SES SCHOOLS ACTION: INQUIRY DEADLINE

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SES Schools Action
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SES SCHOOLS ACTION: INQUIRY DEADLINE

Postby SES Schools Action » Sun Apr 24, 2005 5:30 pm

ST JAMES AND ST VEDAST INQUIRY ? INQUIRY DEADLINE

SES Schools Action?s position on the Inquiry:
As previously posted, last autumn a number of former pupils were contacted by David Boddy, the current Headteacher of St James Boys Senior School, concerning the intention of the Schools? Governors to establish an inquiry into allegations of abuse. The Inquiry is neither our instigation nor was it our idea.

For the past 7 months we have been urging that the Governors (if they wish to establish an inquiry) should do everything to ensure the inquiry is set up in a way that is transparent and that ensures it has credibility.

Our position on the Inquiry has been consistent. It is that any inquiry instituted by the Schools must:
1. Have sufficient scope to allow all complaints to be investigated
2. Enable the participation of all former pupils who have complaints
3. Be impartial and demonstrably ?independent? of the Schools who have commissioned the inquiry and of SES
4. Enable the Schools (and SES) to take ?institutional? responsibility for wrongdoing as well as hold named individuals to account
5. Publicise its findings

The Governors have taken a number of very limited steps towards enabling a more independent and credible inquiry to take place. We believe, however, that not enough progress has been made for us to have faith in the Inquiry the School proposes. The process of setting up the Inquiry to date leaves a lot to be desired.

We are withholding a decision on our participation in the Inquiry until the Chair has been appointed and the Terms of Reference finalised.


The Governors? deadline of 29th April 2005:
The Governors? (third!) deadline will soon expire. The Governors require former pupils to submit the full details of their complaints (via email to C Betts) by this deadline. The Governors have stated that this is necessary in order for them to be able to assess how best to set up the inquiry.

Whilst it may indeed be helpful to the Governors to have an indication of the volume and type of complaints, it is completely inappropriate to ask former pupils to submit their full complaints to the Governors of the institution which their complaints are about. Complaints are for an Inquiry itself and the Chairperson, not for sifting by the Governors.

We believe full complaints should only be submitted when:
1. the Terms of the Inquiry have been made available, and
2. the Chairperson has been appointed, and
3. there is sufficient information about the how the inquiry be conducted and how information and complaints submitted will be handled, and
4. a range of mechanisms for contributing to the Inquiry are established, and
5. it is clear that the whole process has integrity and sufficient ?independence?


Suggested action BEFORE the 29th April deadline:
We are concerned that David Boddy and the Schools will ?spin? what may be a limited number of complaints received by the time of the deadline. They will likely claim that this is evidence that few former pupils actually have genuine complaints against the Schools. To counter this we believe it needs to be made clear to the Schools that there are a substantial number of complaints.

We therefore suggest that other former pupils who have either specific or general complaints against the SES Day Schools consider notifying the Schools (if they have not already done so).

We suggest that you:
1. write / email the Schools to inform them you have a complaint(s)
2. do NOT provide a detailed complaint(s) to the Schools ? although you may wish to give a general indication of its/their nature
3. request an acknowledgement that your email/letter has been received
4. raise any concerns you have about the setting up, process or proposed conduct of the inquiry

You DON?T have to give your name ? if you prefer to stay anonymous at this stage say so, and use a junk email address.

Contact emails:
C Betts (Clerk to the Inquiry) - vedast@vwl.co.uk - please make sure that it is clear your correspondence is addressed to the Governors.

David Boddy (Headteacher, St James Boys Senior Schools) - d.boddy@stjamesboys.co.uk (asking him to forward it to the Governors).

Postal addresses:
C Betts, Clerk to the St James and St Vedast Inquiry,
Veale Wasborough,
Orchard Court
Orchard Lane
Bristol
BS1 5WS

Mr RJ Pincham CBE, Chairman of the Governors,
c/o St James Senior Boys' School,
Pope's Villa
19 Cross Deep
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 4QG

Thank you to all former pupils who have already written to the Schools. If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this posting or would like further information about SES Schools Action, please email us at enquiries@SESschoolsAction.org


SES SCHOOLS ACTION - APRIL 2005

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