False Allegations Against Teachers

No Win No Fee (Ransom)

2011-11-05T13:00:00.002Z

Lies, Damn Lies ...

2011-11-04T13:00:00.010Z

“It is not only pupils and parents that level malicious accusations against teachers it is school governors, local authority representatives and even other teachers. Teachers sabotage one another and LEAs have whispering campaigns in order to scupper colleagues. There needs to be renewed emphasis on morality all round and the immediate dismissal and prosecution of anyone maliciously damaging another person’s reputation.”
Comment Daily Telegraph 15 Oct 2011

I was innocent of the allegations that were levied at me 4 years ago. I became the first teacher in the UK to undergo polygraph examination in a vain attempt to prove my innocence.

The problem is that when you have a malicious head teacher, a weak and inexperienced board of governors and a confused / corrupt LEA HR department then you’ve got a recipe for utter disaster.

No one has even bothered to ask why a school’s investigative process can take 6 months or more. What are they doing during that time ? The answer is nothing - time allows everyone to forget who you once were - the incident and its detail becomes blurred and all the while your mental state spirals out of control.

I lost everything because people lie - 30 years in teaching - it reached a point where they had to lie otherwise so many heads would roll ... the LEA tried to gag me by offering to pay me off if I kept quiet (A pittance of £10,000 !).

So what is needed is a system where malicious, vindictive and corrupt behaviour can be detected and rooted out. An accusation MUST be heard and investigated - but the process must not be dealt with by the school or LEA - it needs independent and accountable trained agencies and the teacher must have support - and not from their union - they are guilty of allowing this travesty to exist for over 20 years.

Why Kill Yourself ?

2011-02-03T13:00:00.061Z

“They tell us that suicide is the greatest piece of cowardice... that suicide is wrong; when it is quite obvious that there is nothing in the world to which every man has a more unassailable title than to his own life and person.”

The procedure when dealing with allegations of abuse by teachers is horrendous for the accused. The strict adherence to Child Protection Policy means that the affected teacher is required to immediately leave the school, speak to nobody, and wait at home for further instruction by the relevant authority. Suspended from duty, and in a state of considerable anguish, some teachers have had to wait up to two years or more for their case to be heard in court. In the interim many suffered broken relationships, mental breakdowns, bankruptcy, and some even committed suicide.

I too have contemplated suicide – I still do today as I have no money, no job and I lost my home. Two years ago, one lonely and despondent evening, I exchanged a couple of e-mails ‘live’ with Michael Gove. He closed his last e-mail with :

“Thank you for getting in touch. I very much sympathise with the terrible position you find yourself in. My heart goes out to you. And your position underlines my determination to provide more protection for teachers who’re falsely accused in the future.”

The other day on interview, he said : “We need to restore the authority of a teacher and that’s why we’re giving them new powers to make it easier to exclude or to detain children who misbehave and to protect them from false allegations.”

All that Michael Gove has given teachers is the forlorn and unrealistic expectation that their case will be dealt with anonymously and powers that will back-fire on the teacher. He knows that teachers need protection and support. He knows that the process for handling allegations against teachers will inflict incalculable damage to such an extent that some commit suicide, most will never return to teaching. “Anonymity” doesn’t sound like a form of protection ? Troops going into battle expect better protection than ‘anonymity’ !

Protection :

That which protects or preserves from injury; a defence; a shield; a refuge.

No, that definition of protection makes no reference to anonymity or maybe Michael Gove has a different dictionary !

The bottom line is that Michael Gove has not given teachers protection or support. No one has addressed the problem and dangers of allegations against teachers. Until that fact is understood and resolved, teachers will continue to suffer and live in fear and education standards will continue to erode.

Michael Gove, his advisors, union leaders and all educational bureaucrats are fully aware of the most dreadful impact on the life of a teacher on the day when they become accused of an assault on a child.

They know that the teacher will be subjected to inhuman levels of stress and pain to such an extent that some will kill themselves – a quantifiable fact.

Is it murder ? To deliberately subject any human being to stress with no regard for them or their feelings, knowing that they will be broken and destroyed by the process; suicide, in these circumstances, by definition, must be murder.

Legal Analysis of Murder
William Blackstone (citing Edward Coke), in his Commentaries on the Laws of England set out the common law definition of murder as :

“when a person, of sound memory and discretion, unlawfully killeth any reasonable creature in being and under the king’s peace, with malice aforethought, either express or implied”

The first few elements are relatively straightforward; however, the concept of “malice aforethought” is a complex one that does not necessarily mean premeditation. The following states of mind are recognized as constituting the various forms of “malice aforethought” :

Intent to kill,
Intent to inflict grievous bodily harm short of death,
Reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk to human life, or
Intent to commit a dangerous felony.

Under state of mind (iii), the killing must result from defendant’s conduct involving a reckless indifference to human life and a conscious disregard of an unreasonable risk of death or serious bodily injury.

There it is “Reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk to human life.”

How many more teacher’s lives must be destroyed ? How many more deaths, murders must there be before this most horrendous system is finally replaced.

I challenge Michael Gove to look at me, at my example. I am innocent, life destroyed, supported by medication. I live every day, every hour, every minute knowing that those responsible lied and cheated. I know that for the rest of my life, I must suffer the pain of a sentence that I do not deserve. A criminal can expect fair and just treatment and a sentence that is finite. I do not even have that expectation and that my suffering will never end. There is no escape from this prison created by policy and procedure - total anonymity is delivered to those accountable and responsible !

Realize that the very thought of harming or abusing a child is horrible - to assault a child is to fail in life. To commit such a crime does warrant stern measures but the consequence of being falsely accused is a nightmare – which becomes so much worse when you are found guilty by a corrupt school management system of a crime that you did not commit !

Contrary to what is being claimed by Michael Gove, anonymity is a relatively minor consideration, the press coverage of teacher allegation cases is low and stories that are covered usually originate from events that took place many years ago. Google searches confirm this observation.

When the very fabric of all that you once held dear has been taken, the resulting shame and pain prevents most people from coming forward. But occasionally, others find the strength. I close with this item that I found on the TES website :

“I was a successful and confident Curriculum Head in a large establishment when a student made a false allegation against me. A full Safeguarding process swung into action and I was suspended. The experience was soul destroying and that first weekend into the suspension left me seriously contemplating suicide; I had done nothing wrong but what if I couldn’t prove that ?

I was one of the lucky ones. The Head of HR and Principal ensured my absolute support and protection from the moment I was suspended. They were objective and followed procedure, of course, but took every legitimate step to ensure my safety and well-being and even when I was totally exonerated after clearly withstanding scrutiny, ensured that I too received after-care with access to Counselling and Support. I will always be thankful that they managed with compassion and concern and professionalism.

The experience still haunts me and yet despite the way in which I was protected and supported, I had left that establish around 9 months later as my confidence has been dented beyond repair. I am now a Senior Manager in another establishment but have to admit to being almost paranoid around Safeguarding issues.

Sadly, so many professionals are left to endure a terrifying experience with no support, care and protection and I know of numerous people who have left the professional in an untimely fashion.”

My heart does go out to them and all teachers who have suffered such experiences and to all teachers in the future - sadly this mess is fated to continue. My desire and ambition is to make a difference, to maintain my personal and lonely campaign to provide protection for teachers and to end this evil process, bringing those responsible to account.

I had intended to close this entry with a list of some reported teacher suicides but, apart from the fact that their stories reduced me to tears, it seems morally wrong for newspapers to report such tragedies for little reason, purpose or benefit ... many reports clearly demonstrate the ‘lynch mob’ mentatility of ‘there’s no smoke without fire’ !

I have no wish to cause those families further distress by publicizing such stories and I leave you to explore and to consider this waste of human life, the needless deaths of so many teachers - Google key phrases such as ‘teacher hanged’ or ‘teacher suicide’ - sadly there are many and recent too !

Many reported suicides relate to cases where an allegation had been made against the teacher whilst others describe cases where teachers have been stressed beyond breaking point by a system that knows no compassion and that provides no support.

So just how many teachers have been sacrificed over the years ? How many more futile tragedies do we need before Michael Gove and everyone else realizes that the British education system and its management structures kill teachers !

Government Tested and Approved by Michael Gove

“The Little Protector”

Take control of your class the easy and painless way : Pull trigger and solve all your worries and problems and ours too !
(Fully guaranteed anonymity included)

Anonymity – “At what price ?”

2011-02-02T13:00:00.051Z

“It’s not fair that the accused is not protected from adverse publicity whilst the accuser is guaranteed anonymity, whatever the verdict.”Jonathan King (1944- )
“Sacrificing anonymity may be the next generation’s price for keeping precious liberty, as prior generations paid in blood.”Hal Norby

The Education Bill ("Michael Gove - Falling Down On The Job 3")
“The Emporer’s New Clothes”
An Emperor who cares for nothing but his wardrobe hires two weavers who promise him the finest suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or “just hopelessly stupid”. The Emperor cannot see the cloth himself, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position or stupid; his ministers do the same.

When the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they dress him in mime and the Emperor then marches in procession before his subjects. A child in the crowd calls out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all and the cry is taken up by others. The Emperor cringes, suspecting the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession.

Teachers are to be granted anonymity when pupils make allegations against them, which will only be lifted if a charge is made. The proposals are set out in Michael Gove’s Education Bill.

The teachers’ unions were quick to rush in with their responses, laying claim to the fact that it was their initiatives and actions that has now resulted in the government’s bequest :

Dr. Mary Bousted, General Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said : “Teachers will be delighted if the Education Bill helps gives them more protection against false allegations.”

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union said : “We are pleased that the Government has responded to our calls for safeguards for teachers facing allegations. False complaints have a devastating impact on innocent teachers, who may find themselves outcast within their community, but this can be reduced if anonymity is retained.”

Philip Parkin, General Secretary of Voice said : “We have been campaigning for the right to anonymity unless and until charged with a criminal offence.”

Somewhat surprisingly and completely out of character :

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said : “The Bill has all the hallmarks of being conceived by power junkies. This Bill should be a wake-up call to all those who care about children’s education that time is running out to stop this Coalition from destroying our education system.”

(Why do the NUT and NASUWT always make the claim that they’re the biggest union - one of them must be but which ? And remember that biggest isn’t always best !)

Then teacher support agencies blew their trumpets :

Julian Stanley, Chief Executive of Teacher Support Network, said : “Teachers were vulnerable to allegations, but that Teacher Support Network had lobbied hard for those facing such allegations to remain anonymous. I am pleased that this new legislation will provide anonymity.

In a BBC radio interview, Helen Denton, Executive Director for Children & Young People, Lancashire County Council expressed doubts about Michael Gove’s promise to provide anonomity. She was of the opinion that it was not realistic and that anonomity could not be assured :

“It would be very difficult in any circumstances to keep the anonymity of somebody entirely free.”

Anonymity will never be easy to ensure and protect; however it would not be expected that the LEA would provide press releases to all local newspapers – they did in my case and on three occasions ! They also failed to alert me to the fact that they had spoken with the press and that a story would be featured.

I was suspended on 27 September 2007. Two days later, there was an article published on the front page of the Lancashire Evening Post. On 3 October 2007, the Chorley Guardian published a story. (Neither newspaper reported my name but they did include comment by Lancashire County Council. As Lancashire County Council contributed to these articles, you might have imagined that they would have alerted me to the fact – but no, they never cared !)

I have always pondered who had contacted the press, it was odd that the Chorley Guardian should have covered two stories on 3 October 2007 about Duke Street Primary School. The first presented an article about Andrew Kidd, head teacher and another reporting the allegation. It seemed too coincidental. I did ask Lancashire Evening Post who had reported the story. They said that, as with many stories, they had received an anonymous call. The Chorley Guardian said that they could not divulge such confidential information. I pointed out the coincidental publication of the two articles and asked how that was possible. In the end, they intimated that it was a school employee but refused to provide any other details.

Education Bill

2011-01-27T13:00:00.031Z

The Education Bill
Presented by Secretary Michael Gove
Supported by the Prime Minister,
the Deputy Prime Minister,
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Secretary Vince Cable,
Sarah Teather, Mr Nick Gibb,
Mr David Willetts and Mr John Hayes.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”Confucious(551 BC-479 BC)
“If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.”Mary Pickford (1893-1979)
The Education Bill ("Michael Gove - Falling Down On The Job 1")
The Education Bill ("Michael Gove - Falling Down On The Job 2")
“We want to remove from teachers the fear factor of ending up in court or some disciplinary procedure if they intervene.”

“We need to give teachers more powers to keep order so they can nip bad behaviour in the bud.”

“What we need is to take a step back and say ‘Why is it we as a country have a problem with children’s nutrition and obesity ?’ These are things we can all solve rather than suggesting that teachers solve them for us.”

“Nothing is more important than raising the prestige and esteem of teaching.”

So why does he continue to sanction the ever increasing use of any unqualified person to cover and teach lessons ? His lack of action is undermining teachers and the teaching profession.

courtesy BBC Radio ‘The Today Programme’ - 27 January 2011

New Year’s Resolution

2011-01-01T13:00:00.031Z

A New Year resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a personal goal, project, or the reforming of a habit. A New Year’s Resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.

Another year has passed and I have not succeeded in my goals. It’s hard to appreciate that almost 1200 days have now elapsed since that dreadful day. I can hardly bear to look back for I have lost everything.

Looking back at 2010, my proudest achievement was to have participated in the recent BBC Radio Lancashire program. I had hoped to do so much more but those challenges are now my goals for 2011.

My partner continues to encourage and support me; without his help, I truly believe that I would have ended my life several years ago. It is the realization that I can never put this mess behind me. When you’ve been found guilty of a crime that you didn’t commit then it just gnaws away at you like a cancer that invades your life. Worse when you know that those who were responsible and accountable cheated, deceived and lied, denying me my right to a fair hearing and justice.

Remember too that this is not an ‘ordinary’ crime, a minor misdemeanour. This a heinous crime, an assault on a child – any assault must be considered serious – but that on a child is contemptuous and deserves the full weight of the law and subsequent punishment.

I have lived through hell, I have experienced the misery and destruction of my life – nobody should suffer in this way, but sadly they do, for I am not alone in my pain. Recent papers are full of stories of teachers who have been sacked for doing their jobs – sacked because of their enthusiasm and commitment to their career.

Everyone cries in outrage about the stupidity, injustice and waste but tomorrow’s headlines soon provide new stories and the misery of that particular teacher’s life is forgotten.

Michael Gove said he would change everything and would support teachers in the future – “The Importance of Teaching”. But he has not done anything to improve the situation – in fact, providing the LEAs and schools with greater powers will make matters worse.

My greatest ambition is to put an end to this nightmare for all teachers. NASUWT have worked on this for 20 years – I, on my own, have tried for 2 years. In two years, I have brought about a parliamentary committee meeting, television and radio interviews and newspaper coverage of the problem. I have exchanged letters with MPs, including David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Michael Gove and others.

In short, an ordinary reception teacher from a humble Chorley primary school has fought harder and with more success than any union or MP.

I want to be heard, I want my case publicly exposed for all to scrutinize – only then can the policy makers begin to appreciate the corruption that exists within our local county councils and schools – only then can we begin to create a new framework that will support teachers and children in the future.

Incest Is Rife

2010-12-11T13:00:00.123Z

“This is like hiring the Ku Klux Klan to represent you in a desegregation case.” James McElroy

Prejudiced Duke Street Governors

Andrew Kidd	Head Teacher
Elaine Haddon	Teaching Assistant
Elaine Callan	Nursery Nurse
Anne Callander	Teacher
Sarah Ridley	Deputy Head Teacher
Joan Quinton	Teacher - Retired
Steve McLoughlin	Parent Governor - Wife teacher
Nigel West	Florist
Peter Whittle	Nigel West’s Delivery Man
Jane Watts	Teacher

The above listed people had been governors at Duke Street Primary School - including myself.

Andrew Kidd, head teacher (by default a governor) must be considered to be a hostile participant in my case. His role was supposed to have been impartial - the investigator has to have an open mind and it is for the governors to consider and judge the evidence. He continued to demonstrate through his actions that he held a significant resentment of me, not only as a teacher, but as a human being.
(Ref : Anonymous Text)

Elaine Haddon was the only witness to the incident. By definition, a hostile witness. (Another witness should have been the 5 year old girl. I would have expected to have seen reports produced by Social Services but there were none submitted !)

Elaine Callan, a hostile witness, whose testimony supported Elaine Haddon’s claim that I had been sitting on a stool using a whiteboard. Otherwise, her testimony was largely hearsay.

Anne Callander, another hostile witness, who claimed that I had admitted the assault to her whilst I was in a hysterical fit on the day of my suspension. Recently, she sent my partner an e-mail in which she confessed that she had perjured herself. Her confusion had been apparent at both hearings.

(Elaine Haddon and Anne Callander are friends who meet socially and online through Facebook.)

Sarah Ridley had taught at Burscough Primary School where Andrew Kidd had been head teacher and they had shared the same class for some years. Andrew Kidd offered her a teaching post at Duke Street. Since then she has achieved an unprecedented, meteoric rise to deputy head teacher ... this resulted in understandable speculation by Duke Street staff !

Joan Quinton, a supply teacher, who filled my position throughout my suspension. I had known her over many years as a teacher at Duke Street. Her motivation was always that of self-interest. She had been a well liked teacher and had retired many years ago. It was to her financial benefit that I did not return to school !

Steve McLoughlin had an interest in protecting his wife who was a teacher at Duke Street. His wife, Janet, had been fearful of recrimination by Andrew Kidd - so much so, that, even though we had known one another for 20 years, she could not provide me with a character reference :

Nigel West is a local florist in Chorley, Marshalls. He has the contract for the school’s floral requirement and as such has a vested financial interest and therefore an obligation to Andrew Kidd.

Peter Whittle works for Nigel West as a delivery man. It seems unfair and incorrect that he should have attended my disciplinary hearing with his employer.

My hearings could never have been fair or impartial because everyone, in one way or another, had a vested interest.

Everyone knew one another; at best it was a confused mix of divided loyalties and personality clashes; at worst it was an outrageous theatrical farce !

There are 16 governors at Duke Street Primary School, 10 had a predetermined / vested interest in the outcome of my case. One governor was deliberately excluded and another is ‘intellectually challenged’ but had had their hair done for the occasion !

And that was just the tip of the iceberg ! Throw in a couple of Lancashire County Council HR managers who are not averse to adding their lies and to deliberately excluding the only trustworthy and upright Duke Street governor - Mohammed Naeem.

Christine Toward and Robert Sage are other governors of note who should have been prohibited from being involved with the judgement of my case.

Christine Toward had presided over my disciplinary hearing and Robert Sage over my appeal hearing.

They will feature in later discussion in subsequent blog entries.

I close with a special thanks to another governor, Lorraine Nicholls, school secretary. She approached me at the appeal hearing to let me know how much that she had been looking forward to the day and that she had had her hair done especially !

I hope that she enjoyed the day - it is reassuring to know that there was someone there who could recognize the significance and importance of the destruction of my life whilst still enjoying themselves ! (If you ever attend another hearing, don’t forget your knitting !)

Beat that Mary Antoinette !
Just for you Lorraine - At the execution of Mary Antoinette, Madame Tussaud sat knitting.

----- Original Message -----
From: Anne Callander
To: False Allegation
Sent: 05 January 2010 15:49
Subject: Anne Callander sent you a message on Facebook...

As a Headteacher myself I know that the safeguarding and protection of a child is paramount, above all other concerns, and there are procedures that simply have to be followed.

The outcome would have been so different and Jane would still be teaching today if she had accepted that she needed support during the difficult time she was having. Instead she chose a different route.

The Jane I once knew would have taken the correct advice and accept the support offered from the start. She would NOT have ignored the advice from her union, her friends and the supportive network at county. She would NOT have followed the corrosive and destructive path that was advised by her partner whose first contact with her after the suspension was to tell her to “Shut up and don’t say any more”.

None of this was reported at the hearing. I could have done had I chosen to, but I wanted to say as little as possible whilst still telling the TRUTH.

This was the stance I had taken all along which I now know was “sitting on the fence”. I also took this attitude during the phonecalls that I received from Jane possibly giving the impression that I was agreeing with her by responding with “mmmm” and expressive “oh nos” and the like.

...
...

Her e-mail continued but her actions clearly show that she was guilty of lying by omission :

“... I wanted to say as little as possible whilst still telling the TRUTH.”

In her e-mail, she also makes the statement :

“No doubt this is what led to Jane expecting me to lie for her at the hearing.”

I had no such expectation of her or of anyone else but she went ahead anyway and lied for her own reasons ! All that I ever wanted to be presented was the truth but it was witnesses like her and others that chose to lie for reasons that I will never understand that damned me to my life today.

She claims to be a friend but friends do not behave in such a manner - her intent was callous, malicious and scheming, her reasons and rationale are beyond comprehension.

She claims to care about children, their safety being paramount ... but her actions demonstrate that she cared nothing for the well-being of the 5 year old girl, Exxxx ... this is why existing policies and procedures that are there to protect children so often fail with such disastrous results ... because people like her determine their own versions of TRUTH and to hell with the consequences !

Neither I nor my partner can recollect him saying “Shut up and don’t say any more”. But it sounds like good advice when you have such evil and wicked people around who are more than willing and able to take advantage of a person who is suffering so much pain and mental anguish !

Anne Callander is also saying something in her e-mail that is so sinister yet undeniably has substance and validity :

“The outcome would have been so different and Jane would still be teaching today if she had accepted that she needed support during the difficult time she was having. Instead she chose a different route.”

There is an implication that the process of dealing with an allegation of assault by a teacher transcends the truth itself. This is what I have been saying all along – the truth per say was never of any importance. It might be that if I’d grovelled, respected my peers and been remorseful (for something that I’d not done) then somehow it would have all come out right – and bizarrely, I think that she’s probably correct in what she says !

The Lynch Mob

2010-12-10T13:00:00.000Z

“The mob is man voluntarily descending to the nature of the beast. Its fit hour of activity is night. Its actions are insane like its whole constitution. It persecutes a principle; it would whip a right; it would tar and feather justice, by inflicting fire and outrage upon the houses and persons of those who have these. It resembles the prank of boys, who run with fire-engines to put out the ruddy aurora streaming to the stars.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Michael Gove Empowers and Sanctions Mob Rule
‘Mob Mentality’, ‘Herd Behaviour’, call it what you like, but we hear it all the time to do with emotive issues and some not so emotive ones. The type of mob rule we see when it comes to morals like child abuse is an example where people just talk and very rarely do anything about it.

Moral Panics have several distinct features. According to Goode and Ben-Yehuda, moral panic has the following characteristics :

Concern – There must be awareness that the behaviour of the group or category in question is likely to have a negative impact on society.

Hostility – Hostility towards the group in question increases, and they become ‘folk devils’. A clear division forms between ‘them’ and ‘us’.

Consensus – Though concern does not have to be nationwide, there must be widespread acceptance that the group in question poses a very real threat to society. It is important at this stage that the ‘moral entrepreneurs’ are vocal and the ‘folk devils’ appear weak and disorganised.

Disproportionality – The action taken is disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the accused group.
Especially poignant; the disproportionality of the perceived threat to the mob. The mob sees demons in every corner, supplied indeed by their own imaginations or perceived fears.

Volatility – Moral panics are highly volatile and tend to disappear as quickly as they appeared due to a wane in public interest or news reports changing to another topic.

On 27 September 2007, I was suspended for allegedly assaulting a child. I was not allowed to know the nature of the allegation until my arrest on 31 October 2007.

The police told me that I had been accused of slapping a 5 year old girl on the hand on the afternoon of 26 September 2007. The incident had been reported by Mrs. Haddon, a teaching assistant who had been working in my classroom.

