Further Announcement re Inquiry

Discussion of the children's schools in the UK.
CBetts
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Further Announcement re Inquiry

Postby CBetts » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:13 pm

Further announcement from the Governors of St James Independent Schools.

In response to representations, the Governors have agreed to extend the deadline for submission of complaints to 16th March 2005. Complaints relating to former pupils at either St Vedast or St James Schools (boys or girls) will be considered. Complaints should be submitted to C Betts at vedast@vwl.co.uk.

C Betts
Clerk to the Inquiry

daska
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Postby daska » Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:30 pm

we know from experience that the school's version of the truth is what they want everyone to believe

if the school were truly interested in the truth (rather than their truth) they would throw it wide open

all pupils

all schools

all years from opening to today

anything less is not good enough

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a different guest
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Postby a different guest » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:29 am

12 days - you call THAT an extension??

especially when only NOW do you say that girls can submit too!

and why are complaints only "considered"?

In what way is the school "Independent " - bit of a misnomer really.

Matthew
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Postby Matthew » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:30 am

The inquiry terms of reference are still in mid-negotiations.

Why are they asking for all "submission of complaints" to be received by 16th March (only 12 days after this latest announcement!) before the terms of reference have even been agreed on?

What is their hurry to get this all over with as quickly and quietly as possible?

Why are they advertising this publicly ONLY on this site, and have not individually informed every single ex-pupil on the database that we all know they possess?

Once again, where is the transparency?

Logically, how could any intelligent and rational person fail to be deeply suspicious of all of this?

NYC
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Postby NYC » Sat Mar 05, 2005 11:55 pm

The Governors of St James...have...decided to establish an independent Internal Inquiry to be conducted by a Chairman who is independent of St Vedast, St James, or any other body, such as the School of Economic Science, likely to have any connection with the schools. He is a prominent Queen?s Counsel with considerable experience in the conduct of inquiries and mediation
.
Posted by David Boddy, Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:14 pm
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/phpBB2/vi ... d606406d35

Since I?m American I don?t quite understand what a ?Queen?s Counsel? is. Is that a lawyer? If so, am I to understand that the Governors of St James have hired a lawyer to do an internal investigation, which they believe qualifies as independent although the School is paying the person who will function as judge? Or is the QC chairing the inquiry pro bono? Even if that is the case, the fact that the school itself selected the person who will ajudicate the inquiry makes it an internal inquiry, not an independent one.

Can someone who knows tell me 1) who is paying the chairman for his time, if he is to be paid, and 2) if former students have to sign away their right to pursue a government inquiry into this matter if they participate in the school?s internal inquiry.

Daffy
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Postby Daffy » Sun Mar 06, 2005 10:09 pm

NYC wrote:I don?t quite understand what a ?Queen?s Counsel? is. Is that a lawyer? If so, am I to understand that the Governors of St James have hired a lawyer to do an internal investigation, which they believe qualifies as independent although the School is paying the person who will function as judge? Or is the QC chairing the inquiry pro bono? Even if that is the case, the fact that the school itself selected the person who will ajudicate the inquiry makes it an internal inquiry, not an independent one.

Can someone who knows tell me 1) who is paying the chairman for his time, if he is to be paid, and 2) if former students have to sign away their right to pursue a government inquiry into this matter if they participate in the school?s internal inquiry.

A Queen's Counsel is a senior barrister (a barrister is a lawyer with rights to represent clients in court - only appropriately qualified and trained lawyers in the UK are entitled to do this). They are appointed from the ranks of highly regarded or well-connected barristers who have been qualified for, I think, 15+ years, and are generally paid at least twice the daily rate of 'junior' barristers.

According to the Schools, the inquiry will be "an independent Internal Inquiry to be conducted by a Chairman who is independent of St Vedast, St James, or any other body, such as the School of Economic Science, likely to have any connection with the schools" (see http://www.whyaretheydead.net/phpBB2/vi ... .php?t=179). The QC is obviously being paid for by St James/St Vedast/the SES/someone connected with those organisations, as no-one else would do so and there is no reason for him to work for free.

This fact does not of itself mean the inquiry is bound to be biased or unreliable, as government inquiries conducted by QCs have shown in the past. However, several other factors currently make the inquiry currently pointless - see the other posts and threads on this board for the reasons why.

No-one here has yet reported any requirement to 'sign away their rights' in order to participate in the inquiry.

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a different guest
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Postby a different guest » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:48 am

However, several other factors currently make the inquiry currently pointless


So what are you guys (and girls) going to do? Does not involving yourselves in the current enquiry mean you can't take things further thru a different avenue?

sugarloaf
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inquiry

Postby sugarloaf » Tue Mar 08, 2005 12:26 am

No, I think there are plenty of ways to take it further. However they would all have a much more damaging effect on the Schools, and therefore the current pupils. Much as I find the outdated ideology of the SES, and particularly feeding it to young children, pretty odious, I do have some respect - as an adult - for innocent children. (Shame the SES doesn?t ? I?ve experienced it personally).

The inquiry is not the idea of former pupils, its not proposed by us, & its not for us. Its for the school Governors. However, personally I?m prepared to give the school a full and fair chance to propose an inquiry that genuinely addresses the complaints, and their background, before giving up and moving on to other avenues for achieving an acknowledgement of what went on.

C Betts, your posting can only be taken as a joke. Less than 2 weeks between letting former girl pupils know that they are included, till full detailed complaints have to be lodged. After 20-30 years of dealing with this? I think people?s patience is limited, and the Governors are pushing it.

I tell you what, make a serious attempt to contact former pupils, send them notification of the inquiry - not spectrum magazine, and then we?ll start to talk about deadlines.


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