Parliamentary question time...

In Parliament

On 29 January 2018 MP Chris Skidmore raised my case in Parliament.

You can watch this on parliamentlive.tv by clicking this link and scrolling to 15:27:43

‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’

Over the last two years I have questioned how so many people can stand by and simply do nothing or even disguise what happened.  Children have always, and will always, be at the top of my agenda. It is therefore hard for me to accept hearing that sometimes it is ‘best to leave stones unturned’.  Why? What can possibly crawl out from underneath them?

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) referral to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) came fifteen months after I had resigned from my post but only two months after I received an ‘unequivocal’ apology read out in court.

I took legal action against an NUT member as I was not prepared to continue to allow untrue comments to be written about me.  I had taken enough since December 2015.

I had tolerated false claims, unacceptable behaviour and abuse for too long.

This was not just people hiding behind keyboards who I had never met. It was professionals, too. 

It was time for me to make a stand, so that is exactly what I did.

If I had to do it again, I would. However, given my experience of being reported to the NCTL - the regulatory body for teachers in England - I can empathise with those who would not seek to gain legal justice for fear of repercussions.

Questions should be raised when professionals are referred by organisations with a vested interest. Taxpayers’ money has been used to fund investigations into repeated referrals.

Positive people shine

In twenty five years of being in the teaching profession I can demonstrate a proven track record of making a positive difference to the children and communities that I have served.  I have never shown complacency for this and only ever wanted to learn and improve.

People came in droves to learn about, and emulate, the education we provided as a school.  I was asked to be the executive head of a cluster of schools, join the executive head teachers board and we were endorsed as a teaching school.

I have not changed.  I am still the same person but it appears others change to suit their own agendas.

A day in the life

Taking charge of their school, monitoring their lessons, evaluating marking and teaching inspirationally were all roles you would find the children carrying out at Trinity! A positive environment where ‘catching children being good’ is what my pupils will remember. 

All year six pupils even had the opportunity to become head teachers for the day. Children took it in their stride to cart me out of my office, take assemblies, hand out certificates - all while dressed in suits, ties and shiny shoes!  This was a valuable learning experience, not just for the children but for all adults within the school, too.

I believe our cheery and ever helpful secretary, who remained my constant companion throughout the years, brought more drinks and biscuits on ‘Year Six Head Teacher Days’ than she did throughout the year! 

In the final days of the long hot summer term we wanted to make every day count.  We decided to have ‘Year Seven “Work Experience” Days’ for our year six children.  They rose to the occasion, coming suited and booted ready to give back to the school they were about to leave.  

When the going gets tough

Growing up in the inner city of Bristol has taught me much about instinct and survival, especially when the going gets tough.  I come from a family of strong and caring women.  I admire all that my siblings have achieved.  Poverty and deprivation should never be a barrier to accessing the best education and learning for your future life.  Schools have an important role to play and can change lives for the better.

Why am I drawn to schools where there is much to challenge you as a leader?  I believe it is in someway to do with my own school experiences. 

As a child at Whitehall Primary School, I had a head teacher who taught us that with a rich and stimulating learning environment, and a positive attitude to life, you could achieve anything. Even then we dressed as Romans in togas, feasting on olives and dates!  I strongly believe that much of my approach to leading a school and all the role play and creativity we delivered is down to her. 

A wonderful carer once said to me that she will never forget the day she came to view Trinity as a prospective school for her child, and I beckoned her in through the main entrance, fully dressed as famous Egyptian pharaoh King Tut! Royal blue and gold headdress and robe, with full eye makeup, was a memorable sight!  It was the very reason she and her partner chose the school.

At Trinity we never stood still.  Literally!  ‘Fit Fridays’, where children would jump around for a bowl of fruit as the prize, was a firm end to a buzzing and lively learning week for all.

Healthy whole school breakfasts, visits from tarantulas and donkeys just became a way of life!  ‘Inventors Days’ inspired children to design gadgets, with the winning group receiving real money to invest in school resources of their choice!  Scientific trips to Legoland were truly part of what became widely known as the ‘irresistible curriculum’ our school provided.  We were continuously looking to move forward for our children, making it ‘cool to be in school’.

The impact of our charity trips to see our friends in Romania had a lasting effect on the whole community.  I believe that when you can teach children to have empathy, care and understanding for those significantly less fortunate than you, you teach others to build a better world and a less selfish place for everyone to live in. 

Trips were carried out with sensitivity, love and warmth.  Visiting soup kitchens, orphanages and schools in Romania were life-changing for children, parents and members of the community who joined us.  Sometimes the hot hazy days ended with a splash in the water fountain, fully clothed in the main town square of Brasov!

‘Maths Challenge’ and ‘Poetry Nights’ had us all on the edge of our seats – judges included!  There is nothing wrong with healthy competition in schools, competing to become the best that you can be.  The speed and accuracy children displayed when reeling off times tables and solving maths problems in Countdown fashion was jaw-dropping. 

Poetry pieces recited with a level of confidence that Pam Ayres would be proud of.  ‘Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth, And spotted the dangers beneath.  All the toffees I chewed, And the sweet sticky food.  Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth…’ 

I still feel tingles of pride as I think of my pupils and the twinkle in their eyes as they burst with happiness at their achievements.  This was real self-belief in the making.

The evidence of the learning was in the books, with progress clear for all to see. (I feel I have recited a line straight from an Ofsted inspector’s handbook!) The evidence for me however, will always be within the children.

Children I knew as individuals, each and every one by name, no matter how big the school eventually became. 

Happy, exciting, interesting and confident young people who I miss and I will remember forever...

“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”  Martin Luther King Jr.