Mrs. Haddon’s statement said :

“On the afternoon of Wednesday 26 September 2007 at approximately 2pm, I was working with 2 children on the table directly opposite to the table J Watts was working with a group of children.

A short while into the activity I heard J Watts shout, I looked up from what I was doing just as she was standing up, she reached over the desk to Exxxx, smacked her hand and snatched the pencil that was in the same hand from her.”

So here is the scene that was alleged :

A five year old girl writing at a circular table using a Staedtler pencil – large in comparison with her small hand. I reached over the 120 centimetre diameter table and slapped her hand, hard enough for it to be clearly audible across a classroom of 28 noisy children but not hard enough to knock away the pencil from her hand !

The police accepted my statement and passed comment on the validity of Mrs. Haddon’s version of events. They were concerned by the fact that Mrs. Haddon had waited 20 hours instead of reporting the incident immediately. The police added that they believed that I was being victimized. They asked me if there were bad feelings between myself and Mr. Kidd and Mrs. Haddon.

The police dismissed the case on 19 November 2007 … the case then moved from the ‘professionals’ to the school – the ‘lynch mob’ – Lancashire County Council, school governors all led by Mr. Kidd !

Whilst the police believed my statement, Mr. Kidd did not and he set about ‘proving what he believed and knew’. Evidence was fabricated and statements embellished – anything that might support my case was suppressed – Mr. Kidd said “Such evidence only served to ‘cloud the issue’ of what I believed and knew.”

Even in the hands of the police, there had been no real or concrete evidence that supported the case one way or another. Mr. Kidd changed that and presented a report to the ‘mob’ that established certainty – absolute and irrefutable evidence.

In the absence of commonsense and through the introduction of ‘mob rule’, the magnitude and scale of the alleged assault now increased beyond all recognition.

Mrs. Haddon and Mrs. Callan agreed that, at the time of the alleged assault, Exxxx had not cried or reacted nor had any of the other children who had been working at the table.

The police had been pragmatic and recognized the trivial nature of the so called ‘slap’ even if the incident had taken place.

By the time Mr. Kidd had finished, it was clear that Exxxx had been fortunate to escape with her life !

To explain the 20 hour delay in reporting the incident, Mrs. Haddon said that the assault had been so vicious, violent and unprovoked that she had suffered shock and had been unable to react. It had taken her many hours to recover from the effects of witnessing such an attack !

The ‘lynch mob’ responded to this dramatic and graphic image in sheer outrage. Mr. Kidd then added further impact by describing the mental state and anguish that Exxxx was still suffering. A year had nearly elapsed and poor Exxxx was still exhibiting signs of post traumatic abuse and bed wetting. She still remained in fear when coming to school just in case Mrs. Watts had returned.

The drama of it all proved too much for the ‘mob’ to bear and I was lynched by a group of so called responsible and upright citizens.

Everyone has experience of one form or another of the result of the ‘mob mentatility’. Sadly, the consequences, especially in those areas where children are involved, can be devastating.

Everyday there a news reports, public outcries for justice - and then it all goes quiet and the story becomes no more than a wrapper for fish and chips. Life returns to normal and nothing ever changes !

When will Michael Gove begin to appreciate the consequences of his policies and initiatives ? How many more innocent people will be lynched by the ‘angry mob’ that he has empowered ?

The Importance Of Teaching

2010-11-24T13:00:00.032Z

Our document’s called “The Importance of Teaching” because we know that there is nothing which is more important in improving our school system than raising the prestige and esteem of the teaching profession and giving teachers more power over what happens in the classroom. That’s why we’ll be slimming back a lot of the regulation and bureaucracy that’s got in the way of teachers doing their job in the past and it’s why we’ll be giving teachers new powers to keep order and discipline in the classroom ...

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education

The Schools White Paper 2010

Behaviour and Discipline :

•	The requirement for 24-hours notice of detention will be abolished in legislation.
•	The DfE will issue a “short, clear, robust guide” on teachers’ power to use reasonable force, giving schools greater discretion on how to monitor these powers. Teachers will be able to search for pornography, tobacco and fireworks.
•	There will be statutory guidance to extend heads’ powers to punish pupils who misbehave on the way to or from school.
•	Anti bullying guidance will be simplified from 500 to 20 pages. Inspectors will be given more time to look for evidence on pupil behaviour, if there is bullying in school and how well it is dealt with, taking evidence from pupils and parents. Parents with concerns can ask Ofsted to inspect: they can decide how to proceed.
•	Allegations against teachers. The Association of Chief Police Officers is looking at how investigations in these cases can be speeded up. Heads will get guidance from the DfE to ensure teachers are not automatically suspended in these cases, and there will be legislation to ensure reporting restrictions prevent the identification of staff until they are charged with a criminal offence. The Government will clarify that referees should not be required to report allegations proved to be malicious or untrue.

We will better protect teachers from false allegations :

3.11	The fact that teachers are often the only adult in a classroom of young people means that they can be subject to false or even malicious allegations. In a recent survey, 50 per cent of staff questioned reported that they or a colleague have had a false allegation made against them. As well as being a distressing experience, this can affect career progression and damage the perception of teachers. So we will legislate to give anonymity to teachers accused by pupils and we will speed up the progress of investigations.
3.12	It is of course absolutely essential that genuine cases of misconduct or abuse are dealt with fairly and effectively. And to do this, false allegations need to be identified and dismissed quickly. Governors and head teachers should ensure that all allegations are investigated without delay. We will work with local authorities, the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to address this issue. ACPO are committed to looking at new ways in which investigations can be speeded up, without compromising their integrity, by eradicating all unnecessary delays.
3.13	Many head teachers have felt that the only option while investigating an allegation is to suspend the teacher in question, regardless of the nature or seriousness of the allegation. We will update guidance to schools to ensure that allegations against a teacher do not automatically result in their being suspended. Where there are no risks to children, we want to see alternatives explored so that teachers do not have to endure the stigma and speculation that accompanies suspension.
3.14	False allegations can damage teachers’ career prospects even once disproved. We will clarify that in future when employers are asked to give references for teachers they should never be required to report prior allegations which were found to be malicious or untrue. We will legislate to introduce reporting restrictions that prevent a teacher’s identity being revealed until the point at which they are charged with a criminal offence.
3.15	We will consider whether these measures should also be applied to the wider children’s workforce.

There have been several inspirational moments during my long fight and campaign for justice. One is especially relevant when, at a low point late one night, I e-mailed Michael Gove for help. He was online too and we exchanged a couple of e-mails and he closed his last by saying :

“Thank you for getting in touch. I very much sympathise with the terrible position you find yourself in. My heart goes out to you. And your position underlines my determination to provide more protection for teachers who’re falsely accused in the future.”

His sincerity gave me hope that maybe one day he might ‘champion’ the cause.

That was two years ago. Today, I feel differently and appreciate the ingenuous nature of people and politicians. He learned nothing of the life of a teacher or what tragic events can lie in wait for them.

Today, in his white paper, he claims to be providing increased powers, support and protection to the teacher. In truth, he is reinforcing the control and scope of the head teacher, governors and LEA and the teacher’s needs have not been addressed – worse their needs have not even been considered, examined or explored.

The head teacher is able to act with impunity, their actions being free from question or scrutiny – the consequence of an autonomous system. In many cases, it is the bully who now is being empowered with free reign and scope.

There is a naïve belief in the fact that everyone will behave fairly but they do not and can not – for they are judges in their own cause – so ‘natural justice’ will never be delivered.

The head teacher said, at my appeal hearing, that he knew that I was guilty of the assault from the day of the allegation. He said that he collected evidence and statements that supported his belief and rejected anything that, in his opinion, only served to ‘cloud the issue’. Lancashire County Council staff knew that there were documented reports of the significant resentment that was held by the head teacher toward myself but their HR staff lied about this fact at my appeal hearing. (Lancashire County Council’s failures and corrupt behaviour is detailed in my entry Sweep It Under The Rug).

I believe, that through my head teacher’s enthusiasm and his malicious intent, a point of no return was reached where it became impossible for Lancashire County Council to back track. To do so would have created a complex situation involving school staff, governors and the head teacher. So Lancashire County Council staff lied at my appeal hearing and pushed through a false finding of my guilt - with the knowledge that their actions would never be investigated. They knew that my health had deteriorated to the point where I was too ill to return to teaching. So they reinstated my position which then denied me the opportunity to my case to an employment tribunal.

As allegations of abuse are relatively rare, a school can never have the experience and skills necessary to investigate allegations and to manage a case properly.

At best, the teacher is subjected to a theatrical farce where logical argument is replaced by purely emotional decisions by those who may well being ‘doing their best’.

In my case, the governors had no experience or training in handling allegations of abuse. My appeal hearing was like an obscene cross between the execution of Mary Antoinette and an episode from Kavanagh, QC. Two governors even told me how excited they were and that they had been looking forward to it for weeks; adding that they had had their hair done specially for the day !

It seems that there a few who really want to look at the failings of the system. The press and media favour the ‘poor teacher’ story so there’s a wealth of such articles, my own included. The unions claim to have worked on the problem for 20 years but they have achieved nothing. I believe that the unions are guilty of complacency and are responsible for the continuance and acceptance of a situation that can result in suicides – it kills people !

The government have done nothing to correct it – its failure to do so is nothing short of disgraceful negligence. Barry Sheerman, MP did get very close to describing the problem – he said that all that a teacher needs is ‘natural justice’.

And there it is in a nutshell :

“A teacher needs ‘Natural Justice’”
Sadly Barry Sheerman missed the significance of his own words.

Recently Chris Rider, BBC journalist produced the first programme that looks tentatively at the failings of the process. It was broadcast on Radio Lancashire last week. It identified the key failing to be that the school and LEA are both the judge and jury of allegations against teachers. There it is – a teacher can never receive ‘natural justice’ !

So Mr. Cameron and Mr. Gove, I have done your work for you – all that you need to do with your white paper is to amend it so that the teacher will be protected by a framework that guarantees them ‘natural justice’. Do that and we’re all winners !

The white paper sets great store on teacher’s anonymity being a crucial concern. In an ideal world it might be but it must be remembered that it is a school and rumours spread fast. Any expectation of confidentiality is unrealistic. However, this should not suggest that the school can release the story to the media – which is precisely what they did for me, supported by comment by Lancashire County Council.

The other issue is that of returning to work whilst an investigation is underway. I strongly suggest that we stop listening to the unions and use commonsense or psychiatric comment. Try to imagine what it might feel like to a professional teacher when an allegation is made. Your world is shattered instantly – suddenly every facet of your life falls apart. You can barely live let alone work – and can you comprehend what it would feel like to return to the scene of the so called crime ?

What is needed is very fast and comprehensive support for the teacher. The case too must be progressed with speed. It is not unreasonable for a police investigation to take a month to reach a conclusion. The aim should be not more than another month before any other investigative process is completed. That’s a total of 2 months and I believe that to be acceptable. Again, there needs to be an inquiry into why it takes schools years to complete their process – the cynical reason is that the dust will have settled, life’s moved on at school and the teacher and their story is no longer of any import.

Finally, consideration MUST be made of the damage that has been done. Financial compensation, early retirement, long term support to assist the teacher to reintegrate must be considered. We can not ignore an allegation and the priority must always be to the child but we must accept a responsibility to the injured party – and that will be the teacher on most occasions.

It seems wrong that government white papers should be written badly to the extent that they are open to misinterpretation :

“It is of course absolutely essential that genuine cases of misconduct or abuse are dealt with fairly and effectively.”

Surely all cases should be treated fairly and effectively ? There is also a very nasty implication that is inferred in the above statement that is a continuance of the major complaint of the system – a teacher is guilty from the start and that they then have to prove their innocence !

In all previous cases of allegations against teachers, I have considered the case where the allegation is false yet the teacher is found guilty.

I have recently been made aware of cases where an allegation is founded but the school choose to deliberately suppress the allegation in favour of the school’s and the teacher’s good name. Again, as nothing is open to scrutiny by a third party and there is no way to appeal to an external agency then this eventuality is possible.

So what do we have ? We have a system that does not work and never has in the past. It is a system that can put children at risk and kills teachers. It is a system that deters good teachers from entering the profession. It is a system that encourages and empowers the bully. It is a system that encourages good teachers to leave the profession. Everyone is a loser with this system - let us work together to make a system that does work !

House of Commons
Wednesday 24 November 2010
The House met at half-past Eleven o'clock
Prayers
[Mr Speaker in the Chair]
Oral Answers to Questions
Cabinet Office
The Minister for the Cabinet Office was asked :

David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Con): I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his excellent White Paper. What measures does it contain to protect teachers from false allegations made by disruptive pupils ?

Michael Gove: It was a pleasure to meet teachers in my hon. Friend’s constituency during the local election campaign two years ago. I know that they will welcome our proposals to ensure that investigations are speeded up when teachers face false allegations, and to ensure that they enjoy anonymity if such allegations are made. We will also tell head teachers that there should be no automatic suspension of teachers when they exercise legitimate authority in the classroom.

Jane Watts (Chorley ex-teacher): Amazing ! Years of data collation, reports, meetings and recommendations. Dozens of suicides, families and careers destroyed and you come up with something as radical as a chocolate teaspoon ! Anonymity and not being suspended are as much use to a teacher as a bicycle is to a fish ! Why can not a teacher receive ‘natural justice’ as a priority ? Why can not a teacher be compensated for the damage to their health and career ? You really do know how to make a teacher feel safe, protected and so important !

Helen Denton - LCC

2010-11-18T13:00:00.078Z

Executive Director for Children & Young People, Lancashire County Council (2008- )

Helen.Denton@lancashire.gov.uk

Tel. (44)1772 254868

Helen Denton was appointed on 1 August 2008, following the retirement of Pat Jefferson.

She was born in Blackpool and started her career as a secondary teacher in Moss Side, Manchester before a spell as head of home economics in a school in Hong Kong. On returning to the UK, she completed her Masters degree, worked for the Department for Education & Science and then began her career in local government with Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.

Initially appointed as an Assistant Education Officer, she gained experience across a range of areas before becoming an Assistant Director with broad responsibilities across the inclusion services. A move to Leeds City Council followed to be Head of Service for Children and Families and she was then appointed as Assistant Education Director for Sefton Metropolitan Council.

Over the years I have written to her to express my concerns with regard to the failings of her departments and their members in my case.

Without qualification, she replied : “I do not feel that it is in the best interests of all of the parties involved for this to be re-examined.”

I also provided Helen Denton with evidence showing that a ‘key’ hostile witness, Anne Callander, had lied and perjured themselves at both the disciplinary and appeal hearings.

She immediately replied : “I do not see that does anything to change the current position with regard to your own closed case, so the situation remains that no further action will be taken within Lancashire County Council.”

16 November 2010 - Helen Denton

courtesy BBC Radio Lancashire - Graham Liver

03 March 2009 - Barry Sheerman, MP
Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee For Children, Schools and Families

courtesy BBC Radio 4 - File on 4

I would suggest that he should make a start with Helen Denton ! (The contrast between what she believes and what he knows is immense; as is his sense of compassion.)

The system’s not fair ! Hmm … I don’t think that I would agree with that ! I think probably we have to say what is the most important thing that we’re doing and that’s keeping our children and young people safe. And in any system we have to have a balance between the needs of children and young people and their parents because parents entrust us with their children and they entrust us to keep them safe.
This is indeed the responsibility of a school and LEA – to keep children safe. Who therefore has responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of a teacher ? There is clearly a conflict of interest that can never be overcome during a case of an allegation of assault by a member staff against a pupil. The requirements for ‘Natural Justice’ can never be met without the intervention of a wholly independent third party.

The governors are in a very difficult position in terms of having to take the word of one member of staff against another.
Again this is why the hearing panel should be independent and trained. It is simply not possible to reliably judge truth in such circumstances and the panel would need to proceed with extreme caution. The ultimate suggestion would be the introduction of a polygraph examination – which I would recommend as a simple yet reliable solution for such situations.

The head master and the governors; they basically sit as judge and jury and the teachers that we’ve been talking to don’t think that’s fair. Yes. Hmm. Our advice to the governors is that they have to keep the vast majority of governors separate from any investigations that take place.
Dead right ! Typical politician ! Little wonder that Helen never answered the question. How can anyone believe that a head teacher and his governing body could ever provide an impartial outcome for any teacher ?

The whole thing is so incestuous – all in bed together ! It’s obscene and outrageous – this is not justice and never could be. The head teacher and governors have their own agenda as does the LEA. The governors have a responsibility to support the head teacher, sometimes without question ! The teacher will be known to the governors.

I had been a governor at Duke Street. The teaching assistant who made the accusation is a governor. The supply teacher who filled my post was a governor. Two hostile witnesses were also governors. The chair of governors resigned over my case. At my disciplinary hearing, I was judged by a florist (Nigel West of Marshalls) and his delivery man. The same florist, now chair of governors, has the contract to supply Duke Street with its floral requirements. How incestuous a relationship do you want ? This was never fair, never impartial and never honest !

It would be very difficult in any circumstances to keep the anonymity of somebody entirely free.
Anonymity will never be easy to ensure and protect; however it would not be expected that the LEA would provide press releases to all local newspapers – they did in my case and on three occasions ! They also failed to alert me to the fact that they had spoken with the press and that a story would be featured.

You know it’s with great sorrow that we would lose very good teachers but there aren’t a very significant proportion of them.
Ho hum … thank goodness there’s only a few teachers whose lives have been destroyed. Remember too that these teachers can end up losing their families and several have committed suicide. How can anyone show such brutal callousness and outright cruelty ? How many would Helen Denton like to see before she considers it to be of concern. Surely one teacher is enough ! Teachers, in these situations, should be compensated for the damage to their careers and lives.

We have to be seen to be keeping children safe and parents would expect us to do that.
Here again is the crux of the injustice. Surely we should be keeping children safe – being ‘seen’ to do so sounds like ‘lip service’. And this is the problem – sacking a teacher, even though innocent, is a politically correct decision that costs nothing and enhances the image of the school, LEA and Helen Denton !

She is dangerously close to sanctioning and authorizing behaviour and processes that are not dissimilar to those of the ‘Salem Witch Trials’ of the 1690’s using exactly the same rationale and paranoid argument !

The system and everybody within it tries to do everything that they can both to support those people who are going through that process and also to make it is as fair and equitable as possible in terms of ensuring that they conduct a proper investigation and thoroughly consider the facts in terms of whenever they take any action against a teacher on the grounds of their professional conduct.
They don’t try very hard ! What support did you provide me ? – Absolutely nothing ! Lancashire County Council sanctioned an investigation by a narcissistic head teacher who had a documented history of resentment toward me. They ignored presented facts and mistakes were made in the final reports. They excluded governors from hearings. Senior HR departmental staff lied – Vic Welch for example. Lancashire County Council took full control of my appeal hearing; the governing body played no part in this farce. 95% of all questions originated from Anne Sutton (HR). In short, it was Lancashire County Council who found me guilty and at all costs !
(ref : Sweep It Under The Rug)

It would be very difficult to see how the system could change to make it fairer.
Well there we go ! A very brave statement, usually reserved for idiots and those about to experience what it feels like to put their ‘foot in their mouth’ ! No system is 100% perfect and this one just does not work at all !

Here’s a suggestion; Why not ask the teachers what they would like to happen ?

By the way, you will find that you can see a lot better with your eyes open !

Helen Denton has the authority, power and control to make a difference, to make changes, to introduce fresh initiatives to help resolve a nightmare for all teachers. Her problem is that it is simpler to sack a teacher, to take their career and their life to appease parents and public alike – child protection is ‘seen’ to be paramount.

It takes a strong stomach to undertake such an act, there can be no regret, no remorse, no sorrow, no heart or compassion. This fact is exemplified in Helen Denton’s radio presentation for she expresses no mention or reference to caring for the teacher.

She knows that I speak the truth. She knows that I did nothing. She knows that I have experienced utter humiliation, destruction of career and life through no fault. She knows that her staff lied, governors lied and that the head teacher, Andrew Kidd, lied. She knows that I never received fair nor impartial treatment or support. She can not reopen my case for she already knows that the outcome would result in the destruction of large and key elements of her own world and that of the school. She also knows that I will never stop. One day the truth ‘will out’ for me and many other teachers.

I challenge her for I can substantiate what I say. She can not for her claims are false and without substance.

Some may wonder why I have not taken action through Lancashire County Council’s own complaints procedure. This course of action was suggested to me by both David Cameron and Michael Gove earlier this year. The ‘Catch 22’ is that Lancashire County Council can veto complaints that they don’t like and this is how they treated my complaint !

Others have suggested taking legal action, embarking on a suit of malfeasance against Lancashire County Council but that requires enormous funds and I have no resources.

So, unless you know of an altruistic legal team, I am reliant on the investigative power of journalists.

I close this entry with my ultimate horror episode. No one, not even Helen Denton, should experience how this feels. It is an event that will live with me forever and, even today, I can not listen to this recording.

31 October 2007 - Jane Watts

courtesy HM Police - Leyland, Preston

It would take a hardened criminal to even consider lying under the stress of a police arrest interview and it is something that even a humble reception teacher is not equipped !

I will say, contrary to what Helen Denton might say, is that this was the only time that I was treated with any humility, kindness and sensitivity. The police have a terrible job to do but they do it well and I thank them !

“I do not feel that it is in the best interests of all of the parties involved for this to be re-examined.”

Helen Denton

It is not in your best interests nor those who were involved in this travesty of justice.

It is, however, in my best interest and of every teacher in the United Kingdom and even the rest of the world !

Ultimately, radical reform will result in improvements in security and safety for child, parent and teacher - which is what everyone wants - ‘Natural Justice’ !

Jane Watts

Please help me to make a difference – three years of utter misery and struggle is too much to bear. I have fought with honour and dignity throughout but I want an end to my life like this for this is not living, it is a slow death – a prisoner can expect better treatment. For a prisoner there is an end but for me this injustice will be with me forever – every day, every hour, every minute for the rest of my life – it will never fade … imagine how it feels to be wrongly accused of assaulting a child ! Help me to bring those who are responsible to account. Help me to clear my name.

I invite representatives of the media to contact me. Please help me to continue my fight - there is a story of corruption, suffering and is of enormous significance to 450,000 teachers and to the rest of British society - let me continue to tell my story !

Jane Watts : falseallegation@gmail.com

BBC - Fighting For Justice

2010-11-16T13:00:00.005Z

I wish to express my sincerest thanks and gratitude to Chris Rider, BBC, for affording me such an opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions with so many listeners and for his insight and appreciation of the nature of the problem.

For me this has been a significant milestone. I have been campaigning against the process that destroys so many lives; my own included.

Finally, here is a presentation that has examined the process and not focussed on what I term to be ‘a poor teacher’s story’.

This programme is only the start but it is a beginning. My intention is to be there at the end for I will never stop fighting !

15 November 2010 - Steve Becker, David Roy, Jenni Watson

16 November 2010 - Jane Watts, Ken Cridland, Helen Denton

courtesy BBC Radio Lancashire - Graham Liver

Teachers’ appeal process unfair says Lancashire NUT

BBC News 16 November 2010

NASUWT - Déjà Vu

2010-08-10T13:00:00.044+01:00

Another year on and here is another response by Chris Keates to recent press coverage of allegations against teachers.

Like a broken record, her words are those uttered last year, the year before and every year since the dawn of time - well, some 20 years !

Nothing has ever changed and nothing ever will without the aggressive determination of individuals to introduce radical reform and overhaul of existing systems.

NASUWT calls to stop teachers’ lives being devastated by false and unfounded allegations
Tuesday, 10, Aug 2010 10:27

Responding to BBC figures on the number of allegations made against teachers by parents and pupils in the last year, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“All allegations made by children and young people must be taken seriously and properly investigated.”

