Tilting at Windmills: Memoirs of a School Governor - A Cautionary Tale of Corporate Bullying [Paperback]

Justine Williams self published

TILTING AT WINDMILLS - ‘STORY LINE’ - Synopsis - The book tells the ‘story’ of how a Local Authority used the full might of its powers and resources, to crush and pursue ‘good’ individuals with passion, in order to cover up the senior officers’ and politicians’ neglect of the most vulnerable, and poorest school in one of its most socio-economically deprived areas of the borough of Trafford, post an OFSTED Inspection in 2001. The book will explore and analyse: the ‘lies’; the legal infringements; the prevarications; the innuendoes; the hidden agendas; the breaches of confidence; the internal power struggles; the secrets; the unhealthy and dangerous liaisons and collusion between officers and executive politicians; the negation of Natural Justice; the infringements of Human Rights employed by these senior officers of the LEA, and by some senior politicians of Trafford MBC. My direct appeals for justice and support to the Rt Hon David Blunkett, MP, and the Rt Hon !
Estelle Morris, MP, respective Secretaries of State for Education, were passed on down the line, and only belatedly responded to. There would eventually be a late acknowledgement, that the Authority had acted outside the legal framework, yet, no intervention or sanctions were imposed from London, no help offered to the governing body or the headteacher, even though, later it would be acknowledged privately, and great worry expressed in London, that Trafford LEA had ‘got it all wrong’. What would become clear as the initial weeks passed, after the illegal suspension of delegated powers from the governing body, was that there really did not exist any real help or any support of substance to guard any governing body against unfair, unjust and bullish behaviour against them by an LEA. No appeals procedure in existence unless the governors appealed to the perpetrators, no legal cover, and no protection of any kind for a ‘bunch’ of well meaning hardworking volunteers. We, the governors would be made the ‘fall guys’, and the head teacher would be witch hunted by the most senior LEA officers and politicians in order to cover up their neglect, their failures, their mistakes, and their breaches of statutory duties towards the poorest and most deprived school in the borough. At least the head teacher would have the full support of his Professional Body, and the continued support of most of his governing body. A corporate body like our small Authority of Trafford may have mission statements and policies but what would be found sadly lacking would be corporate ethics, responsibility and accountability. The protracted 'inquisition' by Trafford MBC would be a costly event, a travesty offending on Human Rights and decency levels. I will call it an inquisition rather than investigation, for that is far too gentle a descriptor. My reputation would be deliberately tarnished, and my public image damaged. The headteacher, who had an excellent professional reputation, and who never received either oral or written warnings, formal or informal from the Director for Education, would be subjected to a protracted witch-hunt. The unwarranted pain, fear, isolation, and bewilderment, the head teacher, the governors and I were subjected to in the nightmarish and dehumanising world of Trafford MBC, should never be allowed to happen again to any individual. A five-day disciplinary hearing, would find that the head teacher could return to his school immediately after 13/14months in isolation and of public and professional ‘assassination’. The premise from which this book is written, is that when a corporate body such as a local Authority, cannot or will not safeguard the individuals within from injustice, in fact is the perpetrator as in our case, then, such a corporate body cannot profess to safeguard the whole within, or the community without, which it serves - and public statements such as ‘community involvement; transparency; value for money, and democracy’ become somewhat meaningless. Hold fast that which is Good’ Trafford MBC Code of Arms. All events (well documented) of the story will be told and argued within a broadly philosophical, ethical and corporate ethical context.