Should parents be told about new safeguarding measures enacted after primary school principal investigated by police for sexual assault on pupil over 8 weeks at the school?

[bernadette1984]

We recently had a parent publicly out, via the school Mum's WhatsApp group, that my Year 5 daughter's primary school principal was accused recently of sexual abuse against a year 6, 11 year old, school girl inside his office at the school over an 8 week period (every Friday). It is alleged by the two girls that in the office with the Principal that he regularly stroked the arm, held her hand, and played with her hair, after pulling the blinds, locking the door and using his coat to cover the view through the door. And that he complimented her and in the 11 year old girl student's words, made her "feel special". He denied the allegations, and says they were only studying.

The police were called. The school and police both found the allegations were not malicious but could be neither proven, nor disproven, and the girls have now left the school and the Principal continues in his role.

The police have said in a written email to the alleged victim's Mum, that it doesn't "pass the threshold of evidence to prosecute", "but the behaviour remains of concern", and "the information remains retained on his file, and may be referenced in future safeguarding processes". The school, after the parent divulged what was alleged to have happen, and the police's view on it, finally confessed an "incident" had happened. And it says they have now "introduced a new range of safer working practices" but refuse to say what they are. And that they have also introduced a policy that says "all small group work should be visible" but refuse to show any parents the policy or disclose why small group work only needs to be visible now.

I have emailed the school 4 times asking to meet with the school informally (as is their policy on their website) about my daughter's safeguarding at the school and safeguarding in general (but not the allegations as they say these are confidential which I accept) and they ignored all my emails (unlike any other general email I've sent over the years). The school also removed the Principal from the year 6 residential 3 night trip due to parent complaints and concerns (but won't confirm he will be banned from future trips, so that concerns me, that my girl will likely be in the trip with him overnight from school grounds for 3 nights unsupervised, considering his behaviour that police are "concerned about" carried on for 8 weeks without any staff raising concern, as it was the girls that finally reported him).

Should I be concerned? And be unhappy with this response, and feel that they should tell us what these "safer working practices" that they wrote to us about are? And should they provide us with a copy of the new small groups working policy they have introduced? And should we just let him go on next year's trip with different 11 year old girls? For context, most parents seem happy enough that new safeguarding measures (the new "safer working practices", and new "small groups working" policy), which remain a secret, are said to have been introduced.

Or should I just carry on with my life, like most parents, and forget about it, now the police are not pursuing charges, and the girls accusing the principle have now left the school?

If not, what do I do now, considering the school just ignores any email I send asking politely to meet to discuss my child's safeguarding and current safeguarding in general at the school. I know approx 30 parents (out of 300) are not happy, so do we collaborate somehow, or tell Ofsted? Or how else do we get the school to even discuss, let alone reply to an email asking them to discuss safeguarding, or to even tell us what the current safeguarding measures or arrangements are at the school now, or should I just trust them, and let these new measures remain a secret?

Help please

AFAIK the school’s safeguarding policies should be accessible… have you looked on their website?

I can understand why you might feel concerned, but aside from this man leaving the school there is probably always going to be a lingering concern where he is involved. There is no evidence to say that he has done anything wrong.

You need to take this opportunity to teach your children about keeping themselves safe and keeping an eye out for each other.

Thank you. Appreciate your honestly and reply. The Safeguarding Policy is on the website, but the newly introduced "safer working practices", and "small groups policy" are not. Should it all not be available? What benefit to the children's safety is there to these safeguarding measures bring kept secret?

Also their policy is to meet informally with parents about concerns, but they just ignore the 5 emails I sent over 3 weeks asking to meet. Is this good for safeguarding, let alone professional? Rings alarm bells to me, or would you not be concerned by a school that refuses to discuss their (current) safeguarding (not the allegations)?

And yes I appreciate innocent until proven guilty, but the police are "concerned" with the behaviour (that lead to the allegations) and recorded it on his file for vetting checks if/when he wants to apply for a different job, meaning our school has a Principal that would likely fail a vetting check by any other school (which imo is concerning or at least not ideal).

I’m surprised he still has a job there!

@bernadette1984

It would probably be worth you contacting the Teaching Regulation Agency for advice.

I would contact the chair of governors as well.

I am too. But since the school sent a letter saying they introduced all these new safeguarding measures after "the incident" and themselves conducted a review of their safeguarding, and that we shouldn't discuss it as it's "confidential" most parents seem happy enough now, even though we don't know what all these new measures and new "small groups working" policy is.

I'm not comparing his crimes to Jimmy Saville as that's unfair, but it's worth remembering Saville was never charged with any crimes either, and many knew but it was covered up, so not being charged doesn't make your behaviour safe to be around children, and the police have said his "behaviour is of concern", but it's essentially his word against 2 11-year-old girls (so I can understand him not being charged, but not keeping his job, nor not being banned from overnight camps off school grounds).

Thank you. I've not heard of them.

Thank you. I will.

You could contact the LA, too. Even if, as I suspect this school is part of a MAT, the Local Authority has the ultimate responsibility for Safeguarding all children in the area.

Thank you. It is a MAT. Can I ask why you suspected it was?

The LADO did oversee the school's investigation and make some recommendations which the school says it has implemented. Of course this is confidential.

I think YABU to expect the school to hold an informal individual meeting with you when your child was not involved at all.