‘Properly investigated’ is the crucial key - at the moment, the only professional, trained and accountable body is the police. The LEA and school have a responsibility to the child and parents - they are obliged to err on the side of caution and can not be expected or trusted to undertake an impartial and fair investigation - worse, they can behave improperly, safe in the knowledge that their actions are not subject to scrutiny by any third party.

“These figures confirm the evidence from the NASUWT’s data which demonstrates that teachers are particularly vulnerable to allegations but that in the overwhelming majority of cases these allegations are false or unfounded.”

Another failing is that no one is prepared to address a teacher’s vulnerability. A teacher needs support; other than their union, they are reliant solely on their head teacher. The use of video cameras in the classroom has become a necessary consideration and I would suggest that all teachers be equipped with personal worn surveillance devices. To do nothing to protect the teacher is a crime in itself.

The sad reality is that such evidential data is based on the abject misery of so many people’s lives that have been destroyed. Isn’t just one person’s suffering and experience sufficient in itself ?

“More work needs to be done in tackling this issue which continues to devastate teachers' personal lives and professional careers.”

In order for ‘more work to be done’ it is necessary to make a start. Nothing has been done to alleviate this problem - Chris Keates is proud to say that she’s committed 20 years of work to the problem - exactly what has she achieved ? Nothing ! Not even basic training to keep teachers safe - no advisory documentation only a continuance of the same hollow and empty words !

“Teachers subject to allegations are often presumed guilty unless they can prove their innocence. Innocent teachers often find they will never be exonerated and are permanently and unfairly stigmatised.”

This is a classic piece of NASUWT phraseology that conveys no detail. ‘Presumed guilty’ – by whom ? In my case, it was the LEA and school that not only presumed my guilt, they predetermined my guilt prior to any investigation. Any conflicting evidence gathered during the investigative period was ignored by them. They then proceeded at any cost, including fabricating evidence and lying, to prove my guilt.

The other stark reality is that, by default, you will feel guilty – try experiencing being arrested and someone, like the NASUWT, telling you that it’s a necessary formality and that no one is presuming your guilt !

As for being exonerated – how ? A press statement expressing profuse apologies ? There is no recovery for a teacher who was wrongly accused. In the end, a teacher can not escape “there’s no smoke without fire” mentality and many will resign quietly, their career and life in tatters through no fault. They will never be able to trust other teachers, authority and their fear of recrimination by parents and children will be ever present.

“Our evidence shows that once the nature of the allegation and the identity of a teacher are known, a witch-hunt will ensue, damaging irreparably the teacher’s health, family relationships and professional reputation.”

“Introducing a legal provision to provide anonymity for school staff up to the point of conviction would safeguard the health and welfare of individuals against whom allegations are made and enable these staff to return back to school life with some professional and personal dignity.”

“A major outstanding problem that blights teachers’ careers is the wide variation in the recording and reporting by the police of so-called ‘soft’ information connected with an allegation and its investigation. More needs to be done to ensure consistent and appropriate practice by the police in the recording and disclosure of information to employers and other bodies.”

“The system is stacked against innocent teachers who are unable to prove their innocence or obtain the exoneration they deserve.”

“Allegations kept on file even when there is no case against the individual means that these teachers remain under a veil of suspicion throughout the entirety of their working lives.”

“Over the last decade, a raft of measures has been introduced to enable teachers to maintain order and discipline in the classroom. However, this is meaningless if a teacher’s professional integrity can be fatally undermined as a result of a false allegation made against them.”

(The NASUWT has maintained a national database of allegations against teachers since 1991. Details of the statistics are available on request.)

I close this blog entry with a personal plea to journalists and television producers. A new government is now in power, uttering the same statements and promises to improve education and the powers of teachers. But the very same problems continue unaddressed, unresolved and unabated.

It’s easy to publish cold statistics and to illustrate the destruction of an individual teacher’s career and entire life in a typical ‘poor teacher’ sob story. Isn’t it time that this whole mess was critically and publicly analyzed in depth ? Isn’t it time to better the education for our children through improving working conditions for some 450,000 teachers ?

I wish my case and my story investigated - it’s a story worth hearing and it is like the film - ‘Enemy of the State’ !

Help me to make a difference - help me to bring the injustice of my story to the attention of the public. I’ve done the ‘poor teacher’ story - help me to fight back - to win a campaign that will help all teachers - something that Chris Keates has failed to achieve in 20 years of work and effort !

Sweep It Under The Rug

2010-01-14T13:00:00.065Z

If I was not innocent then :

I would have immediately reported the incident myself.
I would have confessed during the police interview at the time of my arrest. (Until you experience being arrested, you can not imagine the stress of the situation. It would take a much harder individual to consider lying under such circumstances !)
I would not have appealed against the findings of the disciplinary hearing.
I would not have undergone a polygraph examination to prove my innocence.
I would not have passed the polygraph examination.
I would not have exhausted my life’s savings in legal defence costs.
I would not have written about my experience and my opinions on a public blog.
I would not have allowed my story to be exposed and reported by the media.
I would not have shared information with senior members of government, including Gordon Brown, Ed Balls, Jack Straw, David Cameron, Michael Gove and Barry Sheerman.
I would not have contributed material to the House of Commons Select Committee Meeting of 17 June 2009.
I would not have written to Her Majesty The Queen.
I would not continue to fight against this injustice.

I can prove that :

Lancashire County Council failed to provide ‘natural justice’.
Lancashire County Council denied me all my rights that were applicable to the policies and procedures relating to ‘Handling Allegations Against Staff’.
Lancashire County Council sanctioned an investigation by the head teacher knowing that there was a history of significant resentment.
Lancashire County Council denied my request to appear before an independent panel of governors due to the complex inter-relationships that existed between Duke Street Primary School governors and witnesses that precluded any possibility of a fair hearing. (The hostile witnesses were governors of the school. Another governor was the supply teacher who filled my vacancy - it was to her financial benefit that I did not return.)
Lancashire County Council sanctioned an untrained and inexperienced disciplinary hearing committee that comprised a local florist and his employee. (All floral requirements of the school were supplied by this committee member !)
Lancashire County Council intentionally excluded a governor at the appeal hearing.
Lancashire County Council denied any consideration of character references / statements.
Lancashire County Council attempted to silence me through litigation - they threatened me with a breach of the ‘principles of confidentiality’.
Lancashire County Council attempted to silence me through bribery - they offered me £10,000 on the proviso that I did not discuss my case with anyone - including my own family !
Lancashire County Council prevented the involvement of one member of their staff from speaking on my behalf.
Lancashire County Council reinstated my position yet upheld the allegation of assault. Their action had only one intent - to prevent me taking my case before an independent and impartial hearing at an employment tribunal.
The head teacher’s investigation and report was biased and set out to prove guilt at any and all costs.
Evidence and statements that did not support the head teacher’s ‘beliefs’ were excluded.
Statements were not signed or dated. The signatures and dates on my statement were removed.
The hearing committees were not thorough in their consideration of presented evidence. (They missed fundamental context of my statement.)
One key ‘hostile’ witness intentionally lied. Her decision to lie and to ‘lie by omission’ not only prejudiced my case but that of the child. Her action, as a teacher, failed to honour and respect the safety of children.
The school had failed to adhere to child protection policies. At the time of the allegation, staff had received no Child Protection training for over three years. There were staff working with children whose CRB status had not been verified.
(I had occasion to write to Helen Denton’s predecessor, Pat Jefferson, on this very point.)

I have written to Helen Denton, Lancashire County Council, Executive Director for Children and Young People on several occasions to express my concerns with regard to the failings of her departments and their members.

Without qualification, she replied : “I do not feel that it is in the best interests of all of the parties involved for this to be re-examined.”

On Monday, 11 January 2010, I provided Helen Denton with evidence showing that a ‘key’ hostile witness had lied and perjured themselves at both the disciplinary and appeal hearings.

Helen Denton immediately replied : “I do not see that does anything to change the current position with regard to your own closed case, so the situation remains that no further action will be taken within Lancashire County Council.”

Lancashire County Council had not even started considering the evidence that I provided, how can they then say it has no bearing on my case ?

Understanding the reasons why one witness chose to lie might provide a basis for explaining why others also lied.

Nothing has made any sense throughout my case.

It was claimed that I hit the girl so hard that she continued to suffer from post-traumatic abuse a year later. It was agreed that, at the time, she showed no reaction nor did any other children – that is not possible … it sounds like another ‘immaculate conception’ story … but I know it never happened – that is the truth and that’s what I can not bear and I will have to fight that injustice forever !

I was judged on ‘Balance of Probability’. Even in this brief summary, can anyone believe that I am guilty ?

The problem for Lancashire County Council is that they dare not and can not allow my case to be re-examined. To do so, would expose their failings and all those directly involved whose actions and inactions resulted in the destruction of my career and my life.

So their only recourse is to continue to ‘sweep it under the rug’ and then to ‘look the other way’.

They know that I will continue in my ultimate goal - I want the justice that they denied me - and the girl, for she was not given justice either.

I want my case re-examined by an independent body who are experienced and impartial - is that too much to ask ?

How much would it cost ? Very little. The value to me would be incalculable as would the lessons to be learnt that might benefit everyone in the future.

All that I want is justice and an end to my suffering and pain - a time when I can move on with my life and never have to look back at what is approaching three years of utter horror and from which there is no escape !

Today, the very core and fabric of my life has been destroyed. I am effectively homeless as my financial state is such that I could no longer afford the mortgage payments on my home ...

... a criminal is given better and fairer treatment and regard to them as a person. At least they can expect an impartial trial before a qualified judge and jurors. A criminal can appeal and not expect to come before the same quango court. A criminal is sentenced to a fixed term and can expect remission. A criminal has an expectation of a life at the end of their sentence. There is an end to the incarceration of a criminal. I did not experience such luxuries nor do I have any hope for the future.

All that I wish for is that my name be cleared and an end to this torment – living with the knowledge that I am innocent and did not receive a fair hearing is a burden that continues to devour my life.

Any miscarriage of justice is a travesty – all that I request is that my case be re-opened and re-assessed. I want to answer all questions before an impartial audience – to be given ‘natural justice’.

Lies Of Omission

2010-01-11T13:00:00.011Z

To lie by omission is to remain silent and thereby withhold from someone else a vital piece (or pieces) of information. The silence is deceptive in that it gives a false impression to the person from whom the information was withheld. It subverts the truth; it is a way to manipulate someone into altering their behavior to suit the desire of the person who intentionally withheld the vital information; and, most importantly, it’s a gross violation of another person’s right of self-determination.

A lie of omission is the most insidious, most pervasive, and most common lie on the entire planet. Commonly, those who use this type of lie, have conned themselves into believing that to intentionally remain silent when ethical behavior calls for one to speak up is not a lie at all. In spite of overwhelming evidence that their silence deceives, misleads, and often causes untold grief and misery, they refuse to speak the truth.

There is also the common misconception that intentional deception by silence has no consequences. Lies of commission (telling a lie) and lies of omission (withholding the truth) are both acts of intention deception.

To lie is to make statements that are untrue, when the falsity of such statements is known or suspected by the speaker. A lie can be a genuine falsehood or a selective truth, a lie by omission, or even the truth if the intention is to deceive or to cause an action not in the listener’s interests. A lie (also called prevarication) is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someone’s feelings or to avoid a punishment. To lie is to state something that one knows to be false or that one has not reasonably ascertained to be true with the intention that it be taken for the truth by oneself or someone else.

Startling to most people is that, in considering whether a statement is a lie, the least important consideration is whether it is true ! The more important considerations are : Did he believe it ? Did he intend to deceive ? Was he trying to gain some advantage or to harm someone else ? Is it a serious matter, or a trivial one ? Even a true statement can be considered a lie if the person making that statement is doing so to deceive. It is the intent of being untruthful rather than the truthfulness of the statement itself that is considered. How can that be ? If a completely truthful and accurate statement is deliberately delivered in a manner that suggests that it should not be taken seriously, then it is a lie. Also, it is a lie when a person accidentally makes a true statement when he thought it was false. It’s the intent to lie that makes it a lie.

Reasons For Not Lying
Philosophers over the millennia have agreed that there is no good reason for lying. Their most important arguments are :

Lying is a perversion of the natural faculty of speech, the natural end of which is to communicate the thoughts of the speaker.
When one lies, one undermines trust in society.

There are different kinds of lies that have different effects and severity. The most important categories of lies are as follows :

Fabrication
A fabrication is a lie told when someone submits a statement as truth, without knowing for certain whether or not it actually is true. Although a fabrication may be possible or plausible, it is not based on fact. Rather, it is something made up, or it is a misrepresentation of the truth. Example of fabrication : A person giving directions to a tourist when the person doesn’t actually know the directions.

Bold-Faced Lie
A bold-faced lie (often also referred to as bare-faced or bald-faced lie) is one which is told when it is obvious to all concerned that it is a lie. For example, a child who has chocolate all around his mouth and denies that he has eaten any chocolate has told a bold-faced lie. There are political statements that are way beyond exaggeration that would fall in this category.

Lies Of Omission
One lies by omission by omitting an important fact, deliberately leaving another person with a misconception. Lying by omission includes failures to correct pre-existing misconceptions. An example is when the seller of a car declares it has been serviced regularly but does not tell that an unrepaired fault was reported at the last service. Another example of lying by omission happens when one person witnesses, or has knowledge of, a lie by a second person to a third (who subsequently relies upon the veracity of the lie) but does not inform the third person of the lie; Here, two people are lying to the third person.

Misleading Statement
A misleading statement is one where there is no outright lie, but still retains the purpose of getting someone to believe in an untruth. Dissembling likewise describes the presentation of facts in a way that is literally true, but intentionally misleading. Sarcasm and obfuscation are frequently used to mislead or dissemble.

Contextual Lies
One can state part of the truth out of context, knowing that without complete information, it gives a false impression. Quoting out of context is a classic example. Likewise, one can actually state accurate facts, yet deceive with them. To say “Yeah, that’s right, I slept with your best friend” utilizing a sarcastic, offended tone, may cause the listener to assume the speaker did not mean what he said, when in fact he did.

For children, lying is a learned habit : Evolutionary psychology is concerned with the theory of mind which people employ to simulate another’s reaction to their story and determine if a lie will be believable. The most commonly cited milestone in the rising of this, what is known as Machiavellian Intelligence, is at the human age of about four and a half years, when children begin to be able to lie convincingly. Before this, they seem simply unable to comprehend that anyone doesn’t see the same view of events that they do - and seem to assume that there is only one point of view - their own - that must be integrated into any given story. If we grew up and lived in total isolation, lies would not exist for lack of need - there would be no one to lie to !

When children first learn how lying works, they lack the moral understanding of when to refrain from doing it. It takes years of watching people tell lies, and the results of these lies, to develop a proper understanding. Propensity to lie varies greatly between children, some doing so habitually and others being habitually honest. Habits in this regard are likely to change in early adulthood. Some never learn this lesson, or at least not the universality of the lesson. In one respect, they are lying to themselves for thinking that it is acceptable to lie when it is convenient or to their perceived benefit.

One standard form of legal oath before making a deposition or taking the witness stand in a court trial is “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth ?” For which the proper response is “I do.” There’s a reason for making the oath so complicated. It’s a reminder to the deposed and the witness how not to lie. The first clause (tell the truth) is the affirmation part of the oath, the second clause (the whole truth) reminds the oath taker to leave nothing out, that is, no lying by omission, no out-of-context lies, and no misleading statements, and the last clause (nothing but the truth) is a reminder to relate no falsehoods, including fabrications.

Let’s Look The Other Way

2009-12-04T13:00:00.039Z

I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care,
I had the time, and I was there.

But I didn’t want to seem a fool,
Or argue over a safety rule.
I knew he’d done the job before,
If I called it wrong, he might get sore.
The chances didn’t seem that bad,
I’ve done the same, he knew I had.

So I shook my head and walked on by,
He knew the risks as well as I.
He took the chance, I closed an eye,
And with that act, I let him die.

I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.
Now every time I see his wife,
I’ll know I should have saved his life.

That guilt is something I must bear,
But it isn’t something you need to share,
If you see a risk that others take,
That puts their health or life at stake.
The question asked, or thing you say,
Could help them live another day.

If you see a risk and walk away,
Then I hope you never have to say,
I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.by Don Merrell

What has happened to our society ? Why do people choose to look the other way ? We can help one another collectively but we do not. Is it through fear, fear of litigation or is that we have all been worn down by bureaucratic processes that have made us insular ? Or simply that we choose not to as there is nothing in it for us ?

Over the years, I have asked for advice and help – without exception, those who could help ‘look the other way’. This is especially noticeable within the framework of education.

By definition, the LEA, school governance and management are there to ultimately support us, the teachers. Through such support, we can do our jobs much more effectively.

But it is not like that ! The structure is fragmented into isolated components, each protected by barriers that block effective communication. So when you need help and advice, it is easier and safer to deflect the request, often by reflecting a view of blame and failure – so you give up asking for help … and everyone looks the other way !

I have several examples of those who looked the other way who were in a position to help me :

I had written to Steve Belbin, Lancashire County Council, Schools Advisor in January 2009, pleading for his help. He had provided me with guidance in the past and he had observed my lessons on several occasions. I had had discussions with Steve about the bullish nature of Andrew Kidd, head teacher. Steve had said that he and his predecessors already were aware of the head teacher’s management style.

----- Original Message -----
From: Belbin, Stephen
To: ‘Jane Watts’
Cc: Welch, Vic
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 12:57 PM
Subject: RE: J.Watts Duke St Chorley.

Good afternoon Jane, nice to hear from you.

I’m sorry to hear that things haven’t been going too well for you lately. Having spoken to our HR I have been advised that I cannot be involved in a matter which is, as such, between yourself and your employer (ie the Governors).

I am sorry I can’t be more helpful and I hope the matter is resolved as soon as it can be.

Best wishes,

Steve

It is evident from Steve Belbin’s e-mail reply that he could have and should have been allowed to contribute and make comment. Lancashire County Council, as his employer, denied him this opportunity. In fact, Steve Belbin should have had the moral conviction to speak - in the end he chose to look the other way !

This is another clear example that Lancashire County Council never wanted the truth and the facts of my case to be heard. Their focus, all along, was that I should be found guilty and that any and every opportunity I had to prove otherwise was suppressed by them.

The Vicious Circle

2009-12-03T13:00:00.002Z

A situation in which the apparent solution of one problem in a chain of circumstances creates a new problem and increases the difficulty of solving the original problem. Also called vicious cycle.

A fallacy in reasoning in which the premise is used to prove the conclusion, and the conclusion used to prove the premise.

It is evident that policy makers have created a vicious circle. The symptoms are classic. No matter what changes are introduced, the system continues to become increasingly unstable and complex to manage. It fails to respond to an apparently ever worsening set of conditions and circumstances.

There can be no escape from a vicious circle unless all those involved are prepared to step outside the boundaries and take a fresh look at the core problems. Only then can workable solutions be found.

There is great reliance on the teaching unions and their valued opinions and experience. I argue that they are responsible for the problem. No other profession in Britain today is so reliant and dependant on union support – why is this ?

They represent the only security that a teacher possesses. Every teacher, as part of their initiation, is instructed to join a union – it is crucial and is their only insurance. That is a very sad indictment of the management systems of the teaching profession.

Other professions enjoy a much greater diversity of support – enormous investment in HR departments – but there is nothing for teachers !

When you step outside the circle what do you see ? You see teachers being abused, victimized, failing, stressed without any independent support – they remain fearful, isolated and vulnerable.

After 20 years of failure by unions and government to resolve this catastrophic problem - is it not time that teachers were invited to join hands to make a fresh start with new eyes to address these problems ?

E. A. Francis of TES wrote the following article some years ago. I quoted it in an earlier blog ‘Horror Stories’. It is pertinent and relevant, capturing not only the devastating horrors of the existing ‘Vicious Circle’ process that destroys lives but the actual reality of the injustice of a corrupt and broken system.

Experienced, successful and skilled educationalists are leaving the profession ruined, destroyed and damaged beyond repair.

Confident personalities have been reduced to rubble by the grievance and disciplinary procedures in schools.

Some head teachers are getting away with condoning this travesty through the perpetuation of corruption or subterfuge.

I am talking of that all too frequent occurrence happening in schools around the country every single day. That fateful day when you walk into your place of work only to be summoned by the head teacher and told a colleague has made accusations about you.

Your world stands still. You feel sick, confused, hurt; and then you feel a fear beyond your experience and understanding.

At no time are you allowed to suggest these allegations are malicious; that would violate the accuser’s rights and interfere with the school’s policy to investigate.

You can not get angry; that makes you look aggressive. You can not say anything you have experienced; for example, isolation, being ignored, gossiped about, set up and not spoken to for weeks, months, years.

Oh no ! That would give the investigator ammunition to suggest you are not showing any remorse. You are guilty as charged. Condemned, judged and hanged – before you even get to your first grievance meeting.

Oh, and don’t, whatever you do, speak to another colleague about it. Not even if you are in tears or unable to concentrate on your job or that you have been found throwing up in the toilets. You will be told you are ‘canvassing’ for support which could result in a suspension.

An unofficial action group may form, those types who simply need to get involved, the one, two or three people who you have had a professional disagreement with in the past or maybe even the one or two who internally applied for your job and didn’t get it. They need to be heard, they make it their mission to be heard. Their evidence will help seal your fate because they have all been called as witnesses ! Your reports of this group are considered hearsay. Their reports of you are a vital part of a fact finding investigation.

Then that day arrives, after months of grievance and disciplinary interviews, the hearing, the decision. You receive a Verbal Warning if you are lucky, Written Warning – well not bad, let’s face facts, you have been told for months now you could be dismissed, so any Warning is quite a relief.

It was just such a shame no one believed you. It is even more sorrowful that tissues of convenient lies were believed instead. It is a tragedy you have lost all your confidence, faith, self-esteem and professional self-belief. For these things are to be dealt with by you and you alone, quietly and gratefully. Your life has been torn apart, your heart has been ripped out and every single thing you held dear has been dismantled, analysed and spat upon. You now have a stress related illness.

You need time away to recover. So now you have an official Warning and a sick record with a mental health diagnosis. Well that is fine, you didn’t get the sack. Just because you have lost the ability to go out, enjoy your hobbies, have peaceful evenings with your family, meet with friends, have restful holidays, sleep the entire night. None of that matters, as you didn’t get sacked !

Sometimes, untrained and unskilled members of a senior teaching staff act as a prosecutor would in a criminal court case. Even the police are not allowed to interview suspected criminals for more than a certain amount of hours at a time but schools can - and some do. So this untrained member of SMT who has probably never studied Employment Law, is unlikely to have read the Human Rights Act and who has possibly only just read the school’s grievance procedure is now responsible for your future !

Something has to change and it has to change quickly. I think it an outrage that so many good educationalists have had their careers ruined as a result of malicious allegations made against them by colleagues.

The system whereby a head teacher is able to act as judge and jury is ridiculous, unjust and only seems to favour what is ‘best’ for the school, which means no scandal, no press involvement and certainly no union clashes. Head teachers are seldom trained in law but disciplinary hearings are run by heads and senior managers as though they were QCs for the day.

Thousands of pounds of public money would be saved if this whole system were reviewed. These cases can result in a drawing up of a Compromise Agreement which has been known to involve ‘hush’ money. They are called ‘gagging contracts’ by those in the know.

Why can’t schools recognise the need for strategic management designed to avoid or at least preempt potential cases of staff against staff ? Ad hoc mediators should be available without the waiting lists. In-house counselling services should be available to everyone and the protection of vulnerable staff should be high on every head teacher’s agenda.

Grievance and disciplinary investigators should not be members of the involved school’s Senior Management Team. Be wary about who is taken on. Power in the wrong hands can only result in disaster.

