Last July I was appointed to Woodfold Primary School as a LEA governor. What was interesting as a new Governor I asked to see the minutes for the governors meetings for the last 12 months. What was shocking was on the December 2012 minutes it was recorded and minuted we need to keep Gareth Fairhurst of the Governors. The reason was because of political differences and this is written and recorded in the minutes. However a school and it's governors should not be political in my view. I brought it up in a governors meeting and the then Chairman was made to apologise for his comments that he made at December 2012 meeting. I felt it wasn't a genuine apology but I accepted it in good faith for the benefit of school, so that governors could move on.
I have never been reported for my actions at the school for being a governor and considered myself a good LEA representative.
Last January it was agreed that the school would be reconstituting and going from 3 LEA governors to just one. It was also agreed that Tom Morris, the then Chairman who had made them comments to keep me off the governors was going to be the LEA governor, as for myself I would then go as a co opted governor.
Then the Governors decided to have a governors meeting on the day of the election to finalise the reconstitution. Obviously with it being on the day of the election I sent my apology as the election was taking place. Since the election no one from the school had told me about the meeting but I learnt from a parent on the playground that I had been kicked off the school governors. I chased the school on this and the LEA and I have learnt from the Council that I have been kicked off with no reasons whats so ever apart from they had forgotten that in January we had agreed that I was going to be a co opted governor and they filled that place no doubt with one of their people.
So this comes back to the governors and it is clear that they all have a hidden agenda to get rid of me. I put this down to the fact that there are two Real Labour supports on their and one of them was the Chairman up until recently.
What is nice is the parents have come to me and given me their full backing and I have made it absolutely clear I will be running as a parent governor next time and I am confident that both myself and Diane Kay, who was also suspended because the governors didn't like her, will be elected. Diane Kay, although suspended, is still a governor at the school and she is suspended until the 10th June of this year. I have full confident that on her return she will be addressing how the school governors are acting and their behavior. If you want to read about her suspension here is the link to that story.
To sum up it is clear that the school governors are political and have hidden agendas that they do not want challenging people on their or exposing what is really going on and only want people that they can "control" or "is one of them". However, I believe that the parents will be backing me and Diane at the next parent governors elections.
As the governors have not had the decency to inform me about what has happened, they still haven't come to me, should they wish to write a response I will publish on this blog, as it will be interesting to see their feeble excuse. But that way you will be able to see my view and theirs and then you can make your own mind up.
Do you not think if you are running as a counsellor for the people of Standish you should get ALL your facts straight before posting blogs? Im sure there is a saying there are 2 sides to every story? I can guarantee not every parent will be backing the return of certain people to the board!!!! VOTE UKIP
ReplyDeleteFirst point is all my facts are correct, unless you know something I don't. So please tell. I guess you must be a governor on the School and hiding under anonymous because there are, as you correctly say, two sides to ever story and that is why on this one I have said I will post the Governors response, should they ever write to me, which they still haven't.
ReplyDeleteVote UKIP, can you not understand that school governors should not be political they should be there for the children not political agendas!!!!!!!!!!
Gareth, the anonymous person is a prat. The whole story is about governors should be non political, which I completely agree with and then he says Vote UKIP. It just goes to show it is political, which is wrong, just glad my kids don't go to that school.
ReplyDeleteAre Emma McGurrin and Tom Morris still governors. If so I am disgusted that they used the school as a political football. Surely a petition from us as parents can get rid of them. Let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately GB's can pretty well do what they like. There are no governance police out there as there should be. If you got notification of the meeting to reconstitute in less than seven clear days (a minimum nine day process) you could challenge the decision. As you were still a governor on that day until you were not you could also ask for a copy of the minutes from that meeting. There are countless shenanigans going on in governing bodies with Governors being suspended and others removed and unfortunately there is little recourse to justice.
ReplyDeleteHello Gareth. As a long-time Wiganer in Exile I'm completely out of touch with local politics back there in God's Country, but even though I don't know anything about you or your convictions I would support wholeheartedly your struggles on this particular issue. I am a big fan of Diane Kay, and after what happened to her as a member of this governing body I am dismayed, but sadly not surprised, about what has happened to you. Good luck with it.
ReplyDeleteDiane and her husband are currently engaged on another much more serious front, which you may or may not know about; but which, as far as I am concerned, still involves them being treated like dirt by the powers-that-be in the old home town. I'm sure that as their local councillor, but also as someone with a similar experience of being on the receiving end, your help and support would be invaluable. Perhaps you could give them a buzz? You can also get me via them if that's any use.