been clearly demonstrated to all parties that Blackpool Council had acted with immediacy, with sensitivity, and with impartiality. All concerned could have shared some confidence that whoever was responsible for this callous act would be caught, and that the authorities had taken proper responsibility for ensuring a satisfactory end that was both visible and fair.

But it didn’t happen – and is it any wonder that so many of us shake our heads in disbelief that, yet again, the officers of Blackpool Council appear to be keeping their heads down in the hope that, if they do, it will all just go away? How easily they let themselves down! Five months have now passed since that leaked file came to light, and (apart from expressing his initial horror), Mr Weaver has done none of those things described above.

This is the Captain of the Ship – the man who has to take ultimate responsibility when the ship goes down. How apt then that last Saturday night’s episode of “Doctor Who” should give a demonstration (just before the closing credits) of what can happen when you ignore the warning signs…

And for Wayne, and anyone else who wonders what the link in HM’s post might signify – just check out the date that you will find at the end of the Countdown referred to. It could be very significant.

Alan Veale

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

Further to my post of last week regarding the lack of response from the Chief Executive, his reply was received by me the following day, and I reproduce it below so that all may consider its implications.

The reason I have delayed posting this response is because I did invite some comment from the police officer referred to, but I have yet to receive his reply. I can only assume that the police do not wish to make any public comment at this stage, especially as I understand the first part of the investigation to have now been concluded, and matters are likely to be at a delicate stage.

5 July 2007

Dear Mr Veale

Further to your letter dated 28th June 2007 which follows the delivery of confidential documents (relating to an issue at Marton School) to Lancashire Constabulary.

Firstly, I am able to confirm that the issues you have raised in your letter have been passed on to the relevant officers involved in the investigation.

The process for investigating the issue has been agreed between my officers and officers within Lancashire Constabulary. Initially this is focusing on how such confidentiality has been breached within a well-established school disciplinary & grievance procedures. In this respect, the Council is specifically responding to a complaint received from the Professional Association representing the “subject” of the confidential papers. I am confident that if the Association concerned is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation they will wish to pursue either further levels within the Council’s complaints procedures or other avenues available to them. It is hoped that this initial process will be concluded by the end of July.

The outcome of our investigation will be shared with the Police who may wish to consider any issues relating to alleged criminal wrongdoing. I understand that you have already made known to the police your concerns regarding someone purporting to be your wife. Should you require any further information on this issue I would suggest that you liaise further with Sgt. (name removed).

Yours sincerely

Steve Weaver, Chief Executive.

The following are my own (personal) views, and I invite anyone else to add to them. Please bear in mind that ANY viewpoint at this stage is pure speculation.

1) Mr Weaver is stressing that this is a JOINT investigation with the police - but gives no guarantee that it is being conducted by an INDEPENDENT person.

2) A time limit for the "initial process" is indicated as "end of July" - a time when the unions concerned will have the opportunity to accept or reject the efforts of the last 4 months.

3) No opportunity is being offered for any statement to be made by either myself, Jane Veale or the lady who received the packages. I have to presume that the details provided by myself to the police in February have been accepted without the need for further questioning.

4) Assuming I am correct on the last point, I wonder why Mr Lund has continued to try and blame the leak on myself or the Action Group?

5) Bearing in mind Jon Bamborough's post (above), can Mr Weaver and “his officers” be trusted to see this through?

Lots of "assumptions" then... But can Blackpool Council ASSUME that this investigation will bring the conclusion to all their problems?

Alan Veale

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

The following are my own personal comments on the matter.
I think we can make assumptions quite easily - but assumptions based on evidence of the way the authority has behaved over recent years - the education section in particular and Marton's Governing body. I think it is safe to say many of us can assume we know who was behind the packages and what they were trying to achieve and why - whatever the results of this 'investigation' by the authority purports to show. It is more important to the people in authority to gain a result which is beneficial to them rather than find out the real truth or even protect the future of a lowly employee - this is the only reason for the long delay and the usual stalling process.
As for the matter ending here - I very much doubt it.

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

I think it is time I updated you on the position presently reached on the “Investigation” referred to in earlier posts.

You may remember that Mr Weaver had expected to reach a conclusion “by the end of July”, and to offer the union representatives the opportunity to take things further. So – was that conclusion reached?

Yes – it was.

And No – it wasn’t!

In what must be seen as a further example of the Council’s total mishandling of all things relating to Marton Primary School, David Lund provided an “official” response to the union that effectively gave a “no result” verdict on Friday 27th July. On the same day, the officer conducting the Investigation contacted me to arrange an appointment for an interview as part of his official investigation into the leaked file…

Let me clarify one thing here: I was privy to the “no result” verdict because it had been promised to me by the parties involved that I would be notified of any relevant developments or conclusion, bearing in mind that it was I who made those parties aware of the leaked document in the first place. It is therefore no secret that Mr Lund produced this “official” statement. To be more specific, he stated that the Council had been unable to identify any person or persons responsible, and that the parties affected may now proceed to pursue the matter privately, and ask for forensic assistance as appropriate.

I have also had the opportunity to discuss this situation with the Investigating Officer, and he has confirmed that what Mr Lund has said is correct – to date. He has not yet completed a written report, which he expects to be published and made available to all parties. However, while he has told me that he has his suspicions, he cannot confirm the names of any “suspects” in his report. His impressions did coincide with mine – that the leaked document was the work of two people working together…

Further investigation will now follow, although it will certainly be independent of any connection to the Council. While on the subject of “independence”, I would draw your attention to the “Compliments, Comments and Complaints Procedure” published by the Children and Young People – Social Care Department at Progress House. There are strictly defined procedures for the handling of complaints – from the minor to the major, and including the appointment of a Review Panel where a major complaint cannot be satisfied through the early stages. The panel consists of: “An independent person who is not an employee of Blackpool Borough Council and who has not been involved with the investigation of the complaints at stage two. They will chair the meeting; (and)Two local Councillors”. This major investigation, which has taken six months to get this far, was given a totally different approach: - the appointment of two officers from the Council’s own department for investigating matters relating to Council Tax or Benefit fraud. While these gentlemen have been at pains to state they act “independently”, they still have to report direct to the officer who initiated the investigation (Lund) – and who seems quite happy to give his own version of events last thing on a Friday afternoon before disappearing on holiday for two weeks…

And yes – I wonder why it was that I was finally allowed to make my own statement – AFTER Lund had “officially” closed the stable door?!

Alan Veale