Some cases are so trivial that dismissal may be threatened in order to encourage a resignation but if none is forthcoming, they are taken all the way and broken by the process. If they don’t leave, their Warning can be used against them for up to a year, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, so just add on a few more ‘misdemeanors’ and with a bit of luck this newly acquired sickness record could be very handy towards conjuring up a capability case.

Current policy must be reviewed, evaluated and changed. The ‘accused’ should be afforded the same rights and support as the ‘aggrieved’. Witnesses interviewed during the grievance and disciplinary procedures are called by the ‘aggrieved’ and cannot be called in defence of the ‘accused’.

How can that be a balanced and just system ? It should be policy to assign an HR support worker for the ‘accused’. Independently run disciplinary hearings must be a forum for outing truth, irrespective of how inconvenient that truth is.

If this does not happen, experienced and respected staff will continue to be forced to leave the profession in droves because this is happening too often and towards too many.

A New Direction

2009-11-09T13:00:00.036Z

“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.” Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”Buddhist Proverb

“It’s time we framed every question - every issue - not in terms of what’s in it for ‘me’, but what’s in it for all of us ? And when you ask that simple question - what’s in it for all of us ? - the direction not taken could not be more clear or compelling.” Senator John Kerry (1943-)

For years, unions, politicians and policy makers have been distracted by issues such as ‘suspension’, ‘anonymity’, ‘innocent until proven …’, ‘timescales’ and ‘natural justice’. The same old ‘key’ considerations continue to be debated. Every year, these same considerations are publicly presented, supported by the unions, as fresh and novel initiatives – and the same inhuman process continues.
Suspension
It is impossible to expect a teacher to return to work whilst their very life hangs in the balance. The stress is unimaginable and it is relentless without escape. (The reason why government wants this issue addressed is not from concern for the teacher – it is one of finance – the costs involved are high – teacher’s salary plus a supply teacher; supported for maybe years !)

Anonymity
In a school, everyone will know, parents, children and other colleagues – it is an impossible goal. I question the import of anonymity – I remained quiet for two years and I now believe that maximum publicity would have been beneficial to me personally.

Innocent until proven …
What does this ideal mean ? It has been banded about since the beginning of time itself. Even though it is the cornerstone of the judicial system, it is not possible to realize. The fact that there’s even been an accusation when you’re innocent is sufficient contradiction; let alone when the police arrest you and you experience the utter humiliation of being treated as a criminal.

Timescales
Existing government policies define the durations of the process stages; as do ACAS. They are reasonable and understandable – police investigation of about one month followed by maybe another month of investigation by the school / LEA. Why then did it take my school / LEA over 6 months ? In nearly every case, there is an enormous and unexplained delay that contravenes the guidelines. Why has there not been a public inquiry to discover the reasons for this failure rather than a complacent acceptance ?

Natural Justice
There is no justice in a system that is so corrupt and incestuous. With the exception of the police, there is no impartiality. Existing established mechanisms come into play - LEA and governors supporting the head teacher without question; for to do otherwise would damage the credibility of the entire school management system.

(In my case, Lancashire County Council Human Resource managers lied at my appeal hearing. Over several years, I had been bullied by Andrew Kidd, head teacher and I had raised this problem with Vic Welch, HR Manager. These known prejudicial opinions and actions by Andrew Kidd should have denied his involvement - but instead, Lancashire County Council sanctioned and supported his actions.)

Natural Justice

2009-11-06T13:00:00.020Z

The jury, passing on the prisoner’s life,
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try.Measure for Measure (1604)
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Barry Sheerman placed emphasis in his objectives to provide a system that would result in ‘natural justice’ for teachers who become subject to an allegation of abuse. Nowhere was the term ‘natural justice’ defined nor its significance :

Natural justice or procedural fairness is a legal philosophy used in British law in the determination of just, or fair, processes in legal proceedings.

In common law legal systems the term natural justice refers to two specific legal principles :

nemo iudex in causa sua : “nobody shall be a judge in his own cause”, invalidating any judgment where there is a bias or conflict of interest or duty; and

audi alteram partem : “hear the other side”, giving at least a fair opportunity to present one’s case (which may, for example, require access to counsel).

With reference to principle 1, this is the source of the problem; there can be no impartiality and therefore no expectation of fairness. The school and LEA are ‘judges in their own cause’. There is clearly ‘bias’ and ‘conflict of interest’ that can not be eliminated.

Duty too; the school and LEA are obligated to the care and safety of children. They must always err on the side of the child and in turn the parents; there is no freedom to do otherwise - sadly, some allegations are well-founded.

Barry Shearman did realize and appreciate the benefits of external investigations - the police, one would like to believe, are the experts; certainly better trained and experienced than a head teacher who is permitted to play the role of Hercule Poirot for months or more !

The fact is that the school and LEA does need to examine the events of any allegation; understanding and reviewing the facts helps to minimize future risks. So it was a forlorn expectation that the investigative process should stop following the police closing the case.

The problem is that some schools and LEAs use this investigatory exercise purely as a ‘witch-hunt’. It is this phase that is unnecessarily protracted and extremely damaging.

Government Response

2009-11-03T20:51:00.054Z

Allegations Against School Staff:
Government Response to the Committee’s Fifth Report of Session 2008–09

Barry Sheerman, MP, Chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families, gave a commitment on Radio 4's File On 4 programme in March, 2009 :

“It is the most damaging, damaging thing that can happen to a human being. Especially when this feeling of injustice, you actually haven’t done anything wrong. Many teachers are being very shabbily treated and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

Initially, I felt some pride to know that I had, in part, been involved with this work. However, I quickly appreciated that this report only reiterates processes and ideals that already are in place or that have been uttered for the last two decades. Much could and should have been looked at to determine why the existing systems continue to fail and destroy so many lives. So far, not even the surface of the problem has been scratched and the “bottom of it” still lies, undisturbed, many fathoms below.

Unsurprisingly, the unions were quick to extol this ‘new’ report to be a significant step forward :

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said :

“The Select Committee report marked another important step forward in addressing the vulnerability of teachers to false allegations from pupils.

I am pleased, therefore, that the Government has accepted the main recommendations.

These now need to be implemented as a matter of urgency. Too many teachers are still having their lives and careers blighted by false allegations.”

Investigating abuse by teachers
Monday 21st November 2005 at 00:00

Ruth Kelly has unveiled new guidance for schools and other education establishments, local authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police on arrangements to speed up the process of dealing with allegations of abuse against teachers and support staff.

The guidance spells out standard procedures that will apply in all local authorities in England to replace existing local procedures and ensure cases are dealt with consistently in all areas.

Government Response : Ruth Kelly

Education secretary Ruth Kelly said : “The number of allegations made each year is very small as a proportion of the children and staff in our schools.”

“But it is vital that they are dealt with properly and fairly. We must protect children. Being abused by a trusted adult can have a devastating effect on a child and their future.”

“Equally, I am very much aware of the devastating effect that being wrongly or unfairly accused can have on an individual, their family and career, and how delay and publicity can exacerbate that.”

Stakeholder Response : NASUWT

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said : “I welcome the positive action the government has taken in response to NASUWT's campaign on this important issue. Too many innocent teachers have had their lives and careers wrecked by false allegations of abuse.”

“Teachers and others who work with children are extremely vulnerable to false allegations. NASUWT has campaigned for years for this to be recognised and for an investigative process which takes this into account to be introduced.”

“The guidance represents a significant step forward towards securing more balanced and fair procedures.”

“This guidance will not prevent those who abuse children from being identified and dealt with appropriately. Those who abuse children have no place in schools.”

“It does, however, have the real potential to ensure that those who are falsely accused, and their families, are spared the months and sometimes years of trauma and distress before being exonerated.”

“Teachers will warmly welcome the fact that for the first time there is a clear recognition in guidance that sanctions, including legal procedures, against accusers, should be considered seriously where allegations are found to be malicious.”

“The tightening up and standardisation of the recording of the outcomes of investigations will help to ensure that teachers who have been the victims of false allegations seeking to obtain a job in another school or local authority are not denied employment on the basis of inaccurate information.”

“Although the procedures do not introduce anonymity for teachers up to the point of conviction, the fast-tracking of investigations should reduce significantly the opportunity for public and media exposure which exacerbates the devastating impact of being falsely accused.”

“Case study analysis demonstrated that the longer an investigation took, the more likely it was for confidentiality to be breached.”

“NASUWT has secured a commitment from the government for the introduction of a monitoring procedure to enable regular review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the new guidance with a view to the introduction of further changes if the problems still persist.”

“Regrettably, these procedures only apply in England and so NASUWT will now continue its campaign in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to secure their introduction. False allegations are not confined to England and teachers throughout the UK deserve the same protection.”

Almost exactly 4 years has elapsed. Isn’t Ruth Kelly saying the same as Barry Sheerman is now saying ? And isn’t Chris Keates repeating herself including the same pious NASUWT flag waving ?

A Google search reveals the same old recommendations - often with Chris Keates with her flag. I’m reminded of the film “Groundhog Day” - am I Phil (Bill Murray) ? Am I the only person who realizes that I’m stuck in a loop in time and teachers’ lives continue to be destroyed by the same corrupt processes ?

It is little wonder that government has ignored most of the report’s recommendations ! There was nothing new to consider or implement ... hardly surprising when teachers and victims of the process were not involved !

Salem Witch Trials

2009-10-31T13:00:00.021Z

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex counties of colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693.

Salem, Massachusetts, is the site of one of the most gruesome moments in American history. In the late 17th century, more than 200 people were accused of “practicing the Devil’s magic”, resulting in an eventual death sentence for 20 of them. The citizens of Salem gave in to paranoia and mistrust during the Salem witch trials, which began when two young girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, aged 9 and 11, suddenly exhibited symptoms of hysteria.
The Trial of George Jacobs
The episode has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a vivid cautionary tale about the dangers of religious extremism, false accusations, lapses in due process and governmental intrusion on individual liberties.

Former teacher Matthew Wren and the ATL’s Mary Bousted on false allegations against teachers.

courtesy BBC Radio 4 - Today 26 October 2009

The Times

2009-10-27T13:00:00.017Z

Courtesy The Times
27 October 2009
The teachers who can do no rightThe Times 27 October 2009
One in three teachers falsely accused by pupilsThe Times 27 October 2009

Bush Telegraph

2009-10-26T13:00:00.010Z

Courtesy Daily Telegraph
26 October 2009
Teachers need the law on their sideDaily Telegraph 26 October 2009
Cleared teacher calls for greater protection against allegationsDaily Telegraph 26 October 2009
Schools losing control of classrooms, warns ‘assault’ teacherDaily Telegraph 24 October 2009
Teacher’s relief after child cruelty case thrown outDaily Telegraph 23 October 2009
Many teachers ‘face false claims’BBC News 26 October 2009

Fair Play

2009-09-28T13:00:00.006+01:00

In a recent article in the Sunday Times :

Dinner lady Carol Hill is a victim of Labour’s weasel mindset

Jake Asbury commented :

“There is a culture of bullying in British education and it starts with the headteacher in many schools. Unfortunately the governors seem to misunderstand their role as guardians of staff and pupils’ well being; instead they appear eager to agree with everything the headteacher tells them despite, glaring evidence to the contrary.

Whilst hiding behind terms such as "confidentiality" and "proper procedure" the governing body, ably assisted by advice from Human Resources, will misuse, by procrastination and obfuscation, every and any procedure available to them, to support the head.

If you work in a school you are a very vulnerable employee.”

10,500 Miles Away ...

2009-08-27T13:00:00.043+01:00

“God bless America. God save the Queen. God defend New Zealand and thank Christ for Australia.”Russell Crowe (1964-)
The problems affecting teachers are not unique to Britain. It seems that teachers are treated to intolerable and unacceptable abuse throughout the world. Why is that ?

I recently discovered two good blogs operating from Queensland, Australia :
The Teachers Are Blowing Their Whistles !

Bad Apple Bullies
I extracted the following comment from the above site as it provides some excellent advice :

Self-Defence for Teachers Tips :

Don’t have an opinion. Certainly don’t express it.
Don’t help other teachers or students who are being bullied. Report it to the head teacher. Walk away. It’ll continue. But there is nothing you can do. If you try to fix it, you’ll end up the one bullied.
Don’t go remote (EVER !) Stay somewhere where you can have a life and feel normal.
Don’t be competent or hard-working, but pretend to be, and point out every little thing you do to the head teacher. Make a big deal about small things you do like you’ve done something massive.
Gossip and backstab - or it’ll happen to you.
Suck up, big time, to the head teacher. (It’s hard, but grit your teeth, fake smile and do it.)
If other teachers act jealous towards you because you are competent, make intentional mistakes and act like a ditz. Tell the jealous teachers they are wonderful every day.
Shut up in staff meetings. Smile and look pretty. Nod frequently. Think about your leisure time.
Don’t complain to your union, LEA, head teacher, or anyone else about any concerns you have. Waste of time.
Take sick days when you are sick. Forget the guilt trips they give you for being sick. But pretend to care what they think.
Don’t let anyone blame you for their issues (teachers, parents, students, head teacher). Know you did the reasonable thing even when they are abusing you, but pretend you are worried by what they think.
Remember you will be abused frequently (probably daily). This is now normal behaviour in schools.
Pretend to “love” teaching, like everyone else.
Talk curriculum nonsense frequently. Accept the curriculum nonsense will change again next year, as it did last year, and is doing this year. Remember you can teach what you want all the same, just use the new politically-motivated discourse.
Don’t get to school too early. Once the bell rings, you’re “at work”, which means you won’t get anything done. Don’t stay late. Planning is best done at home without interruptions.
Find a place to hide at lunch, so you can have lunch.
Record every behaviour incident - EVERY ONE in a special book. You will need to justify yourself and your behaviour management techniques repeatedly ... stupidly ... repeatedly. (Unfortunately, you’re not allowed a video camera in the room ... stupidly ... but that might change !)
Say “No” and mean it, when they dish out the extra jobs, but do accept one extra job. Too many - others get jealous, too few, others get jealous. Be the last to pick.
Talk crap in the staffroom. Pretend to like the bully. Pretend to admire them too. Know the truth.
Know when it’s enough. Run, leave the profession. Be yourself. Be happy !

Down under, on Bad Apple Bullies they kindly added a reciprocal link to my blog with the following comments :

Don’t you just love the way that Pommie teachers refuse to “accept the things you cannot change” ?

Pommie women grew up singing “Fight the good fight with all your might !”

And that is what they do.

Their fathers did not fight, suffer and die in World War Two “for freedom” so that their daughters could be driven out of work by the gossip of silly dim twits, incompetents and psychopaths.

English women do not “accept the things you cannot change”.

It’s a cultural thing.

Teachers throughout the world suffer injustices every day – where are they ? Why do they not speak ? Again I ask for abused teachers in the UK to come forward – fight with a common voice !

More News ...

2009-08-18T13:00:00.029+01:00

Dudley teacher in swearing row told he can teach againBirmingham Mail 18 August 2009

Speaking after the hearing, he said: “This is the end of a nightmare. I lost my profession and I’d been doing very well, the community turned its back on me, my wife left me and I lost my kids and my home.”

Mr Glover struggled to contain his emotions as he told the panel: “I’m on oath and I can’t say that I did something that I didn’t do. I was accused of swearing and I did not do that, however I want to say to you that I absolutely agree that swearing in front of students or to students is totally unacceptable by a teacher and that any coercion of school pupils is utterly unacceptable.”

“If I had done what I have been accused of I would have admitted it because I’m an honest, good person.”

Assistant head teacher is struck offBirmingham Mail 09 February 2007
According to the above article, Peter Glover was suspended in September 2004 and subsequently was dismissed in June 2005. This is not justice ! This is another travesty ! This man was sentenced to a life of utter misery for 5 years during which his entire life was destroyed ! Why ? Legislature applicable to criminals prevents such acts of cruelty ... but somehow, it is considered acceptable for teachers !

Proper policies needed for when teachers are accusedWestern Mail 13 August 2009

Courtesy The Lady
10 August 2009

Courtesy Chorley Guardian
12 August 2009

Rise in pupils’ complaints against teachersLancashire Evening Post 10 August 2009

Video Productions

2009-08-08T13:00:00.046+01:00

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821)
Marge Simpson : “You know, the courts may not be working any more, but as long as everyone is videotaping everyone else, justice will be done.”Matt Groening (1954- )

My first video production – “I made this !” – as they used to say on the X-Files credits ! I’ve learned a lot; story boarding, audio and video editing - and the result is better than I’d ever imagined - mind you, I had some expert advice. It looks good on You Tube but the original is stunning !

There’s not much else to say … but I make this plea, if you know someone in a senior / authoritative position in education / government / media, then let them have a link to my video – better still, my blog ! The fight for justice must succeed with your help.

Your Country Needs You

2009-08-01T13:00:00.034+01:00

Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener of Khartoum (1850 - 1916) is most famously remembered for being the face in the recruiting poster of the British people, in the First World War. His accomplishments were many more than that single, yet enormously important, campaign.

Lancashire County Council Statistics (27 July 2009)

Year	Referrals	Section 47	Substantiated	Unfounded	Malicious	Suspended
2007	51	30	3	4	0	16
2008	80	35	11	2	0	21
2009	65	12	5	6	1	6

The percentage of substantiated cases are nearly 6 times greater than the national average (5%); in 2008, their figure was 32%. Perhaps Lancashire County Council might be prepared to comment ?

If you are one of the above statistics then you probably feel that no one wants you anymore - certainly not your country !

But I do ! I have battled, on my own, for months. I have succeeded in many of my personal aims but there is a long way to go. I need support and help from others in my position and with my experience.

So, if you are one of the above statistics, then please contact me – together our voice will be louder and together we will be heard !

I invite you to join my single, yet enormously important, campaign !

Parents’ Support

2009-07-25T13:00:00.093+01:00

“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either.”

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

I have taken the decision to allow comments to be openly shared that are relevant to my case. This decision hasn’t been easy but, since my recent press coverage, I feel that it is important that people are given the opportunity to discuss their opinion.

I am indebted to two parents who have contacted me with information pertinent to the events of 26 September 2007 and, from what they say, there are other parents who would like to provide additional details. I would be grateful if these other parents might come forward.

For those wishing to provide support, my e-mail address is :

falseallegation@gmail.com

Courtesy Daily Mail
20 July 2009

Courtesy Lancashire Evening Post
24 July 2009

Courtesy Chorley Guardian
22 July 2009

Andrew Kidd, Duke Street Primary headteacher said (Chorley Guardian): “There was a disciplinary hearing in March 2008 at which a member of staff was dismissed for assaulting a child, which was witnessed by another member of staff.
A subsequent appeal hearing decided that while the original finding of misconduct was correct, the decision to dismiss should be reduced to final written warning and at that point the member of staff was invited to return to work in July 2008.
However, the staff member did not return to work and was dismissed by the governors in May 2009 on grounds of non-attendance.”

I was sacked, reinstated and sacked again because I was too ill to teach !

How can your employer get away with making you ill and then sacking you because you are ill ?

to invite :

to politely request; to attract; to encourage, to provoke, to promote, to welcome

In the paper, Andrew Kidd said “... the member of staff was invited to return to work ...”

I ponder his definition of ‘to invite’ as the school did not extend any invitation to return. In fact, there was no contact what so ever - maybe a telepathic or subliminal welcome back ? Or maybe he sent it in another text message that I missed this time ?

The other point that I reiterate is that the teaching assistant witness took some 20 hours to report the story and then only after much discussion with other teaching staff. You might have expected that, after witnessing, what was claimed to have been a violent and vicious assault, that she would have gone to the aid of the girl; certainly report it immediately. But she did nothing ... the reason for this was because nothing happened !

nothing :

not any thing; no thing; an absence of anything, including empty space, brightness, darkness, matter, or a vacuum; something trifling, something of no consequence

Two witnesses, including the teaching assistant, confirmed that at the time of the allegation the girl showed no reaction nor did any of the other children in the vicinity. A “violent and vicious assault” that results in no reaction - how can that be possible ?

Never, Ever, Quit

2009-07-18T13:00:00.055+01:00

Courtesy BBC News

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

I Made This Happen !
I set out to change legislative policies so that no other teacher would have to experience and endure the miserable existence that I have suffered at the hands of Lancashire County Council and the management of Duke Street Primary School.

I have covered so much ground in two years, spoken with so many people, and fought for justice.

Today I have succeeded, I have redeemed a social condition – I catalyzed the meeting of the House of Commons, Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families on 17 June 2009.

I did it, no union, no support agency, just me ! Now the unions take the prestige as they issue great and bold statements to convince their members of their unwavering determination to protect them.

The NASUWT proudly announce that they have been campaigning for 18 years for reform. But it was me, a reception teacher who won the day.

Britain is strangled by social injustice, we live with it everyday and it is suffocating us and our society. Injustice must be fought openly and with honour … and loudly. My mistake all along was to accept it, to be humble, quiet and suffer in silence with the forlorn hope that justice would prevail.

So fight for all you are worth, shout, cry and scream ... but ... do not ever quit ... for success must be your goal !

Where Is The “Fence” ?

2009-07-17T13:00:00.061+01:00

Said one, to his pleas, ‘It’s marvel to me
That you’d give so much greater attention
To repairing results than to curing the cause;
You had much better aim at prevention.
For the mischief, of course, should be stopped at its source;
Come, neighbours and friends, let us rally.
It is far better sense to rely on a fence
Than an ambulance down in the valley.’
extract from “The Ambulance In The Valley” - Joseph Malins 1895

Over the past few days, journalists have asked for comment on the recommendations within the Parliamentary Report –

“Allegations Against School Staff HC695”
The report supports the view that ‘commonsense’ should be a key consideration. It struggles with other issues to do with preserving anonymity. It certainly contains many new initiatives and when implemented, the system will be better than the current situation.

It firmly supports the view that teachers and other school staff should be seen as innocent until proven guilty but what does that mean in practice ? It is much the same as saying “Suspension is a neutral act”; I can assure you that it is not !

An oversight in the report is an expectation that all associated bodies will ‘play-fair’. In my case, they did not and I entered a Kafkaesque world full of horror !

I am reminded of the film “Enemy of the State”, 1998 with Will Smith - well that’s what I have experienced - “It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you” - and they were - Lancashire County Council and school. From the moment of my suspension they ignored all the rules - they are able to do as they wish, secure in the knowledge that there’s nowhere to go to complain !

What is needed is an independently appointed ombudsman who makes certain that rules are obeyed in good faith.

The fundamental problem in the report, is that it does not address protecting the teacher and indeed the child - it discusses policies / procedures that only can be invoked after the event.

The fact is that, no matter what new procedures are introduced, an allegation levied at a teacher will destroy them, their life and their career. Anonymity, is the least concern - a press announcement and an absent teacher does not require the deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes to reach a conclusion of “Who dunnit !”.

With reference to “The Ambulance In The Valley”, the focus continues to be the provision of an improved ambulance service to deal with the injured. But where is the “fence” ?

Until there is UK wide social reform, the only protection available to a teacher has to be CCTV surveillance. There has been heated debate in the past on this topic but what else is there ? I would go further and suggest that teachers should be equipped with body worn cameras. If I could rewind two years then I would not hesitate to wear one ... it can save your life !

Would I teach again ? Yes, if I could feel safe. It was my life, I always wanted to teach and I expected to work until my retirement - I loved my job and I loved children - for they are precious and they are our future !

A Catalogue Of Disaster

2009-07-16T13:00:00.083+01:00

“The Comedy of Errors” is one of William Shakespeare’s earliest plays, believed to have been written between 1592 and 1594. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical ...

My story is not one of comedy but it is certainly farcical !

