Head lying

[Schoolhell]

I have had to make a formal complaint to school about some issues which are quite serious. Have made numerous complaints with nothing being done so felt I had no option to make it formal. In the meeting we had an independent witness and HT,DHT and Chair of Gov's were also there with someone taking minutes. The DHT and HT told lies throughout and some of them were just unbelievable. Is there anywhere we can go now? Am still waiting for minutes to be typed up but am now concerned about how accurate these will be. My child will leave the school in a few weeks time.
I am a Governor there myself and am wondering how they must treat the other parents!

Have you spoken to OFSTED. What kind of problems?

Sorry, what's DHT?

DHT = Deputy Head.
My Dc has SEN and his needs are not being met. I know that the recommended support on statement is not being given but they went through the whole document pointing out what they do for every part . Also was excluded when it shouldn't have happened. HT did not fully investigate,get childs version of events etc. Said that child was out of control,running down corridor and was excluded for health and safety reasons when this absolutely didn't happen. She didn't put this as a reason for exclusion on letter and said she didn't have to.HT said that there was no time limit in excluding when policy states that full investigation should be carried out - she investigated and questioned all staff in under 10 mins! DHT said something over the 'phone to both myself and DH separately then totally denied saying it at all. They lied about practically everything that happened,turned up with witness statements that weren't there previously etc.

dht is deputy head teacher.
You need to complain to the Director of Education for your authority.

Don't accept the minutes if they are not true. Your independent witness will also not accept if they are not true.

I take it your child is leaving school at the end of his/her natural life at the school and not prematurely because of your complaint just because of the way it has been written.

Interested to hear more details though .

x post sorry

I have just been in a similar position myself, so i can fully understand where you are coming from.. I had a meeting today in fact, following my formal complaint.. but took an independent education related witness, and have been informing the LEA all along.. It has been slightly easier for me, they can't fobb me off as i have witnesses - but boy have they tried!

So, if your child is leaving, i presume you want to pursue it for some sort of justice, and concern for other parents?

I found the 'Advisory Centre For Education' (ACE) very helpful - their general number being 0808 800 5793.
Plus, i made contact with the school complaints office at our LEA, who have been advising me brilliantly.

Can you tell us what the problems were? If nothing else, it might help to offload - as i know how frustrating it can be, when they close ranks!

Oops Sorry X- posted there..

Definitely ring ACE, plus if you happen to be in Wales, there's a group called SNAP Cymru, who helped me as my DS has SEN too..

I do have contacts in the school who could confirm details but I can't 'out' them. HT goes on a witch hunt if she hears that any member of staff has said anything that she doesn't agree with. Would the local authority believe me? I cannot cause too much fuss at the moment as my child could suffer the consequences while they're still there. HT can seem very plausible though. Ofsted are due to visit in September/October and I am worried that my complaint letters will go 'missing' before they get there.

I have had other complaint letters answered by a separate sheet of paper with bullet points attached to her response letter.Think this is so these details aren't recorded anywhere.

There's 2 separate issues here - the SN requirements + the exclusion..

Firstly where is the SENCO in all of this?
Do you have regular meetings with the SENCO?
Are you due any follow up review with the Paedeatric consultant?

What you need is school paperwork as evidence.. promises made, and not stuck to..

Re. the exclusion - what was the reason given in the letter home for the exclusion? was it an internal exclusion?.. A reason HAS to be put into writing to you ..

I know the 'will i make things worse' for DS quandary.. I wondered this myself.. but my DS cannot move schools, so long term it had to be sorted.

If you are worried about your DSs school record for the future, you can ask for a copy in writing to the head, and she is legally obliged to give it to you, within a certain time frame, so you can see what's in it. (i think it's within 10 school days, but you'll have to check)

I still don't understand fully why you are pursuing this, apart from pissed offness if your DS/D is due to leave.

The Senco rarely attends any meetings we have had with HT. Her title is 'Inclusion Manager' but she couldn't be bothered to attend the meetings about the exclusion. We were told we should have requested her presencerather than expect her to turn up . We have termly meetings but it's always all talk and no action. They changed their mind 3 times about how long/what type of exclusion it was. I can't post the reasons for exclusion here but they weren't valid reasons e.g they made it look a lot worse than it was. As I said the HT back-tracked on reason for exclusion in meeting to try to justify doing it. They also wanted to implement a 'strategy' which was totally wrong and would have been wrong for any child let alone one with SEN. They just arse-covered and yes, I am angry about what they have put our family through. I am concerned about what is happening to other SEN children too. If they are quite happy telling lies then what else might be going on?

I'd suggest that you pm the poster pr47bridge as he's an expert in the law in situations like this and has been a fantastic source of advice and support to me. He may well suggest that you take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. If so, be reassured, the LGO is far less scary than you might think and very efficient.

Been there, had that with lying headteachers. It's shocking and very distressing, I hope you manage to resolve the problems you're experiencing.

If you are sure of your facts regarding both the SEN situation and the exclusion then there is nothing to stop you writing directly to Ofsted with details of the complaints etc. Go to ofsted.gov.uk and the look for how to complain about a school. You could do this after your child has left at the end of the summer term.
It will not make any immediate difference but when Ofsted come calling early next term then they will check that the complaint has been handled by the correct process as a minimum. It may also give them cause to consider what is going on in the SEN area.
I think you have to give them as much detail as possible so that they can follow the audit trail or more likely the lack of an audit trail. You however can then expect to be considered to have bought the school into disrespect and your position as governor will be untenable.

OP since DC will be starting at new school in September, you can withdraw him immediately and prepare him in similar way as
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1242027-Should-I-contact-Ofsted

Sounds like the priority is to settle DS for September. If you haven't had an EP assessment, that's a good place to start. It'll help DC copy academically and behaviourally.

If you work, you could home school after work, and arrange childcare in the day. There's complete flexibility as to when the 'schooling' is done and one-to-one work is much faster, so it'll take a couple of hours at most in the evenings. During the day he could gain social and practical skills at clubs etc.

It may also give you the distance you need to help other SEN children which is your other concern as a Governor.

...It'll help DC cope (not copy) academically and behaviourally...

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at possibly pulling out of school before the end of term now. I plan to send Ofsted copies of my complaint letters in case they 'disappear' before inspection starts and have chased up minutes again. I know that my position as Gov is becoming untenable but was going to resign anyway after being lied to. Hanging on at the moment as a bit of 'protection' iykwim.