It’s a very difficult situation. Of course it’s a worry to parents of girls at the school, but it seems to me unfair to sack him or ban him from overnight trips (which would be tantamount to saying he is untrustworthy) when he might be completely innocent. I know you say the police said his behaviour is "of concern" but that could just mean he was unwise to be in a room with a closed door with the girls.

Generally I would say children should be believed in these circumstances, but if the police could not prove anything against him it would be very hard for him to lose his career when the allegations are just possibly untrue. I’m quite sure the whole situation will have been very closely examined by the governors, the LADO and the police.

Thanks @Rivertrudge for your honest response. The school has removed him from this year's trip, so why remove him from this year but not next? Will the risk be reduced next year?

I'm not asking the school to meet me about the allegations. I'm asking them to discuss my girl's 121 sessions in a small room, and disclose the current, new policies they have introduced. Do you think the school should not tell parents what the current safeguarding policies are? And if so, how can I, and other parents, make an informed decision about the safety of our children in small groups, if they are refusing to share the new "small groups working policy". Do you think these current safeguarding policies and measures should be kept secret?

I’ll be honest, my daughter would not be attending that school anymore. Not just because of the risk, but the message it sends if the kids become aware of the situation.

@ChalkOutlinesi agree but the Dad, my DH, won't allow me to remove her. Yiu say it sends the wrong message and I know what Yiu mean, but surely the reality is in a lot of these situations it is her word versus his word, and little or no other evidence, and police rarely can/do press charges? As some posters have said here, they feel it's unfair for him to lose his job. I'm not sure I fully agree, but I am concerned about a school that won't tell you exactly what their (current) safeguarding policies are, particularly the new ones they just introduced (following what they describe as an "incident" between the school principal and an 11 year old girl weekly over an 8 week period).

Ok, so you know there has been an incident that has been dealt with at LA level, and with police involvement.

I'm sure they won't allow him to have pupils in his office. I wouldn't expect that they have made staffing plans for next year's residential trip.

I have to say that I am surprised as this should have been a two step approach. Once the initial complaint was made the HT should have been suspended whilst the Police did their investigation. Once this had been concluded, then it clears the path for an internal investigation by the school governors (or if necessary by governors brought in from outside). The second investigation does not have as high a bar as the first and could be done on the balance of possibilities. At this point, he could be sacked for gross misconduct.

This is a very challenging case to investigate and the pressure on all parties is particularly tough. On the basis of what you have written I think I would have looked at termination but know it could be challenged.

This may have happened but you do not have the right to know as the HT also has a right to privacy.

Yes it's concerning. They should already have safeguarding measures in place for this anyway so it shouldn't be difficult for them to share them with you. We're always told to avoid being alone with a child and there's an open door policy. If he did close a door (let alone lock it) and pull blinds id also question why no one else flagged it (if it's true which is of course the tricky bit). I think it would make me question the whole school's attitude towards safeguarding.

So they were false allegations , he's had a robust enquiry (as they always are in safeguarding) and he is innocent what do you expect to gain ?

Are you trying to ruin a man's career when he's done nothing wrong ?

By confirming "an incident" took place, does the school mean the allegations being made/his arrest, or anything happening in those meetings, though? Because if they found they had no evidence either way, I would be surprised if it were the latter. You do seem to know a lot about exactly what the school and the police have apparently said - has this parent been showing everyone the paperwork?

As noted above, the police will keep his arrest on file and can disclose it on the "other" section of an enhanced DBS. This has been brought in so patterns of behaviour can be seen - eg Ian Huntley's previous history - rather than necessarily meaning more than that.

There's no point asking the TRA for advice: that is not their role. Ofsted will already know.

@Louglecorrect. And measures have been taken to improve the safeguarding. But these are kept secret. Why would their new safeguarding around small groups need to be kept secret?

And correct staffing for next year's trip would not be done. Should we complain then, as the current year 6 parents did?

Has the new “small groups” policy been ratified by the governing body OP? If not, that may be why it isn’t available yet.

If it has and you feel the school have not responded to your concerns (that directly affect your DD) raised via email (to the head?), it would be worth looking at the complaints policy and following it.

@LatteLadyyes he does have the right to privacy. He was not suspended but had the first day off after the allegations "fir his mental health". I was surprised he was not suspended on full pay and am concerned that if any member of staff on the future is accused of anything, even much worse, they will not be suspended, with the obvious inference that the children would then be at risk. The school is unwilling to discuss if a staff member would be suspended in the future if accused of crimes against children.

MATs often seem to think that they are a law unto themselves which is why I suspected that this school is part of a MAT.

They also are required by law to publish their policies, including the Safeguarding policy.

It might be that if they have recently reviewed the policy it will be published on their website at the beginning of the next academic year (September)

@Louglei don't know if pupils are allowed in his aoff7cw but as this affects current and future safeguarding I would like them to assure me that my daughter will never be allowed with him, like these other 2 girls were. Do I not have that right?

@RudolphTheReindeerit has! For 8 weeks no staff member questioned these 2 girls being out of sught with him. I can accept tye allegstiins can't be priven but I would have thought he's brijen tiles being in there with them and not being visible? But I don't know? The school says it's now introduced a policy about all these small groups being visible. But I would have thought that should have already existed? He is the Lead Safeguarding oersin too so surely he knows this and is now unsuitable fir this rule if he didn't know or just disregarded it?