The following blog entry lists, in bullet form, key elements of my story. To fully appreciate the context, refer to the previous entries ...

I decided not to release all the information that I have collated over the last two years - there is simply too much ... over 100 Mbytes ! If you do have a serious interest and requirement then please e-mail me and I will provide you with a download link.

If it is an enquiry by the media then please read my blog prior to requesting an interview. I am still trying to recover my health and retelling / reliving my account is a considerable ordeal.

My situation today :

The head teacher at Duke Street Primary School, confirmed that a member of his staff was dismissed for misconduct, reinstated — and then dismissed again for “non-attendance”. But he said “the original finding of misconduct was correct”.
The Times 16 July 2009
Expenditure of over £25,000 in legal fees.
Health damaged - supported by Sertraline and Diazepam for depression and anxiety / panic attacks.
Unemployable - permanent CRB blemish.
No pension for another 3 years.
£350,000 future earning potential stolen.

Key dates : (Refer : Time Bandits)

26 Sep 2007	0	Alleged assault
27 Sep 2007	1	Suspended
31 Oct 2007	35	Arrested
19 Nov 2007	54	Police drop case
20 Nov 2007	55	School start investigation
13 Dec 2007	78	Invited for interview by head teacher
26 Mar 2008	182	Disciplinary hearing - sacked
13 Apr 2008	200	Polygraph examination
15 Jul 2008	293	Appeal hearing - reinstated but alleged assault sustained
22 Apr 2009	574	Absence hearing - sacked again ! (Your employer makes you ill - offers no support and then sacks you for being ill !)

I make the following claims :

I am innocent of the allegation that I slapped a child on the hand.
I am the first teacher in the United Kingdom to have undergone a polygraph examination in an attempt to prove their innocence.
My actions did catalyze a meeting of the HoC, Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families.
I will never stop fighting for justice - for myself and other teachers.

I make the following assertion :

Children must be protected - an allegation of assault on a child must be treated with the utmost care – it can not be ignored !

But, once an allegation has been made, it will change the life of a teacher forever - no matter what the outcome and no matter how good policies / procedures might become in the future !

The school and LEA have an obligation to demonstrate that they are active in their intent to protect children and to be seen to do otherwise reflects badly on the school.

In my case, I believe that Lancashire County Council embarked on a strategically planned damage limitation exercise - sacking me was the most politically correct expedient !
(Refer : CSI Springfield)
Lancashire County Council reinstated me at my appeal hearing but upheld the finding that I had assaulted the child. This was another strategic decision that blocked the option to progress the case through an employment tribunal.

The assault had been described to have been so vicious and violent that the child continued to exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic abuse, including bed-wetting and fear when entering the school.

The teaching assistant, who witnessed the alleged assault, explained that she had been so shocked that she was unable to help the child at the time. It took her 20 hours before she felt able to report the incident and only then after discussing what had taken place with the nursery nurse.

There was agreement by witnesses that the child showed no initial signs of distress – she did not cry nor did any other children react in any way.

If there had been such a violent assault, it makes no sense to have reinstated my position at school - gross misconduct is a sackable offence !

Lancashire County Council had no choice – they knew that the case would not withstand the scrutiny of an employment tribunal. They also knew that it would be unlikely that I could return due to my health – they made no offer to support and assist my return to work.

Summary of disaster :

At suspension, denied constitutional right to be accompanied.
Lancashire County Council never appointed a designated contact officer.
The school never agreed a designated link person.
Counselling support never provided.
Progress / review information never provided.
All contact with colleagues denied.
All social contact with the school denied.
Lancashire County Council sanctioned an investigation by the head teacher knowing that there was a history of significant resentment.
The head teacher rejected evidence that did not support his belief.
The head teacher’s investigative report was biased and prejudged. It failed to comply with Lancashire County Council’s investigative rules or those defined by ACAS.
Witness statements were not signed or dated. The content of statements were changed - explained to be administrative errors.
(My statement had signatures and dates removed !)
Lancashire County Council denied that they were aware of the resentment by the head teacher.
Lancashire County Council intentionally excluded a governor at the appeal hearing.
The hearing committees were not thorough in their consideration of presented evidence.
There were close relationships between governors and witnesses that compromised any chance of receiving a fair and impartial hearing.
(The key witness and another were governors. The disciplinary committee comprised a local florist and one of his employees !)

Quotes of disaster :

“I knew what I believed and proved it !”
Head Teacher
“Told to find out what the witnesses said and write down what I believed.”
Head Teacher
“She had convinced herself of her own reality, that is how she passed the polygraph examination.”
Head Teacher
“We felt that to use the statement would be a distraction.”
Head Teacher
“The statement only served to ‘cloud the issue’.”
Head Teacher
“I didn’t feel that character references were relevant.”
Head Teacher
“You’re nothing but a media showman !” (Reference Don Cargill polygraph examiner)
HR Manager
“Perhaps the difficulty you are having in answering this is you seriously disliked Mrs Watts at the time ?” (Head teacher chose not to answer)
Barrister
“You know the position that we’re in at work. I can’t go behind his back. If he gets wind of it, I’m going to be in the shit really.”
Teacher - SMT
“I do not feel that it is in the best interests of all of the parties involved for this to be re-examined.”
Helen Denton
Executive Director for Children and Young People

Quotes of support :

“I have passed your letter to the Department for Children, Schools and Families so that they are aware of your views and to respond to the detailed points raised in your letter.”
Prime Minister
Gordon Brown, MP
“You are experiencing the effects of burgeoning bureaucracy and the consequent loss of personal responsibility and commonsense. I am sorry that Parliamentary rules prevent my involvement”.
Leader of the Conservative Party
David Cameron, MP
“Thank you for getting in touch. I very much sympathise with the terrible position you find yourself in. My heart goes out to you. And your position underlines my determination to provide more protection for teachers who’re falsely accused in the future.”
Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
Michael Gove, MP
“I find it so hard to understand how in our society that you now have to present your own case and cross examine witness’s ! That in itself appears to go back to the dark ages when victims of crime were allowed to be cross examined by offenders !”
Arresting Police DC

Related quotes :

“Mrs Watts continues to deny smacking E.... T......”
Head Teacher
“I believe Mrs Watts is guilty of gross misconduct for smacking E.... T..... and my concern is compounded by her refusal to admit the offence.”
Head Teacher
“I refute the allegation – I did not smack E.... T......”
Jane Watts
“I have to admit that my life and career have been ruthlessly taken from me by the callous and malicious actions of colleagues.”
Jane Watts
“I would prefer to be treated as a criminal in a Crown Court than sit before my head teacher and his interpretation of justice !”
Jane Watts

Catalogue of documents / media :

Adverse Report Mrs Jane Watts - by head teacher
Why ask if head teacher had said this at suspension ?
Lancashire County Council, HR Manager
Police Arrest Interview - 31 October 2007
Jane Watts
Fear At School - Only asked for character reference !

Teacher - SMT

Lies, Damned Lies ...

2009-07-15T13:00:00.007+01:00

“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is part of a phrase attributed to the 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and later popularised in the United States by Mark Twain.

DECISION OF THE STAFF DISCIPLINARY AND DISMISSAL COMMITTEE OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF .... ...... PRIMARY SCHOOL
I write on behalf of the Governing Body of .... ...... Primary School to inform you of the outcome of the meeting of the Disciplinary and Dismissal Committee held on 26th March 2008.

The Committee considered very carefully all of the written and verbal information provided and then adjourned to deliberate in private on 27th March 2008, where they reached the following decision:

...

We have considered carefully both accounts of the suspension meeting and whilst we believe that Mr K... did make you aware that the allegations related to E.... T....., we do accept that you should have been informed of your right to be represented at the outset of the meeting.

The head teacher denied me my constitutional right to be accompanied. He then claimed conversation that never took place. He did so to discredit my honesty. The HR manager, Lancashire County Council, knew that I had not been informed as I had a conversation with him about the torture of not knowing any details of the allegation. I recorded this telephone conversation at 10.20am on 17 Oct 2007 :

We were concerned by your statement that no one with the exception of the police, had ever asked you to relate in your own words the events of 26th September 2007. We are satisfied that the disciplinary investigation meeting held on 13th December was convened in order to allow you to do so. We note that you took external advice and chose not to use this opportunity, preferring to submit a written statement.

“The investigation meeting is being convened in order for you to respond to questions by the head teacher.”

HR Manager – Lancashire County Council

I did not seek external advice; I followed advice provided by the same HR Manager. His e-mail, dated, 05 December 2007 14:31 :

“A statement will be made in order for your response to be recorded. This is your statement and you will have the opportunity to amend this should you wish to do so. Normally this would be sent to you following the investigation meeting and you would then be free to amend it and once you are happy with the content you will be requested to sign it. Should you wish to submit your own statement then I am sure the Headteacher would be agreeable to this.”

We also note that your statement at that time made no reference to the possibility that you had slapped the table rather than E.....

My statement says :

“As I have already stated in Section 1, E.... had been distracted that afternoon and had not been paying attention. The task that she had was relatively easy and in order to regain her attention, I tapped the table in front of her. There were pencils, papers, books, etc. on the table. E.... was not upset at the time and finished her work.”

Also, my police interview recording discusses tapping / slapping the table :

...

The Committee hope that you feel you had a fair hearing and would like to assure you that they thoroughly considered all of the information presented prior to and during the hearing, in coming to their decision.

By their own admission, they were not thorough, failing to notice that my statement did contain reference to tapping the table.

As for feeling that I had a ‘fair’ hearing ... words fail me !

I contend that the HR department of Lancashire County Council suppressed information that would have supported my case. The reason why they should do so is clear – to find me innocent would have resulted in significant problems for both the school and themselves.

There had been a succession of policy / procedural breaches throughout my case by Lancashire County Council and serious omissions. The school had failed in their obligation to ensure that I had been fairly treated and at least three members of staff had not been honest.

The determination of ‘truth’ was never a genuine objective – they were forced by circumstance to expedite a solution that minimized potential damage and liability – and that was to sack me and hope that I would remain silent.

Later, Lancashire County Council attempted to ‘gag’ me on two occasions :

Over Christmas 2008, I had discussed my case with a few parents who disclosed this information on a blog. They received an e-mail from Lancashire County Council :

05 January 2009 :

“Please note that I have been instructed by the Headteacher of .... ...... Primary School …”

“A further issue that I have been instructed to consider is whether the member of staff has acted contrary to the terms of her employment at the school, and contrary to the principles of confidentiality, in apparently giving an interview to you with (presumably) the knowledge that it would be published in this way.”

D.... C.....
Senior Solicitor, Lancashire County Council.
Legal Adviser to Schools.

And shortly afterwards, when they attempted to bully me into accepting a settlement contract that offered me a paultry sum if I agreed to not discussing my case with anyone - including my own family !!!

During my appeal hearing, the head teacher posed me a question - why should people have lied ?

I have pondered this question over months and a full answer continues to elude me.

Colleagues who I had considered to be close friends have done to my detriment and, even though I wrote a blog “Betrayal Of The Bystanders”, I still have no answer.

Part of the reason why people lied, originated from the prevalent atmosphere of fear and intimidation at school. For my appeal, I wanted to include character references from those who had known me and worked with me over the years. This was the response that I received from a colleague, a member of the school’s SMT, who I had worked with for 20 years :

Perhaps the head teacher and HR manager might be better qualified and experienced and could provide an answer ?

The chair of governors who had resigned in January 2008, remained as a parent governor and was present at the first session of my appeal hearing.

He is a man of sound judgement, experience and moral integrity - and he had demonstrated his strong determination that I should receive a fair hearing. He was not present at the second session of my appeal hearing. This was explained to be due to an unfortunate clash of appointments. Later, I received an e-mail of apology from this governor :

“I was on a course yesterday and came home quite late last night. I hope the hearing went OK yesterday. I wanted to be involved all the way through to the decision but was let down by the LCC and LEA, date arrangment for the hearning. Below is my email conversation with authorities regarding the available dates for hearing and they still went ahead with the date which I was not available on.”

The conclusion is that his non-attendance was intentional. He had been excluded to prevent his participation.

Nothing was ever going to be fair - after all, they had control of the rule book ...

Hindsight

2009-07-14T13:00:00.008+01:00

“The wisdom of hindsight, so useful to historians and indeed to authors of memoirs, is sadly denied to practicing politicians.”

Margaret Thatcher (1925- )

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I provided my statement to the head teacher at a meeting on 13 Dec 2007.

I had believed that I was to be interviewed following the completion of the investigative process. The police had dismissed my case on 19 Nov 2007. The following day, 20 Nov 2007, I was contacted by Lancashire County Council’s HR manager who informed me that the school were to invoke disciplinary action; the first stage of which would be an investigation by the head teacher.

It was natural to believe that, by 13 Dec 2007, this investigative stage would have been completed. This was a mistaken presumption on my part. In reality, the head teacher had done nothing for some three weeks.

When I provided my statement, in good faith, I had provided him with a focus and target. The head teacher then embarked on an ‘investigation’ that set out to demolish my statement.

The main argument in my defence was that I had been sitting at a child’s circular table, 55 cm in height and 120 cm in diameter, at the time of the allegation; the little girl had been sitting on the opposite side. I had been seated on a child’s green chair, 30 cm in height, with my legs extended under the table. This is far from comfortable but it is necessary to work at the same level as the children.

The fact is that I could not reach across the table. I know from experience that I have to use rulers, pencils, etc., to allow me to reach a child’s workbook from the other side.

One evening, the head teacher and the two witnesses were observed by a colleague, entering my classroom where they played ‘slapsy‑wapsy’ across the table. I believe that it became evident to them that it is extremely difficult to reach whilst sitting on a child’s chair.

No matter, the evidence can be changed and the two witnesses claimed that I had been sitting on a stool, 60 cm high. Now, apart from the fact that I never use a stool, I would not be able to reach the table surface to help the children. Again, this problem was overcome by introducing a portable whiteboard.

So, my defence was thrown into question by two witnesses who now concurred in their statements that I was sitting on a stool using a portable whiteboard.

The key witness, a teaching assistant, had been using the same lesson plan as me, a Teddy Worksheet, that did not necessitate additional teaching support – certainly not a portable whiteboard. She had been sitting on a child’s chair. Why on earth would I then have to be seated on a stool ?

When I received the head teacher’s investigative report in January 2008, I could not believe that the nursery nurse, whom I had known for some 20 years, would lie ... but she did !

I discussed the head teacher’s report with the police. None of the officers could recollect mention of a stool or whiteboard during their investigation. Attempts were made to recover the archived evidence / statements but the Data Protection Act prevented this and I only succeeded in obtaining my own interview recording.

In hindsight, I should not have provided the head teacher a detailed account or explanation. In the absence of my statement, he might have carried out a fairer and more impartial investigation ! But ... he could not have done for other reasons ...

From the appeal hearing transcripts :

Barrister	:	Your role as investigating officer – how did you understand your role ?
Head Teacher	:	I was only involved in the investigation from 20th November 2007 because prior to that it was a Social Services S47 investigation. Once I had contacted personnel and the child protection team to clarify what I should do.
Barrister	:	It wasn’t a question about when you started but what was your role.
Head Teacher	:	My role was to ascertain what had happened based on the information I obtained on 26th – 27th September.
Barrister	:	So it was a fact finding exercise to present info to disciplinary committee ?
Head Teacher	:	My advice from personnel was to speak to witnesses and present a report based on what I found and what I believed had happened on 26th September. Hence when I did speak to people I believed that Mrs Watts had smacked E... T..... on the hand and my report reflected that – before submitting my report – I did talk to personnel / with VW about what was my role in the investigation process. I have never been involved in anything like this before – people who know me would know that I would take advice from child protection / personnel.
Barrister	:	For the record you are saying personnel advised you to say what you believed to have happened ?
Head Teacher	:	I am basing my beliefs on what I found out.
Barrister	:	You are saying personnel advised you to come up with what you believed had happened ?
Head Teacher	:	Mr W is here. That is what I was advised to do.
Barrister	:	Did they tell you anything else. Did they tell you to be fair and objective in the way you investigate ?
Head Teacher	:	Told to find out what the witnesses said and write down what I believed.
Barrister	:	You mentioned lots of occasions you asked advice did anyone tell you to carry it out in an objective sense ?
Head Teacher	:	I know this and do not need to be told this.
Barrister	:	As you gave evidence you felt no resentment for Mrs W at the date of this incident ?
Head Teacher	:	Correct.
Barrister	:	Your words no resentment ? If you did feel any resentment you couldn’t have carried out a fair investigation could you ?
Head Teacher	:	I didn’t have any resentment.
Barrister	:	If you had a fall out etc., you couldn’t carry out a fair investigation could you ?
Head Teacher	:	My responsibility as head teacher is to carry out fair investigation.
Barrister	:	You told us you carried out the investigation in a fair and objective fashion and had no resentment. If you had resentment you wouldn’t have been able to carry out a fair investigation.
Head Teacher	:	It is a hypothetical question – no resentment.
Barrister	:	Would you agree that if you had issues with Mrs W you shouldn’t have been the person to carry out the investigation ?
Head Teacher	:	It isn’t the case – no resentment.
Barrister	:	Perhaps the difficulty you are having in answering this is you seriously disliked Mrs Watts at the time ?
Asked by barrister to note the question was not answered.
Barrister	:	Let me jog your memory to December 2004 event when Mrs W gave a speech.
Head Teacher	:	I think you are referring to December 2003. (Refer : Anonymous Text)

I had experienced ‘episodes’ with my head teacher over years - the ‘Anonymous Text’ was just one of many.

During the summer term of 2007, I became unfit for work and was signed off ill due to stress through work. I was seen by Lancashire County Council’s occupational health therapist, M....... B..... on several occasions. I told her in some detail about the relationship problems that existed between myself and the head teacher. She noted my comments and said that she would mention my concerns to the HR department.

At my final session with M....... B....., she said that due to the time that I had been off from school that I would be ‘phased’ back into my fulltime role at school. She said that she would discuss this with the head teacher and HR to organize a ‘back-to-work’ meeting.

Towards the end of August 2007, whilst on holiday abroad, I received a text message from the head teacher telling me that a date had been arranged for a meeting with him and VW, a Lancashire County Council HR manager.

I was petrified by the very thought of sitting in such a meeting and decided to ring M....... B..... for her advice. I expressed concern that there might be recriminations from the head teacher. She was more than aware of these problems from my previous meeting with her. When I told her that a ‘two-against-one’ meeting would be intimidating especially from my previous experiences, she realized that I had not been informed of my right to be accompanied by a friend. She agreed to raise the matter directly with VW.

In the end, I decided it would be simpler to speak directly with VW, he was after all a skilled professional HR manager and felt sure that he would have some words of wisdom. I described the history and stressed the fact that I did not want any reference made to these workplace problems during the meeting as I did not want to open old wounds but wanted my phased return to be a fresh start and to please respect the confidentiality of our discussion.

He said that he could not comment as he was an advisor to schools and not teachers. He added that if I was having problems with the head teacher then I should discuss them with my union.

(He did not respect the confidentiality of our conversation as he brought this matter up at the meeting !)

My barrister made it clear at my hearing that if there were ‘bad feelings’ that might be prejudicial to an investigation then another investigator should be appointed.

The head teacher denied that there was such a situation. Clearly there was and he should not have been permitted to execute such an undertaking.

Lancashire County Council knew that there was an ongoing problem - both the occupational health therapist and the HR manager were aware of the relationship issue. But at my hearing, when asked by my barrister, the HR manager denied any knowledge of the problem. (This dialogue was omitted from the transcripts.)

I conclude that Lancashire County Council failed to act reasonably by allowing the head teacher to complete the investigation knowing that there was mutual resentment between us.

It is of grave concern that a Lancashire County Council HR manager who knew about the issue should deny all knowledge at a hearing.

The Box Is Open

2009-07-13T13:00:00.078+01:00

Bilbo	:	A box without hinges, key, or lid, Yet golden treasure inside is hid.
Answer	:	An egg
The Hobbit - J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973)

The allegation of assault was dismissed by the police on 19 Nov 2007. They said that cases, like this one, were nothing but a waste of valuable police resource and I understand that they issued a complaint to this effect.

Regrettably, the police investigation is focused on establishing sufficient evidence to meet the submission requirements of the Crown Prosecution Service and it not their function, in the absence of evidence, to determine or judge the likelihood that a criminal act had taken place. However, the police did consider that I had been victimized and that their investigation had supported this opinion.

So, on 20 Nov 2007, the school embarked on their Disciplinary process – which started with an investigative phase, undertaken by my head teacher, supported and advised by Lancashire County Council’s HR department. (They did have the option not to progress with any further action.)

I was invited to an ‘interview’ with my head teacher on 13 Dec 2007 where I was expected to answer his questions. My responses would be recorded and at the end of the session, I would sign the so prepared document which would become my statement.

There was no way that I could face being subjected to such interrogation; at that time I was very ill through stress and my mental state was one of utter confusion, in part through my illness, and part through side effects of my medication, Sertraline and Diazepam.

On the day of my suspension, 27 Sep 2007, I had written everything that I could recollect (bearing in mind that I did not know the details of the allegation until my arrest on 31 Oct 2007). This record of events was my statement and I never changed any details after that date. It was lodged with my solicitor and was accepted by the police.

Therefore, rather than subject myself to an intimidating and threatening interrogation by my head teacher, I submitted my statement and agreed that they could ask me anything else at a later date if there were any other points that required clarification. (This statement submission was at the advice of a Lancashire County Council HR manager.) I never heard from anyone until a letter arrived in mid-March 2008 to inform me of the date and venue of my Disciplinary Hearing.

The investigative process and guidelines feature in some detail in my blog entry ‘CSI Miami’ and a somewhat cynical but accurate description of what actually took place features in my entry ‘CSI Springfield’.

Lancashire County Council’s guidelines state (Refer : Annex 1) :

“An investigation is a fact-finding exercise with the aim of obtaining, as far as possible, a fair and balanced picture through a written record. The aim is not to prove or disprove an allegation.”

ACAS guidelines are much more detailed and stringent but the underlying requirements are those of impartiality, fairness and that no conclusion should be made by the report.

This was the submission made by my head teacher following his investigative process (after 2 months) :

Adverse Report Mrs Jane Watts - by head teacher
His report concludes :

1.5.2 : Mrs Watts continues to deny smacking E.... T......
1.5.3 : I believe Mrs Watts is guilty of gross misconduct for smacking E.... T..... and my concern is compounded by her refusal to admit the offence.

My statement is at the back of this report. Originally, when submitted, it had been signed, dated and witnessed but no one could explain why the signatures and dates had been removed. I suppose that it was that my statement was then like all the others for they were not signed or dated either.

The head teacher deliberately omitted witness statements that did not support his findings. He explained his rationale for doing so :

“We felt that to use the statement would be a distraction.”
“The statement only served to ‘cloud the issue’.”
The terrifying fact was that this was accepted by the hearing committee without hesitation or question !

He also maximized on the opportunity to discredit my honesty by adding conversation that never took place at my suspension. He denied me my constitutional right to be accompanied. At that time, he told me that he could not provide details of the allegation and said that I would be informed at a later date - the later date being when I was arrested !

Yet, in his report, he says :

1.4.5 : I explained to Mrs Watts that I was suspending her because there had been an allegation that she had smacked E.... T..... on the hand. Mrs Watts said she had been cross with E.... during the day but had not smacked her. Mrs Watts asked if I believed her. I explained that the suspension was made without prejudice and that it would continue whilst an investigation took place and that it was likely that there would be a strategy meeting called by social services.

I went through weeks of hell - I did not know what was happening, no one contacted me, and worst of all I did not know any detail of the allegation. The only information that I had came from articles in local newspapers; the featured information had been provided by Lancashire County Council.

If the head teacher had informed me in such detail, why then would this conversation between myself and a Lancashire County Council HR Manager have taken place :

I will refer to other details of this conversation in a later blog - suffice to say, this was the one and only time that Lancashire County Council made any attempt to ‘keep me informed’.

Immediately following the release of the head teacher’s report, the chair of governors resigned. He had expressed his concerns about the poor quality and obvious bias of his report to the head teacher.

He also had insisted that there should be changes made to the members of the Disciplinary Committee as they had limited training and no experience; but to no avail.

So, at my Disciplinary Hearing, I was judged and sacked by a florist and his delivery ‘boy’; aided and abetted by Lancashire County Council representatives.

The chair of the Disciplinary Committee and the now chair of governors is a florist whose shop routinely supplies the school with all it floral decorations, bouquets, etc.

My next blog will focus on why my head teacher should not have been permitted to undertake the investigative process. I had suffered from several years of bullying and our working relationship and his behaviour was such that he could never have been objective. Lancashire County Council knew that this problem existed but denied it at my appeal hearing ! ... and more ...

The Lid Fell Off ...

2009-07-12T13:00:00.140+01:00

“Next morning a crowd gathered on the common, hypnotized by the unscrewing of the cylinder. Two feet of shining screw projected when suddenly the lid fell off ! Two luminous disc-like eyes appeared above the rim. A huge rounded bulk, larger than a bear, rose up slowly glistening like wet leather. Its lipless mouth quivered and slavered and snake like tentacles writhed as the body heaved and pulsated. A few younger men crept closer to the pit. A tall funnel rose then an invisible ray of heat leaped from man to man and there was a bright glare as each was instantly turned into fire.”H. G. Wells (1866 – 1946)

I outlined my intent in “Pandora’s Box”. For two long miserable years, I have remained silent - my story untold. I have written a book to help others; it makes few references to the details of my case.

Today, I start with my story. There is much to relate and I remain hesitant of the format and presentation. There is no doubt that this entry will be subject to change as my story unfolds. The only certainty is that I have opened Pandora’s Box ...

The lid has fallen off !

I start with the audio recording of my police arrest interview of 31 October 2007. All my life, I have been an honest, caring and loving person and to be arrested was the most debasing, sordid and terrifying experience imaginable. Throughout my arrest, I felt physically sick, scared and so alone.

My mind raced and struggled to comprehend my nightmare as the details of the allegation unfolded. The pressures and stresses that you experience during a police interview are such that it is not possible to respond with anything other than the truth.

I remain scarred by the memory of this episode and there is no way that I can consider listening to the interview recording that I have now released - even today, the thought of it makes me ill.

Refer : Arresting Times

As my story unfolds, it will become clear that truth had never been on the agenda. I was guilty from the instant of my suspension. From that moment onwards, I had been judged and sentenced by the school with the full support and sanction of Lancashire County Council. Their focus was clear all along – sack me and be damned !

The second time that I was subject to intense interview by a professional trained investigator was during my polygraph examination. Unlike my arrest interview, it was my decision to undergo such an examination but nevertheless it was an ordeal. My decision was based on sound judgement. Whilst polygraph examinations are not yet acceptable as evidence in a criminal court of law, they are admissible in some civil cases. Polygraph examinations are accepted by government and are now an integral component of the Offender Management Act 2007.

Even though I passed my examination, by one of the UK’s most reputable bodies, it was Lancashire County Council that destroyed all credibility of, not the polygraph test, but the character of the examiner, Don Cargill of NADAC.

The following video illustrates Don Cargill and his work in connection with the Michael Shields case from the BBC television series Inside‑Out :

Courtesy BBC Manchester - Inside Out

During my appeal hearing, Don Cargill availed himself to be questioned by conference telephone.

The only people who spoke with Don Cargill (DC) were the two Lancashire County Council HR representatives – one supporting the governors (HR1) and the other (HR2) supporting the head teacher.

The following dialogue was taken from my appeal hearing transcripts :

HR1 started the questioning session :

HR1	:	Can you confirm that you carried out the test with JW ?
DC	:	Yes.
HR1	:	On what date ?
DC	:	About 3 months ago.
HR1	:	How much was she charged ?
DC	:	That is confidential.
HR1	:	Is it true that you practiced the questions ?
DC	:	No. I sat down and listened to her version of events. I don’t care if she lies or not. I am a professional. I attached monitors to JW body. Sometimes we have to ask further questions. The main relevant questions are to do with did she or did she not touch the child. I have to take verbal testimony of people taking the test. JW slapped the table and her ring caught the table. In no way at all did she touch that child in my opinion. These tests are over 98% accurate.
HR1	:	The assessment isn’t purely based on an actual test – there are pre and post questions ?
DC	:	Yes.
HR1	:	What’s the scope to manipulate ?
DC	:	(Gave a range of examples e.g. drawing pins in shoes.) We cannot alter our own nervous system unless we are lying and this would show up on the chart. It is a scientific control. We also use subtle interrogation skills.
HR1	:	Would prescription medication affect the accuracy ?
DC	:	Only if completely drunk or taken marijuana or cough medicine or cocaine or recently started beta blockers. So as long as no heavy cold or a cough.
HR1	:	Can you give a 100% assurance that JW was not taking any prescription drugs that may affect the outcome ?
DC	:	Only if she was on heroin or cocaine replacement drugs.
HR1	:	Can you confirm that the same person who took test is the same person in the hearing ?
DC	:	I don’t know because I can’t see them !

HR2 then asked questions :

HR2	:	Just to confirm - you are the owner of largest privately owned Polygraph Clinic ?
DC	:	Yes.
HR2	:	You make your living through them so it is in your interests to say they are 98% accurate.
DC	:	Not in my interests at all. All polygraph tests are deemed to be accurate not just mine. That does not mean I get 2% wrong.
HR2	:	Is it true that you are available for TV / Radio ?
DC	:	Yes.
HR2	:	So you work in the entertainment business ?
DC	:	I take my profession very seriously.
HR2	:	On some information it describes you as being the only glamorous couple in the industry. This is strange if you are a serious business.
DC	:	They are accurate.

No other member of the governing body or anyone else asked questions.

The above transcripts were taken by HR1. They are reasonably accurate but some comments were omitted. At the conclusion of HR2s questioning, he concluded with a statement to Don Cargill : “You’re nothing more than a media showman !”

The intent of the questions posed and statements made during the above session is evident - to discredit Don Cargill and therefore to cast doubt on the validity of my test. They could not ask searching questions that would educate those present for to do so would have been to allow doubt of my guilt to gain substance.

In his summary, the head teacher said “She had convinced herself of her own reality and that is how she passed the polygraph examination.” (This conclusion was not reached through dialogue with Don Cargill who later commented to me that such an observation would not be possible.)

Later, I received my “Outcome of Hearing Letter” from Lancashire County Council. It contained the following section on their opinion of my polygraph test :

The Committee considered carefully what weight should be placed on the polygraph report you submitted. They took into account a number of factors including the following :

The report dated 13th April 2008 was conducted by a qualified person who runs a commercial enterprise including clients in the entertainment business. He was paid by you to conduct the test.
This statement and inference is outrageous.
The report itself is an expression of opinion that there was “no deception indicated”. This opinion is based on the test, examination and interviews including ‘numerous rehearsals of the questions to be asked of her before the actual test itself’.
This statement indicates that they did not understand the methodology of polygraph examinations.
The test provides an indicator of ‘no deception’ rather than categorical proof that the subject of the test is telling the truth.
This statement indicates that they did not understand the methodology of polygraph examinations. There are only two outcomes from a polygraph examination : NO DECEPTION INDICATED meaning the examinee answered the relevant questions truthfully, DECEPTION INDICATED meaning the examinee did not tell the truth to the relevant test questions or sometimes the opinion is inconclusive when the examiner is unable to determine truth or deception from the examinee’s polygraph charts due to abnormal and / or inconsistent physiological reactions.
Mr Cargill was unable to confirm your identify as the person who took the test.
I had submitted my report to Lancashire County Council at the end of April 2008 - they had almost two months to assure themselves of its validity ! They also had the opportunity to address this point with Don Cargill during the telephone conversation at my appeal hearing.

Therefore, the Committee concluded the polygraph test does not negate or override witness testimony whether that witness testimony supports your account of events or contradicts it.

I know that I have not been fairly treated by this process - far from it ! There was never a moment when my school or Lancashire County Council demonstrated fair play or reasonable behaviour. From the time of my suspension, they broke the rules and left me deserted and alone - no support, no contact and no compassion.

Nowhere was there any doubt that I was guilty. The head teacher was given free reign by Lancashire County Council to prove me guilty - almost at any cost !

At my appeal hearing, the head teacher said “I was told to find out what the witnesses said and write down what I believed. My advice from personnel was to speak to witnesses and present a report based on what I found and what I believed had happened on 26th September. Hence when I did speak to people I believed that ‘she’ had smacked ‘the girl’ on the hand and my report reflected that.”

On three occasions during my appeal hearing, the head teacher said :

“I knew what I believed and proved it !”
When asked why statements were omitted from his report, he said “We felt that to use the statement would be a distraction.” adding “The statement only served to ‘cloud the issue’.”

It was of little wonder that at my appeal hearing, the head teacher was supported not only by a Lancashire County Council HR manager, he also required the presence of his NAHT union representive. The fact was that if my appeal succeeded then the ensuing aftermath would impact many of those involved.

This was a battleground where right and wrong had no place - they had to find me guilty at any price !
Lancashire County Council knew that there had been significant failings and they took a strategic decision to reinstate me, knowing that I was too ill to return to school (for which I was sacked again in May 2009) and that reinstatement closed the door to progressing my case through an employment tribunal.

Realize that, I was found, by the Disciplinary and Appeal Committees, to have violently assaulted a child, to such an extent that the little girl continues to suffer post-traumatic shock. The assault was so violent that it took the witness, a special needs assistant, 20 hours to recover sufficiently before she felt able to report it. It was so violent that the little girl showed no initial reaction at the moment of the assault and that no other child in the vicinity reacted !

How could they justify their decision to reinstate me ? This was gross misconduct and at the severest level !

Recently, I conveyed my feelings and concerns to Lancashire County Council and received this response :

“I do not feel that it is in the best interests of all of the parties involved for this to be re-examined.”

Helen Denton, Executive Director for Children and Young People

I question whose best interests and which parties is she concerned about ? It certainly is not mine ! This is my life that they have stolen !

I conclude with the facts that Chair of Governors said that, in November 2007, he tried to stop the case progressing to that of a Disciplinary Hearing. He could see no benefit to the school in pursuing such action and the reports from the CPA and the police had concluded that the incident should be closed. He was overruled by the head teacher.

In January 2008, the Chair of Governors resigned coincident with the publication of the head teacher’s report. He had issues about the lack of impartiality of the report and raised concerns about the lack of experience and training of the Disciplinary Committee.

Immediately following my appeal hearing, another governor, a parent and teaching assistant at the school, was so appalled by the outcome of the hearing that she not only resigned, she removed her children from the school !

Later, I will look at the ‘impartiality’ of the investigative process undertaken by my head teacher in my next blog.

I make the offer to undergo another polygraph examination to prove, once again, my innocence with the condition that the head teacher, HR manager and key witness also take the test and that the results be made public.

Pandora’s Box

2009-07-11T13:00:00.008+01:00

After Prometheus’ theft of the secret of fire, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create the woman Pandora as part of the punishment for mankind. Pandora was given many seductive gifts from Aphrodite, Hermes, Hera, Charites, and Horae. For fear of additional reprisals, Prometheus warned his brother Epimetheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus did not listen, and married Pandora. Pandora had been given a large box and instruction by Zeus to keep it closed, but she had also been given the gift of curiosity, and ultimately opened it. When she opened it, all of the evils, ills, diseases, and burdensome labour that mankind had not known previously, escaped from the box, but it is said, that at the very bottom of her box, there lay hope.

Since I started my blog on 01 February 2008, it has now received over 75,000 visits and several hundred e-mails. (too many for me to acknowledge, let alone to reply to !) Never before did I appreciate the scale of the problem of false allegations. It is of worldwide pandemic proportion, affecting teachers, carers, hospital workers ... the list goes on. Many have asked for details about my case but my focus has remained on fighting for all teachers and to change legislation, policies and practices, so that no one in the future will suffer the experience of such a living nightmare without end.

It was only the other day, that I discovered the fact that Pandora’s Box not only contained evil but, at the bottom, there lay hope.

My Pandora’s Box is now 4 lever-arch files, over 100 Mbytes of computer files (video / audio recordings, pictures and other assorted documents) and drawers full of newspapers and correspondence.

The thought now occurs to me that, like Pandora, I will find hope only through opening my box and unleashing the evils that lie within.

In my possession, I have recordings of conversations by my head teacher, HR managers, other teachers and even my own arrest interview plus transcripts, letters and other documents. None of this evidence could have been used in my defence during my hearing stages. It would not only have been deemed to have been inadmissible, such covert behaviour would have been damaging to any chance of winning my appeal. (Today, it no longer matters.)

I want the world to know that I am innocent. Over the coming weeks, it is my intent to open my Pandora's Box and to return the contents of such evil wickedness to those whose actions have resulted in so much misery. And just maybe, I will find hope once more in my life !

After Pandora opened her box, she did not suffer any consequences of her action and later had a daughter named Pyrrha who married Deucalion the son of Prometheus.

Just after they were married Zeus sent the Great Deluge which wiped out the whole of mankind. Only Deucalion and Pyrrha survived, floating to the safety of Mount Parnassus in a chest.

The Ambulance In The Valley

2009-07-10T13:00:00.070+01:00

The Ambulance in the Valley

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke, and full many a peasant.
The people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally.
Some said ‘Put a fence ‘round the edge of the cliff’,
Some, ‘An ambulance down in the valley.’

The lament of the crowd was profound and was loud,
As their tears overflowed with their pity;
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day
As it spread through the neighbouring city.
A collection was made, to accumulate aid
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds or pence – not to furnish a fence –
But an ambulance down in the valley.

‘For the cliff is all right if you’re careful’, they said;
‘And if folks ever slip and are dropping,
It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below – when they’re stopping.’
So for years (we have heard), as these mishaps occurred
Quick forth would the rescuers sally,
To pick up the victims who fell from the cliff,
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Said one, to his pleas, ‘It’s marvel to me
That you’d give so much greater attention
To repairing results than to curing the cause;
You had much better aim at prevention.
For the mischief, of course, should be stopped at its source;
Come, neighbours and friends, let us rally.
It is far better sense to rely on a fence
Than an ambulance down in the valley.’

‘He is wrong in his head’, the majority said;
‘He would end all our earnest endeavour.
He’s a man who would shirk this responsible work,
But we will support it forever.
Aren’t we picking up all, just as fast as they fall,
And giving them care liberally ?
A superfluous fence is of no consequence,
If the ambulance works in the valley.’

The story looks queer as we’ve written it here,
But things oft occur that are stranger
More humane, we assert, than to succour the hurt
Is the plan of removing the danger.
The best possible course is to safeguard the source
By attending to things rationally.
Yes, build up the fence and let us dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Joseph Malins 1895

“The Ambulance In The Valley” is one of those wonderful works of prose that conveys such a strong message. We are all guilty of becoming fixated by that ‘ambulance’ – it is our nature … instinct is to address the symptoms of a problem and forget to determine and analyze the root cause.

Quickly, we are swept away with the tide of enthusiasm as more become involved and want to participate. Years later, someone might have the vision and conviction to look at what is happening – to see that initial fallacious error of judgement and to take action. They must be strong to sweep away all the ‘good work’ that has gone before and start afresh.

What ‘fence’ can be erected for a teacher to shield them from falling over the precipice ? Whatever future policies exist, they can never be more than a ‘safety net’ to catch them as they fall.

The only protection against false allegations are those provided by safe working practices and sadly the technology of video / audio surveillance.

I did a lot of work considering how I would keep safe at school, if I returned – the ‘two deep leadership rule’ of having another adult with you at all times is a good safe practice – but that didn’t work in my case. I happened to mention this problem to the police. They suggested that the school should have surveillance cameras throughout the school ! They added that a better alternative would be to use the same personal body cameras that the police use to protect themselves from false allegations. They use digitally encrypted recording so that no one can use the video for any other purpose. In their experience, CCTV systems can never guarantee 100% coverage and fate is such that an incident may not be in view of a camera. Being understandably cynical, they added that camera / recording failures frequently coincided with incidents !

The scale of the problem and its consequence can be life changing and life threatening. The capital outlay to protect yourself is less than £1,000. If I could turn back the clock two years then I would have used personal surveillance technology. There can be no other solution - you need to keep safe and keep wise.

Abuse allegations are now a part of life - it can happen to you - so be prepared and don’t accept the risk.

The devices are commonly available and are similar to ‘bluetooth’ accessories. Suggested distributors of such systems are DogCam or RoboCam.

I found a few companies who were prepared to lend me such equipment for evaluation and it is worth making enquiries.

Today, there was the tragic news that a pupil had been hospitalized following a violent assault by his science teacher at a school in Mansfield, “Science teacher arrested over ‘assault’ on schoolboy”.

The Telegraph, 10 Jul 2009

And another older article : “Teacher pleads for CCTV in classrooms”.

Coventry Telegraph, 22 Jun 2007

Two dreadful and appalling stories of misery and sadness, potentially diametrically opposed in actual events and intent. The journalists have presented the known ‘facts’ and ‘evidence’ behind the incidents. We are then able to consider and judge the guilt of the unfortunate teachers from the comfort our homes.

But what is the truth ? Does it matter ? We all know that Peter Harvey must have lost control in a moment of frustration and that John Whitehead has been the subject of a travesty of justice. The papers allow us to make that judgement.

The fact is that we do not know, none of us were there nor the reporters or police. No one will ever know what really happened, the degree of provocation, such things are not important - society simply wants to assign blame and punishment.

Cameras would have recorded these events without prejudice – much akin to a ‘black box’ on an aircraft. And like that ‘black box’, we can learn from such events – knowing the facts allows corrective action to be made that might minimize such risks in the future.

I feel the deepest sorrow when reading such stories – a teacher is guilty from the very start and it is an impossible uphill journey to escape.

In my case, I know that classroom surveillance cameras would have saved me, my career and my life.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union, said : “We do not support the use of cameras in this way and see no professional security or educational benefits to such systems.” ... from a recent article, entitled : “CCTV installed to monitor classrooms”.

The Telegraph, 04 Mar 2009

Teachers, children, parents need a ‘fence’ erecting to protect everyone. Consider Chris Keates’ opinion – is she not one of the outspoken villagers fighting for ‘The Ambulance In The Valley’ ?

Worse than that, she requires the statistical data on the number of injuries suffered over 18 years before considering investing in a box of band aids !

Google NASUWT

2009-07-02T13:00:00.051+01:00

“If you trust Google more than your doctor then maybe it’s time to switch doctors.”

The following page is the result of using +nasuwt false allegations as the search text on Google :

1994	Jun 26, 1994 - They are a direct result of unions' concerns about the increase in false allegations made against teachers. ... Chris Keates, an executive member of NASUWT, says: 'We do not seek to protect child abusers but we do need to protect teachers who have their lives shattered by pupils.' ... From Fear and loathing in the classroom: Allegations … - Related web pages www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fear-and ...
1999	Apr 10, 1999 - The NASUWT said it knew of three members who had committed suicide, and one who had attempted suicide, because of the stress caused by false allegations and press coverage. One teacher died prematurely as a result of an impending court case. General secretary Nigel de Gruchy said it ... From 'Expel pupils' for false abuse claims - Related web pages www.guardian.co.uk/uk/1999/apr/10/rebeccasmithers
2001	Apr 9, 2001 - More than 2000 teachers have faced police interrogation as a result of unsubstantiated or false allegations of abuse by pupils in the past decade ... The NASUWT report shows the number of allegations has shot up from 42 in 1991 to 159 last year. The NUT has dealt with 160 cases where a ... From Teachers face rocketing false abuse claims - Related web pages www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education ...
2003	Apr 4, 2003 - Many in the profession have said worries about false allegations of abuse could be behind the decline. According to the teaching union, the NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers) there have been 1557 police investigations against members. ... From Male teacher numbers hit low - Related web pages news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/wales/2914661.stm
2004	Apr 15, 2004 - Teachers have demanded a change in the law to allow them to sue pupils for compensation if they make false allegations of physical or sexual ... Only 69 out of 1782 allegations of abuse made by children against NASUWT members over the past 10 years had actually led to convictions, ... From Teachers want right to sue over false claims - Related web pages www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education ...
2005	Nov 21, 2005 - "Teachers and others who work with children are extremely vulnerable to false allegations. NASUWT has campaigned for years for this to be recognised and for an investigative process which takes this into account to be introduced. "The guidance represents a significant step forward ... From Investigating abuse by teachers - Related web pages www.epolitix.com/EN/ForumBriefs/200511 ...
2006	Apr 21, 2006 - Mr Gee, from Huddersfield, was not a member of her union, the NASUWT. But Ms Keates said its campaign on false allegations had resulted in the government amending the procedures to speed up the investigation of allegations. "False allegations can completely devastate the lives and ... From Teacher posthumously acquitted - Related web pages news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4931172.stm
2007	Apr 10, 2007 - NASUWT Northern Ireland president Fred Brown said false allegations against teachers were becoming much more common and more sophisticated. "The internet is used to make allegations and these allegations are totally anonymous," Mr Brown said. He said those pupils found to have made ... From Teacher tells of false claim ordeal - Related web pages news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6540557.stm
2008	Mar 19, 2008 - Pupils who make malicious false allegations about teachers should be placed on a school register to protect other staff, a teachers' union ... The NASUWT union, for example, says it has had 2316 allegations brought against its members in recent years, of which 2231 have been concluded. ... From Call for 'crying wolf' pupil list - Related web pages news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7305252.stm
2009	Mar 3, 2009 - Hundreds of teachers are facing false allegations of abusing children every year, union leaders said. More than 800 claims are being made against staff, according to the NASUWT union. Many of the allegations follow attempts by teachers to discipline pupils who misbehave in class, ... From Teachers' careers 'blighted' by false allegations - Related web pages www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews ...

The above information page is brief, providing only a minimal synopsis of the tales of horror and injustice. Already, it is evident that there were 3 deaths and 1 attempted suicide in 1999 … there it is, the starkest of realities … false allegations do kill ! Is it murder ? In my book it is; to deliberately subject any human being to stress with no regard for them or their feelings, knowing that they will be broken and destroyed by the process; suicide, in these circumstances, by definition, must be murder.

That is what Lancashire County Council tried to do to me - they nearly succeeded on several occasions !

Legal Analysis of Murder
William Blackstone (citing Edward Coke), in his Commentaries on the Laws of England set out the common law definition of murder as :

“when a person, of sound memory and discretion, unlawfully killeth any reasonable creature in being and under the king’s peace, with malice aforethought, either express or implied”

The first few elements are relatively straightforward; however, the concept of “malice aforethought” is a complex one that does not necessarily mean premeditation. The following states of mind are recognized as constituting the various forms of “malice aforethought” :

Intent to kill,
Intent to inflict grievous bodily harm short of death,
Reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk to human life, or
Intent to commit a dangerous felony.

I intentionally included NASUWT in the search phrase. There they are, the largest teachers’ union, doing nothing other than to expound their pride in maintaining statistical data. Teachers are not statistics, they are trained, experienced and valuable human beings. From 1994 to 2009, there is Chris Keates ‘looking out’ for her members’ interests – and achieving nothing !

Everyone seems to ‘tinker’ with peripheral concerns; should the teacher’s anonymity be protected, seems to be of paramount importance and, at all costs, any publicity should be minimized – it’s in everyone’s best interest. In truth, anonymity was the least of my concerns – if someone is suspended from school then it’s fairly public knowledge anyway. I am also of the view that, in many cases, maximum publicity at the start, is actually to the teacher’s advantage - whilst the LEA might not be permitted to use commonsense, thankfully much of British society can still recognize moral injustice.

A much more radical approach needs to be made to establish a fairer, quicker and more supportive process. Why should it be the school that picks up the chalice after the Police and CPA have been involved ? It could be better handled by a specialist and trained department of the DCSF. I also discovered that all the reports by the Police and CPA that are compiled and collated are not used by subsequent school investigations – why is that ?

So I make this plea to the policy makers and to the bureaucrats :

“Involve us, the people who have suffered over the years, to help make certain that there is a system in place that works !”

Old News - Same Story

2009-07-01T13:00:00.068+01:00

“This has been an ongoing problem. The NASUWT has been tracking this since 1991, we have done 18 years of work on this. I think I am right to say that we are the only union that has a database that goes back that far showing the issues relating to allegations made against staff.”

Chris Keates, NASUWT - 17 June 2009
House of Commons, Children, Schools and Families Select Committee Meeting

Every Teacher’s Nightmare - The Independent, Tuesday, 28 June 1994

Eighteen years on ... it’s incredulous and scandalous to realize that absolutely nothing has changed and the same cruel and heartless rules are rigorously and ruthlessly applied today ... and tomorrow ?

How many teachers have suffered during these long 18 years ? Indeed, how have they suffered ? ... health, divorce and even suicide ! Where are those statistics ?

In eighteen more years, will it still be the same ? Will the NASUWT be sitting before another Select Committee and speaking of their considerable amount of statistical data but not having done anything ? Will nothing have changed ?

The NASUWT database (ref. : APPENDIX B Page 19) only contains case references that involved the provision of a solicitor to assist teachers experiencing criminal arrest. In effect, this database might well be their accounts management system - they could query their financial accounts history to extract union expenditure relating to legal support for teacher arrests.

I would have expected the NASUWT, on such an important issue, to be able to provide substantial depth and content for all cases of false allegations including how many teachers never worked again in education, whether guilty or innocent, and indeed how many have committed suicide through the stress of their experience ?

After 18 years, the NASUWT have failed :

To provide literature / books that might help teachers who have been falsely accused or that might educate teachers about the risk to their careers and lives.
To provide adequate support for teachers who become subject to an allegation. In my case I was met with incompetance, complacency and an utter disregard for me as a person and my situation that destroyed my life - I was treated as a statistic, a number, from the moment of my suspension.
To change any aspect of existing procedures to protect and support the accused teacher.
To provide an indepth analysis of the precise scale and consequencial damage associated with false allegations.
To do anything to have prevented or minimized the utter destructive effects and consequences.

If you equate 18 years of statistics into terms of human misery, suffering and, for some, death, then it is clear that this unjust and inhuman process should have been stopped 18 years ago !

How anyone can feel proud to be directly associated with a problem that has existed for 18 years without progress or resolution defies commonsense and is an afront to teachers and union members alike !

I wish that I could use stronger language ... it’s about time that Chris Keates got off her ... .... and actually made a stand on this issue and shoved her database containing 18 years of statistical data where it belongs !

Refer : Part Of The Union

I close this blog with an e-mail comment that I received from my arresting DC (January 2008) :

“I am sorry to hear that the whole situation has not been sorted by now (Court cases do not appear to take this long).

It is good that she has the support of you all to get through this and I cannot even think how she functions on a daily basis with the situation still not resolved.

I find it so hard to understand how in our society that Jane now has to present her own case and cross examine witnesses. That in itself appears to go back to the dark ages when victims of crime were allowed to be cross examined by offenders !”

Book Publisher

2009-06-20T13:00:00.001+01:00

False Allegations Against Teachers

I am seeking a publisher for my book and I would be grateful to hear from anyone who might be able to help.

BACKGROUND
The concept for the book originated from my own personal experience of being the subject of an allegation of assault. My desire is to help and support others like myself and to alert others to the ever present risks of working with children.

I have tried to produce a practical guide about this life changing and career threatening subject.

READERSHIP
The principle audience for the book is teachers. The advice and comment within the book is applicable to everyone who has contact with children under 16 years.

The purpose of the book is twofold. Prior to my allegation, I had not considered that anything like this could ever happen to me – it is something that happens to others. I was not prepared for the events that unfolded.

Everyone involved with children needs to know how to minimize the risk and to understand the cold and lonely processes involved.

COMPETING BOOKS
I spent months looking for advice – there are no books, on the subject, and very little constructive information on the Internet, even though the number of false allegations made each year continues to spiral.

Please contact me : Jane E. Watts

In The News

2009-06-19T13:00:00.001+01:00

BBC News	03 March 2009
Thousands of teachers ‘at risk’

BBC News	03 March 2009
‘Pupil’s slur killed my career’

The Telegraph	03 March 2009
Teachers’ careers ‘blighted’ by false allegations

Daily Mail	03 March 2009
Wave of false abuse allegations are blighting teachers’ careers

The Guardian	02 April 2009
MPs investigate allegations of teacher misconduct

TES	29 May 2009
Character assassination

The Times Online	17 June 2009
Pupils using social network sites to coordinate false teacher claims

The Guardian	17 June 2009
Child abuse fears prompt unfair suspensions of teachers, MPs hear

The Telegraph	18 June 2009
Abuse claim teachers ‘guilty until proven innocent’, MPs told

TES	19 June 2009
Threat to teachers’ kids

Teachers In The Dock

2009-03-04T13:00:00.007Z

From BBC File on 4 - 03 March 2009 (Teachers in the Dock) :

Barry Sheerman, MP
(Chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families)

“It is the most damaging, damaging thing that can happen to a human being. Especially when this feeling of injustice, you actually haven’t done anything wrong. Many teachers are being very shabbily treated and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

“I think what the Government is doing is full of good intentions, but it isn’t being felt down there at the grass roots in the schools themselves, and I think that there’s got to be a much more significant announcement, that we’ve got to be much more fairly treating teachers. If I raise it and take evidence, and I can expose the misery this is unfortunately causing to a lot of teachers unfairly, unjustly, then I can, I think, bring pressure on the Government to move much more quickly to put it right.”

Barry Sheerman told File on 4 his Commons committee now plans to hold an inquiry into allegations against teachers following the Parliamentary Easter recess.

“I was brought up to believe in honour, honesty and that ‘truth will out’ but it does not ! It all fails because nobody has the strength and moral integrity or conviction to speak out. This was not justice this was the act of cowards who chose to hide behind bureaucratic policies and procedures that were never followed correctly nor were implemented in good faith. They did what they did not because it was right, they did it because they could !

So I will continue to fight – what choice do I have ? I was once a proud person, a professional teacher who was devoted to her vocation, fostered a sense of value in a humble Chorley primary school and who had a love of children. I remain a proud person for I know that I alone in this utter travesty have behaved with dignity and that I am innocent. I have survived the worst that they could do to me and I promise them that I will not ‘put it behind me’ for to do so would be to accept the situation, something that I can never do.”

Teachers In The Dock

2009-03-03T13:00:00.040Z

Efforts to protect children from abuse are intensifying but have some safety measures gone too far ? Julian O’Halloran investigates claims that over-reaction by schools to minor incidents or unproven allegations is wrecking the careers of hundreds of innocent teachers.

courtesy BBC Radio 4 - File on 4

In early January 2009, I started campaigning in earnest for legislative reform of existing policies that deal with allegations of assault by teachers.

I made contact with Helen Boaden, Director of News for the BBC. She was very sympathetic of my plight and suggested that the Radio 4 programme, ‘File on 4’ might provide the best initial investigative route, later maybe followed by television, suggesting ‘Panorama’ and the local news programme ‘Inside Out’.

So, in early February, I met with a BBC researcher from ‘File on 4’ to discuss aspects of my case and my experience. Later, I had a gruelling 3 hour interview by Julian O'Halloran. He was very kind, patient and considerate – it was an ordeal to relate my 20 months of pain and anguish.

In the end, my contribution was not used; they found 3 other cases that were similar that had involved Employment Tribunals. I was a little disappointed but it gave me considerable pride to know that I had catalyzed the creation of the programme and that I had been able to provide some guidance to the format of the presentation.

Subsequent to the broadcast, I was contacted by Julian O'Halloran with the good news confirming that Barry Sheerman, MP, Chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families, intends to initiate an inquiry following the Parliamentary Easter recess.

For me, this is just the start for there can be no end until justice is delivered to all those who have suffered my experience and until existing processes are made fair and just.

I extend my grateful thanks to the BBC team for their support and for the positive and optimistic results from their programme.

500 days

2009-02-08T13:00:00.010Z

It has been 500 days since the start of my nightmare. 500 days of torture, pain and misery. Over these 500 days both of my parents died.

My mother died in September 2008. She had been so very worried about me and the injustice of my case. It is understandable that I blame her death on those who have relentlessly persecuted me. I blame them too for the fact that my case dominated what was to be the last year of her life.

What really hurts in cases like mine, is that no one stops to consider the utter destructive nature of such a false allegation. It is worse than anything that you might imagine.

If I had committed the crime of which I am accused :

I would have failed as a mother and would have resigned immediately.
I would have failed as a teacher and would have resigned immediately.
I would not have subjected my partner and family to the extreme stress that they have all suffered and would have resigned immediately.
I would not have exhausted my life’s savings in legal expenses to defend my case.
I would not have subjected myself to the humiliation of undergoing a polygraph examination and at my cost.
I would not continue to fight for justice even though the cost to my health is so very high.

I am a God fearing person and I swear by whatever oath that I am innocent. I swear on the sad memory of my parents that I am innocent.

I also swear that I will NOT stop seeking redress and justice; not just for me, but for all those poor souls who are suffering under similar circumstances and regrettably those yet to come in the future.

Foreword

2009-01-31T11:08:00.147Z

492 days ago, our lives were changed forever. It is difficult to imagine personal tragedies that might be worse. Many might say that the death of a loved one is worse but it is not. Over these 492 days, my partner lost both parents. Sad times but such events have a closure, a natural end and there is support, comfort, compassion and sympathy from family and friends.

A false allegation consumes and destroys the ideals and beliefs that have taken a lifetime to grow. Like a thief in the night, everything is stolen, ransacked and trashed. You escape but you have been violated, raped and all around is now an unrecognizable alien world of monsters and evil. You are alone.

Your dignity remains for a while; you hope that you might awake from this nightmare – all that is needed is to hold on to a forlorn hope that someone will be strong enough to see into your world and to know that you are innocent. In the end there is no one, just bystanders who look the other way.

People lie, cheat, deceive, hurt and violate one another – why ? The answer is that they can, they are empowered by legislature – they gain personal satisfaction, a sense of power and importance whilst remaining protected by a shield of bureaucratic rules of policies, processes and procedures. They believe in their authoritative position and vigorously throw themselves into their duty, ignoring and suppressing any and all vestiges of commonsense, decency and humanity. Was this ethos not the cornerstone of Nazism ? A world in fear of thugs, bullies and cowards.

How much value do we assign to our dignity, our self-respect when everything that mattered has gone ? How much value can we assign to the destruction and total humiliation of an innocent person and their family ? How much is 492 days of pain, torture and anguish worth ? What price for a dedicated, loyal and committed 30 year career ?

For me, there is only my family – “me and mine”. I will fight for justice, I will fight for honour and I will never ever stop … there will be no end !

Andrew Jameson

School / LEA Justice :

Q.	“You are saying personnel advised you to come up with what you believed had happened ?”
A.	“That is what I was advised to do. I was told to find out what the witnesses said and write down what I believed. My advice from personnel was to speak to witnesses and present a report based on what I found and what I believed had happened on 26th September. Hence when I did speak to people I believed that ‘she’ had smacked ‘the girl’ on the hand and my report reflected that.”
Statements were omitted :
	“We felt that to use the statement would be a distraction.”
	“The statement only served to ‘cloud the issue’.”
	“I didn’t feel that character references were relevant.”
Even though character references were deemed irrelevant, I was denied my right to submit mine as they were classified as ‘late evidence’. (Such a restriction did not apply to the head teacher and he produced ‘new’ evidence during the disciplinary hearing.)

“She had convinced herself of her own reality and that is how she passed the polygraph examination.”

Head teacher

Investigative guidelines (ACAS and LEA) were ignored - unfair ? Who said this should be fair ? Realize that life is not fair ... you are guilty from the moment of your suspension.

“The truth is out there” but no one wants to know and it no longer has any import.

ACAS Investigative Objective :
The investigating officer is obliged to carry out his/her investigation impartially. They must examine the issue from both sides. This means that they must look for facts which support the complaint/allegation, and look for facts which contradict the complaint/allegation. In addition they must demonstrate that they have done so. It is not sufficient for them to examine the position from the complainant’s point of view and simply ask the accused for their comments about what has been alleged.

DCSF Investigative Objective :
An investigation is a fact-finding exercise with the aim of obtaining, as far as possible, a fair and balanced picture through a written record. The aim is not to prove or disprove an allegation.

Head Teacher / Lancashire LEA Investigative Objective :
The overriding consideration is that the investigative report must clearly and factually prove guilt.

All witnesses must be interviewed and statements prepared on their behalf. Witnesses must be encouraged to make supportive comments and these can be enhanced during the final production of the investigative report or changed at a later date if necessary.
(If statement amendments / changes are challenged it is acceptable to say that they are simply ‘administrative errors’.)

No consideration must be made of character and previous behaviour / performance; the report should identify failings and destroy credibility of the accused.

“I believe ‘she’ is guilty of gross misconduct for smacking ‘her’ and my concern is compounded by her refusal to admit the offence.”

“I knew what I believed and I proved it !”

Head teacher

It was even difficult and dangerous to obtain character references from school colleagues :

“You know the position that we’re in at work. I can’t go behind his back. If he gets wind of it, I’m going to be in the shit really.”
This teacher has now left the school.

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert Francis (“Bobby”) Kennedy (1925-1968)

Introduction

2009-01-22T13:00:00.008Z

My wish is to provide help to those falsely accused of child assault. Over the coming weeks, months and maybe years, I will provide a diarized account of my story that ultimately led not only to my dismissal but the utter destruction of my career and my life.

No one should have to endure my experience and I will continue to fight for a review of existing legislation.

I started a diary on Friday, 01 February 2008. Now, a year on, I will share with you my experiences, thoughts, ideas, opinions and advice from my diary and extracts from transcripts, video / audio recordings and other documents :

Success

2008-04-20T12:00:00.006+01:00

Like so many others, I have attributed the poem "Success" to Ralph Waldo Emerson. It would seem, from the many e-mails that I have received, that I am mistaken.

"Success" was written as the winning entry in a contest run by the Brown Book Magazine, Boston in 1904 and "Bessie" Stanley won a cash prize of $250. Her poem was included in Bartlett's Book of Quotations for decades until they removed it in the 1960s.

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

Elisabeth Anne “Bessie” Anderson Stanley (1904)

“I wish you success in your fight and struggle. I hope that you might achieve better success than I have done and that my words, advice and humour can provide you with some support and inspiration.”

“Like the "Starfish Thrower" and the ethos of the poem "Success"; if I have helped just one person then I have succeeded.”

“Good luck and ‘Don’t Quit’ - ever !”

Good Advice

2008-04-19T13:00:00.001+01:00

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

False allegations against teachers are commonplace and it can happen to you or maybe one of your colleagues. You need to protect yourself today to minimize your own risk and to appreciate the full magnitude of the consequential impact on you, your life and that of your family.

Be prepared - get a copy of your school’s disciplinary procedures.
(Ref. ‘Be Prepared’)
Minimize risk - adopt the ‘two deep leadership rule’.
(Ref. ‘It Can Happen To You’)

If you think that you are being bullied :
(Ref. ‘My Head’s A Bully’)

At any meetings, take a representative with you.
(If you find yourself in a one-one meeting, then insist that the meeting be adjourned until you can be accompanied - it is your legal right.)
Keep a diarized account of any incidents and note any witnesses names.
File any documentation that might relate to an incident.
Do not make my mistake - If you recognize or think that you are being bullied, then address the problem. Speak with your union or seek independent legal advice.

If an allegation is made against you :

At any meetings, take a representative with you.
Until advised by either a union representative or solicitor, do not make a statement - say nothing.
Do not discuss the allegation with colleagues - they could betray you.
Contact your union as soon as possible.
Document everything that you can recollect about the events that relate to the period of the allegation.
(Provide your representative with a signed and dated copy.)
Seek independent legal advice / opinion.
Write a daily diarized journal of events / feelings - it is more than a good therapy and can provide a useful record that might help your defence.
Your health and that of your family will be impacted. Eat well and look after yourself. Tell your GP, he will be able to help and provide advice.
Maintain a useful and productive routine.
Learn to relax – the process is slow. Months can elapse without any progress / developments.
Don’t quit – remember that you are defending your life and your fundamental rights.

Refer to the article in ‘Horror Stories’ - ‘How you can protect yourself against such harmful claims’.

Certified Honest

2008-04-16T13:00:00.002+01:00

I received my polygraph examination documentation in this morning’s post. I am now certified honest and truthful !

There is now a stronger hope for my appeal – maybe someone will now believe my account with more credulity than before ... at least it is new evidence that can be presented.

Nothing But The Truth

2008-04-13T13:00:00.002+01:00

“I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

English / Welsh Oath

The face says it all - I passed !

As arranged, Don Cargill arrived at my home at 3 o’clock. We sat over a coffee whilst Don talked about his life, qualifications and the many cases that he had handled. He highlighted his recent work with Michael Shields and the support that he had received from Rt. Hon. Jack Straw M.P., Secretary of State for Justice.

After a while, he assembled the polygraph equipment and explained the purpose of each component – the pneumographs, skin galvanic sensors and the cardiosphygmograph. Later he showed me examples of polygraph results, including Michael Shields’ test graphs.

For the next hour or so, we discussed the allegations that had been made against me. A typical polygraph test comprises three questions that will be examined and a range of other unrelated control questions for reference purposes.

In the end, the three questions were :

“Did you smack the girl on the hand on 26 September 2007 ?”
“Have you ever purposely hurt any child whilst working at your school ?”

“Were you sitting on a child’s green chair when the alleged smack on the girl took place ?”

Don then wired me with all of the polygraph sensors. After some preliminary tests / questions and calibration, everything was ready for my examination to start.

I was so apprehensive and scared. I can not describe my sense of anxiety ... it is the same feeling that you might experience when passing through the ‘Green Channel’ at an airport customs when you have nothing to declare; but this was much more intense.

He asked me to try to relax and to look directly ahead through the window as he began his questions. He asked me a total of six questions and this sequence was repeated three times.

After what seemed an eternity, he looked over at me and told me that I had answered truthfully to all questions.

He then showed me the graphs of my tests and how he had interpreted the various traces.

By this time, I was just so elated to know that I had proved my innocence – I HAD PASSED !

Example LX4000 Polygraph Traces

by courtesy of Lafayette Instrument Company

LX4000 Polygraph Components

by courtesy of Lafayette Instrument Company

The modern polygraph uses specialist software, LXSoftware (LX4000) & PolyScore, on a conventional Windows™ PC or laptop computer. Relative physiological changes within the examinee’s body are monitored by the following polygraph attachments :

Respiratory Rate : Two rubber tubes filled with air, called pneumographs, are placed around the examinee’s chest and abdomen. When the chest or abdominal muscles expand, the air inside the tubes is displaced. The digital or computerized polygraph employs transducers to convert the energy of the displaced air into electronic signals.
Galvanic Skin Resistance : This is also called electro-dermal activity and is basically a measure of sweat on your fingertips. The fingertips are one of the most porous areas on the body and therefore are a good place to look for sweat. The theory is we sweat more when we are placed under stress. Fingerplates, called galvanometers, are attached to two of the examinee’s fingers. These plates measure the skin’s ability to conduct electricity. When the skin is hydrated (as with sweat), it conducts electricity much more easily that when it is dry.
Blood Pressure / Heart Rate : A blood pressure cuff, called a cardiosphygmograph, is placed around the examinee’s upper arm. Tubing runs from the cuff to the polygraph. Again, in digital or computerized polygraphs, these changes are converted into electrical signals by transducers.

There are other components that a polygraph examiner might use, including a specialist chair, video camera and a range of sensor pads to detect countermeasures that might otherwise compromise the polygraph test results.

The polygraph examination involves three phases : The pre-test phase, the data collection phase and the data analysis phase.

In the pre-test phase the polygraph examiner will complete the required paperwork and then familiarize the examinee with the testing procedure and the polygraph instrument. He will spend most of the pre-test phase discussing the issue for the polygraph test. Before the examinee is attached to the polygraph instrument the examiner will review each polygraph test question with him, word for word. There are no surprise or trick test questions.

During the data collection phase the examiner will administer the polygraph test and collect a number of polygraph charts depicting physiological changes occurring with the examinee’s body as the examiner reads each test question and the examinee answers “yes” or “no”.

During the data analysis phase, the examiner will carefully review and score each chart in order to render an opinion as to the truthfulness of the examinee’s answers. The opinion rendered will be one of the following : NO DECEPTION INDICATED meaning the examinee answered the relevant questions truthfully, DECEPTION INDICATED meaning the examinee did not tell the truth to the relevant test questions or sometimes the opinion is inconclusive when the examiner is unable to determine truth or deception from the examinee’s polygraph charts due to abnormal and / or inconsistent physiological reactions.

The main supplier of polygraph systems and accessories is an American company, Lafayette Instrument Company, based in Lafayette, Indiana. The company was established in 1947 by Max Wastl.

Lafayette Instrument Company : www.lafayettepolygraph.com

Another polygraph systems supplier, again American, is :

Limestone Technologies : www.limestonetech.com

During my examination, I was asked to deliberately lie by reading from a prewritten script. It got very confusing as I had not appreciated that the lie was implicit in the script and I kept adding mine.

I came across this transcription involving an American witness who also suffered similar confusion whilst attempting to swear an oath :

Clerk	:	Please repeat after me : “I swear by Almighty God ...”
Witness	:	I swear by Almighty God.
Clerk	:	That the evidence that I give ...
Witness	:	That’s right.
Clerk	:	Repeat it.
Witness	:	Repeat it.
Clerk	:	No ! Repeat what I said.
Witness	:	What you said when ?
Clerk	:	“That the evidence that I give ...”
Witness	:	That the evidence that I give.
Clerk	:	Shall be the truth and ...
Witness	:	It will, and nothing but the truth !
Clerk	:	Please, just repeat after me : “Shall be the truth and ...”
Witness	:	I’m not a scholar, you know !
Clerk	:	We can appreciate that. Just repeat after me : “Shall be the truth and ...”
Witness	:	Shall be the truth and.
Clerk	:	Say : “Nothing”.
Witness	:	Okay. (Witness remains silent)
Clerk	:	No ! Don’t say nothing. Say : “Nothing but the truth ...”
Witness	:	Yes.
Clerk	:	Can’t you say : “Nothing but the truth ...” ?
Witness	:	Yes.
Clerk	:	Well ? Do so.
Witness	:	You’re confusing me.
Clerk	:	Just say : “Nothing but the truth ...”. Yes ?
Witness	:	Okay. I understand.
Clerk	:	Then say it.
Witness	:	What ?
Clerk	:	“Nothing but the truth ...”
Witness	:	But I do ! That’s just it.
Clerk	:	You must say : “Nothing but the truth...”
Witness	:	I WILL say nothing but the truth !
Clerk	:	Please, just repeat these four words : “Nothing”, “But”, “The”, “Truth”.
Witness	:	What ? You mean, like, now ?
Clerk	:	Yes ! Now. Please. Just say those four words.
Witness	:	Nothing. But. The. Truth.
Clerk	:	Thank you.
Witness	:	I’m just not a scholar.

I felt elated at the end of the day. I had been so apprehensive about my test. It had been more stressful and demanding than I had expected and it had been worse than the police interview last October. I had passed and, for the first time in months, I had new hope and a sense of contentment.

I thought that you might like to share my rekindled sense of fun with another courtroom transcription :

Lawyer	:	Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse ?
Witness	:	No.
Lawyer	:	Did you check for blood pressure ?
Witness	:	No.
Lawyer	:	Did you check for breathing ?
Witness	:	No.
Lawyer	:	So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy ?
Witness	:	No.
Lawyer	:	How can you be so sure, Doctor ?
Witness	:	Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Lawyer	:	But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless ?
Witness	:	It is possible that he could have been alive and practising law somewhere.

Detecting Deception

2008-04-09T13:00:00.003+01:00

NADAC is the largest privately owned polygraph company in the United Kingdom, with offices based in London and Manchester. In addition NADAC provides polygraph services throughout the UK and on an international basis.

The founding directors Cargill & Penner are the official polygraph lie detection experts for the Trisha Goddard show on Channel Five.

They specialize in providing highly confidential polygraph testing for the corporate sector, government and private individuals.

Their examiners use the latest state of the art computerized instruments and are fully conversant with the most up to date techniques.

NADAC’s managing director, Don Cargill, is the current chairman of the prestigious British and European Polygraph Association (BEPA) as well as being a member of the American Polygraph Association (APA).

Nadia Penner is also a board director of the BEPA and a member of the APA.

I had been struggling with the thought of my appeal. There was no new evidence that could be presented and the format for the appeal would be the same as that of the disciplinary hearing. There were two witnesses who were lying and their testimonies had remained solid. It was clear that I needed something ‘out-of-the-box’ otherwise the outcome was going to be another sham.

My partner had suggested taking a polygraph test but my solicitor was not supportive. I mulled the idea over and searched for information about ‘lie-detection’ ... there are only a few British agencies that provide this service.

I was cynical of the idea and its value until I called Don Cargill at NADAC this afternoon. He exuded confidence and enthusiasm for his specialist field, citing many recent examples of the scope his work. These included the high profile case of Michael Shields, the football supporter who is serving a 10 year sentence for the attempted murder of Bulgarian barman, Martin Georgiev in 2005.

Don explained that much of his work was now sanctioned by government and that the validity and acceptance of polygraph tests by the British justice systems was progressing.

I felt an immediate rapport with Don. He was understanding and empathetic of my plight, and he kindly offered to personally present his findings at my appeal. He agreed to see me at my home on Sunday afternoon. I came off the telephone with a new sense of hope and optimism that my appeal would have a new dimension and that I might just win my case !

The Pinocchio Effect

2008-04-08T13:00:00.003+01:00

Scientists at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago found that when you lie, chemicals known as catecholamines are released causing tissue inside the nose to swell. They used special imaging cameras to monitor blood flow in the body to show that lying causes an increase in blood pressure. This technology indicated that the human nose actually expands with blood during lying and is known as ‘The Pinocchio Effect’. The effect can induce mild irritation and a liar may rub their nose to satisfy the physical itch.

In English medieval courts, truth was tested by ordeals of fire and water, on the basis a truthful person would be protected by God.

Someone suspected of lying would have to carry a red-hot iron bar for nine paces. Alternatively he could opt to walk across nine red-hot ploughshares.

Either way, if the suspect was burned then this was proof that he was lying and so could be promptly hung.

Other courts went in for trial by water. In the ultimate ‘no-win’ situation, the person accused of lying was bound and thrown into a pond. If the accused sank this showed he was innocent but he might well drown anyway. If he floated this was taken as proof that he was lying and he would be hanged.

(The above techniques would be applicable and beneficial to at least two witnesses in my case !)

By the 1600s the idea arose that the truth of any statement could be arrived at by the means of detailed questioning and the application of scientific and logical reasoning to what was being said.

Modern legal conventions of cross-examination and the presumption that somebody is telling the truth unless it can be proved otherwise ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ date from this time.

The philosopher Descartes wrote “The power of distinguishing the true from the false, which is properly speaking what is called good sense or reason, is by nature equal in all men”.

Trying to work out whether somebody was lying was a matter of questioning, debate and the clash between different points of view based on the gathering and analysis of evidence.

In 1730, British novelist Daniel Defoe wrote an essay entitled "An Effectual Scheme for the Immediate Preventing of Street Robberies and Suppressing all Other Disorders of the Night", wherein he recommended that taking the pulse of a suspicious fellow was a practical, effective and humane method for distinguishing truthfulness from lying. Defoe’s was an early and insightful suggestion to employ medical science in the fight against crime.

In 1878, science first came to the aid of the truth seeker through the research of Italian physiologist Angelo Mosso. Mosso used an instrument called a plethysmograph in his research on emotion and fear in subjects undergoing questioning and he studied the effects of these variables on their cardiovascular and respiratory activity. Mosso studied blood circulation and breathing patterns and how these changed under certain stimuli. The use of the plethysmograph revealed periodic undulations or waves in a subject’s blood pressure caused by the respiratory cycle in response to certain stimuli. He was the first scientist to report on experiments in which he observed that a person’s breathing pattern changed under certain stimuli, and that this change, in turn, caused variations in their blood pressure and pulse rate.

Although not for the purpose of detecting deception, Sir James Mackenzie, M.D., constructed the clinical polygraph in 1892, an instrument to be used for medical examinations with the capability to simultaneously record undulated line tracings of the vascular pulses (radial, venous and arterial), by way of a stylus onto a revolving drum of smoked paper.

Until the end of the 19th century, no measuring device for the detection of deception had ever been used. The first use of a scientific instrument designed to measure physiological responses for this purpose came in 1895 when Italian physician, psychiatrist and pioneer criminologist Cesare Lombroso modified an existing instrument called a hydrosphygmograph and used this modified device in his experiments to measure the physiological changes that occurred in a crime suspect’s blood pressure and pulse rate during a police interrogation.

Notably, Lombroso’s early device for measuring pulse rate and blood pressure is similar to the cardiosphygmograph component of the contemporary polygraph. Although Cesare Lombroso did not invent the hydrosphygmograph, he is accorded the distinction of being the first person to have used the instrument successfully as a means for determining truthfulness from deception in crime suspects. On several occasions, he used the hydrosphygmograph in actual cases to assist the police in the identification of criminals.

In 1906, Sir James Mackenzie refined his clinical polygraph of 1892 when he devised the clinical ink polygraph with the help of Lancashire watchmaker, Sebastian Shaw. This instrument used a clockwork mechanism for the paper-rolling and time-marker movements and it produced ink recordings of physiological functions that were easier to acquire and to interpret. Interestingly, it has been written that the modern polygraph is really a modification of Dr. Mackenzie’s clinical ink polygraph.

In 1914, Italian psychologist Vittorio Benussi discovered a method for calculating the quotient of the inhalation to exhalation time as a means of verifying the truth and detecting deception in a subject. Using a pneumograph, a device that recorded a subject’s breathing patterns, Benussi conducted experiments regarding the respiratory symptoms of lying. He concluded that lying caused an emotional change within a subject that resulted in detectable respiratory changes that were indicative of deception.

Dr. William Moulton Marston, an American attorney and psychologist, is credited with inventing an early form of the lie detector when, in 1915, he developed the discontinuous systolic blood pressure test which would later become one component of the modern polygraph. Dr. Marston’s technique used a standard blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope to take intermittent systolic blood pressure readings of a suspect during questioning for the purpose of detecting deception.

In 1921, John A. Larson, a Canadian psychologist employed by the Berkeley Police Department, in California, developed what many consider to be the original lie detector when he added the item of respiration rate to that of blood pressure. He named his instrument the polygraph, a word derived from the Greek language meaning many writings, since it could read several physiological responses at the same time and document these responses on a revolving drum of smoked paper. Using his polygraph, John A. Larson was the first person to continually and simultaneously measure changes in a subject’s pulse rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate during an interrogation. His polygraph was used extensively, and with much success, in criminal investigations.

In 1925, Leonarde Keeler, who had gained firsthand experience in polygraph interrogations as a result of working with John A. Larson at the Berkeley Police Department, worked to devise a polygraph that used inked pens for recording the relative changes in a subject’s blood pressure, pulse rate and respiratory patterns, thus eliminating the need for smoking the paper and then preserving it with shellac.

In 1926, the Keeler Polygraph came on the market as the new and improved lie detector, an enhanced version of John A. Larson’s polygraph. Later, in 1938, Keeler refined the polygraph when he added a further physiological measuring component. The psycho-galvanometer, a component that measured changes in a subject’s galvanic skin resistance during questioning. In 1939, he patented what is now the prototype of the modern polygraph.

In 1947, John E. Reid, a lawyer from Chicago, Illinois, developed the Control Question Technique (CQT), a polygraph technique that incorporated control questions (comparison) which were designed to be emotionally arousing for non-deceptive subjects and less emotionally arousing for deceptive subjects than the relevant questions previously used. The Control Question Technique (CQT) replaced the Relevant / Irrelevant Question Technique (RIT) which used relevant or irrelevant questions during a polygraph examination. The Reid Control Question Technique was a major breakthrough in polygraph methodology.

In 1960, Cleve Backster, building upon the Reid Control Question Technique, developed the Backster Zone Comparison Technique (ZCT), a polygraph technique which primarily involved an alteration of the Reid question sequencing. He also introduced a quantification system of chart analysis, making it more objective and scientific than before. This system for the numerical evaluation of the physiological data collected from the polygraph charts has been adopted as standard procedure in the polygraph field today.

During the 1980s, research was conducted on computerized polygraph at the University of Utah by Drs. John C. Kircher and David C. Raskin and, in 1988, they developed the Computer Assisted Polygraph System (CAPS), which incorporated the first algorithm to be used for evaluating physiological data collected for diagnostic purposes.

In 2003, PolyScore Polygraph Software was developed. PolyScore is a computerized polygraph chart scoring algorithm that uses statistical probability to arrive at truthfulness or deception. It has been shown that validated algorithms have exceeded 98 per cent in their accuracy to quantify, analyze and evaluate the physiological data collected from polygraph examinations administered in real criminal cases.

The review committee of The National Academy of Sciences have concluded that, although there may be alternative techniques to polygraph testing, none can outperform the polygraph, nor do any of these yet show promise of supplanting the polygraph in the near future.

Downing Street

2008-04-03T13:00:00.002+01:00

“We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines through British history. Our commitment to fairness, fair play and civic duty.”

Prime Minister - James Gordon Brown (1951- )

On 6 March 2008, I wrote to the Prime Minister for his help / advice. I had no expectation that he would even see my letter let alone provide a response. Many of my previous letters were either ignored or I received a standard letter of acknowledgement.

David Cameron MP, Leader of the Conservative Party, replied, as did Michael Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, and both acknowledged my suffering and torment. Michael Gove said “I very much sympathise with the terrible position you find yourself in. My heart goes out to you.” Sadly both admitted that Parliamentary Rules prevented them from helping.

In this morning’s post, there was my reply from 10 Downing Street ! My letter had been read by Gordon Brown ! This time he had taken action and had requested a response from the Department for Children, Schools and Families about my case.

You never know without trying what you can achieve. Never give in - that next letter or thought might provide new hope and unexpected results might be achieved !

No Charges For ‘Slapper’

2008-04-02T13:00:00.002+01:00

“Advertisements... contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.”

Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

“Editor: a person employed on a newspaper whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff and to see that the chaff is printed.”

Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

Once again I find myself in the newspapers - Chorley Guardian, 02 April 2008. The malicious cruelty of everything that has befallen me is unbearable and once again I feel so miserable.

The same article also had been published by the Lancashire Evening Post on 27 March 2008 - it seems likely that the story had been released to the press on the day of my hearing - probably as a precautionary measure, approved by the LEA.

I had spoken with the LEA last September about press statements. It seemed morally wrong that they should contribute to an article without alerting the individual of its impending publication. They agreed that it was an oversight and that they would review their policies. In future, I was assured that every effort would be made to contact the person to prevent unnecessary distress.

You get used to hearing empty meaningless words that have no sincerity - who cares !

I have pondered over these months as to who was responsible for contacting the local press. I had thought it to be my head teacher but the content was too thin and I am still puzzled. This time it must have been the head teacher - he is a bully and it is in his nature to exhibit such acts of cruelty.

To protect himself, the head teacher then put this notice up in the staffroom :

Internal Disciplinary Issue “It has come to my attention that there is talk about this matter, and not just because of an article in a local paper recently. I would like to inform staff that the process is ongoing and that staff need to respect the confidentiality associated with such a situation.”

You’re Fired

2008-04-01T13:00:00.008+01:00

I received my notice letter from the LEA this morning. There in black and white :

“The seriousness of your actions, the distress caused to the child and your lack of remorse for your actions mean that the Committee do not feel able to take action short of dismissal. The Committee have determined that your actions constitute gross misconduct and have brought about a fundamental breach of the trust and confidence that the School is entitled to place in you. Therefore, we have resolved that you would be dismissed from school with immediate effect, without notice or payment in lieu of notice.”

Well there is no doubt there ! 30 years of dedicated and committed teaching exploded before me - discarded like last week’s rubbish - without care, understanding nor compassion.

Fair ? ... No ! Impartial ? ... No ! Angry ? ... Yes !

They talk of my lack of remorse ... oh, yes, I forgot it is the ‘British Way’; apologize when there is no fault and look sorry !

My fate had been determined and sealed 6 months ago. It no longer mattered who was lying or what actually happened. It had been a sham all along. The Committee and LEA never bothered to even read my statement. They extracted only those elements that supported my guilt - in their letter they say :

“We also note that your statement at that time made no reference to the possibility that you had slapped the table rather than the child.”

My statement contains :

“The task that she had was relatively easy and in order to regain her attention, I tapped the table in front of her. There were pencils, papers, books, etc. on the table and I probably tapped those resulting in the sound. She was not upset at the time and finished her work.”

They conclude in their letter :

“Having considered all the evidence available, we believe that on the afternoon of 26th September you momentarily lost control of your temper and slapped the child.”

Is there a difference between ‘slapped’ or ‘smacked’ ? The allegation had been that I had smacked the child on the hand. Bearing in mind that this event occurred across a 120cm diameter table surrounded by other children, it is difficult to imagine how it was possible !

I have been in teaching for 30 years. I am a mother too and, like every other parent, I have experienced a whole range of related emotions. Not once have I lost my temper or responded inappropriately in anger. If I had lost my temper with a child then I would not wait to be sacked ... I would have failed as a mother and a teacher and would resign !

“We have considered carefully both accounts of the suspension meeting and whilst we believe that the head teacher did make you aware that the allegations related to the child, we do accept that you should have been informed of your right to be represented at the outset of the meeting.”

In the head teacher’s investigative report, he states that, at the time of my suspension, he had told me the precise nature of the allegation and the name of the child. He also said that he had described the stages of the process and that there would be an initial ‘strategy meeting’ that would comprise the school and social services.

The fact is that he lied about this event. The purpose being to discredit my honesty – he had denied me my right to be accompanied and could now freely add conversation that never took place.

By some considerable good fortune, I remembered that I had spoken with the LEA HR department on 17 October 2007 and that I had a recording of the conversation :

Me	:	When do I actually find out ... um ... what I am supposed to have done ? And who I’m supposed to have done it with ‘cos I haven’t had .....
LEA HR	:	Right OK, so if the investigation progresses, dependent on who’s carrying that out, if it’s referred back to the school then you’ll be invited into an investigation meeting and all of the detail of that will be conveyed to you.

The reason for the call had been to inform me that a scheduled ‘strategy meeting’ had been postponed.

Me	:	What’s a ‘strategy meeting’ ?
LEA HR	:	The ‘strategy meeting’ is where the ... uh ... social services, the police and ourselves attend the meeting to determine what ... uh ... course of action is due to take place next.
Me	:	Right.

I would not have asked these questions if the head teacher had already communicated this information to me as is claimed.

(This had been the first and only attempt by the LEA to keep me informed about the progress of my case.)

The letter ends :

“The Committee hope that you feel you had a fair hearing and would like to assure you that they thoroughly considered all of the information presented prior to and during the hearing, in coming to their decision.”

Hoping that I felt it to be a fair hearing is not the same as knowing that they gave me a fair hearing ! Assuring me that they thoroughly considered all of the information is not the same as knowing that they thoroughly considered all of the information !

By their own admission in this letter, they omitted to notice such a key element of my case - I said at the hearing that I slapped or tapped the table, as does my statement ... they were not thorough ... but should I have expected anything better ?

The LEA were keen to cover their failings :

“We were concerned by your statement that no one with the exception of the police, had ever asked you to relate in your own words the events of 26th September 2007. We are satisfied that the disciplinary investigation meeting held on 13th December was convened in order to allow you to do so. We note that you took external advice and chose not to use this opportunity, preferring to submit a written statement.”

They might have been satisfied but I was not. My mental state through stress and medication makes it difficult for me to focus my attention. I was scared at the thought of this meeting of 13 December 2007, especially as there would be only my head teacher and his LEA representative present.

The LEA HR already knew from earlier unrelated meetings that I felt intimidated by the head teacher and that it would be especially stressful for me to be in his company.

The purpose of the meeting was not clear from the procedural documentation. I wanted to be able to relate my account without interruption and asked the LEA if that would be the case. They replied :

“The purpose of the meeting is in order for you to be able to respond to the allegation that has been made against you, this is covered in section 3.3 of the disciplinary procedure. Following the meeting it is proposed that a statement is made on your behalf and this then forms the basis of your response.”

It is clear that the purpose of this meeting was for the head teacher to interrogate me from which he would produce my statement. There was no way that I could cope with a grilling by my head teacher and I already had a very detailed statement - why therefore should I want someone to reinterpret my account ?

So on 13 December, I gave my written statement and added that they could contact me if there were any queries that had not been covered.
(The suggestion that I provide my own written statement did not originate from ‘external advice’ but directly from a senior LEA HR manager !)

I never heard from anyone over the next 3 months !

My mistake was that I provided too much information in my statement. I had explained in some detail the reasons why I could not have assaulted the child. This provided the head teacher with a clearly defined target to discredit my account - I should have kept quiet !

Sacked

2008-03-28T13:00:00.002Z

The probable explanation for the expression is that in medieval times workmen carried the tools or implements of their trade in a bag or sack. When an unsatisfactory worker was to be fired, on the last day on the job, his employer would hand him his pay and the sack containing his tools – he had got the SACK, he had been SACKED.

Whatever the derivation of the word might be, that is what happened to me this morning at 10:00. My solicitor called to give me the bad news. He had no details other than I had been dismissed for gross misconduct. I should receive confirmation and the details of the findings of the committee by post in a few days. By then, my solicitor will be in a better position to advise me on how to proceed.

An appeal ? Sounds like a good idea but where will that lead ? More of the same from the same board of governors and I am certain that the head teacher will be able to create more evidence.

Knowing that you did nothing gives you a rather unique perspective and I find myself feeling so confused and let down by my trust and belief in society. All along, no one has cared or bothered and now to fully appreciate the callous and malicious nature of people is beyond belief.

Judgement Day

2008-03-27T13:00:00.003Z

“Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares ? ... He’s a mile away and you’ve got his shoes !”

Billy Connelly (1942- )

“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.”

Dennis Wholey (1939- )

I awoke that morning with a sense of elation and pride. I was proud to have faced and overcome my perceived horrors of the hearing. I was optimistic that there might be a resolution - an end to the suffering.

It was confusing - whatever the outcome, it was not going to be what I wanted. Sacked or back to work at the same school - neither looked that attractive !

The rest of the morning, I wandered around expecting and dreading a telephone call - but none came. In the afternoon, I called my friend at school. She had been keeping a vigilant eye on activities and she said that the committee had convened just before 12:00.

By late afternoon, I still had heard nothing and my friend later said that the committee had adjourned shortly after 15:00.

I was determined to enjoy the remainder of the day. It had been my daughter’s 18th birthday two days earlier. She had just returned from holiday, so we celebrated over a meal in a local restaurant.

Later, we toasted her future with a glass of champagne and managed to forget the pending outcome of the hearing.

Disciplinary Hearing

2008-03-26T13:00:00.002Z

Judge George Jeffreys was born in 1648. Educated at Cambridge, he was appointed Solicitor General to the Duke of York and was knighted in 1677. He became recorder of London in 1678 and, by the time he was 33, he became Lord Chief Justice of England and a privy counsellor, later becoming Lord Chancellor. In 1683, he became Baron Jeffreys of Wem.

He became known as the ‘Hanging Judge’ because of the punishments he had given to the supporters of the Duke of Monmouth as a result of a failed rebellion.

In 1685, Judge Jeffreys came to Dorchester and lodged at 6, High West Street, Dorchester, (now the restaurant, Judge Jeffreys). The Bloody Assizes were held in the Oak Room (now a Tea Room) of the Antelope Hotel on the 5th day of September in that year. Judge Jeffreys is said to have a secret passage from his lodgings to the Oak Room.

In total seventy-four people were executed, one hundred and seventy five were transported and twenty nine were pardoned. Executions were carried out in towns and villages close to Dorchester.

In 1688 when James II fled the country, Judge Jeffreys was placed in the Tower of London, where he died, aged 44, as the result of kidney disease.

The first electrocution in history was a disaster. The condemned man, axe murderer William Kemmler, lived through the first round of shocks. His executioners at Auburn prison in upstate New York had to do it all over again as the stink of Kemmler’s burning flesh filled the death house. “They would have done better with an axe.” Westinghouse commented.

I had not slept well; the usual nightmare of judges and court settings. My mind again was struggling to cope with what was going to be another ordeal. Exactly 6 months had now elapsed since the date of the allegation. There was little expectation of a fair hearing but I hoped that the skills of my barrister, who I had not yet met nor even spoken with, might produce a miracle.

The venue for the hearing was a local educational conference centre and was due to commence at 16:00. My barrister had arranged to meet me there at 14:30 to prepare.

My partner and I arrived at the same moment as my barrister. She was lovely and her demeanour of professionalism gave me a new found sense of courage to face what was now ahead.

We spent the next few hours discussing the details of my case and she outlined the format of her presentation of what I might expect.

My witnesses arrived at about 15:30 and she spent a while briefing them about their involvement and presentation.

The actual meeting started some 30 minutes late as my barrister had concerns about the members of the disciplinary committee but her request for a new committee was denied.

So, at about 16:30, we were led into the actual hearing to meet the various representatives of the LEA / governors :

After initial introductions and an explanation by the LEA HR representative about the format of the hearing, the head teacher read his report.

Prior to reading his conclusions, his witnesses appeared one at a time and they read their statements. The governors / LEA and my barrister then cross-examined each witness.

During this period there were several adjournments when the head teacher and his LEA HR support withdrew to discuss points that had been raised / queried by my barrister.

The head teacher then delivered his damning conclusions.

By the time the head teacher had finished his presentation and there were no more questions it was almost 20:00.

My barrister then introduced me and I was asked to relate my recollection of events. I was surprised to find that I spoke so freely and openly without interruption. It was much like my interview with the police – I told the truth and presented as full an account of what had happened as I was able.

I was then questioned by the chair of the disciplinary committee and the LEA representative. My head teacher attempted to make some derogatory remarks and asked some leading questions. I found that I was able to deal with the situation well and responded from a position of strength.

My witnesses then appeared before the assembly and made their presentations. As before, they were questioned at some length.

The head teacher then made his closing comments – essentially repeating that I was guilty of gross misconduct.

My barrister’s closing statement was such a contrast. It was well considered and pulled all of the known facts into a concise and cohesive argument.

By now it had gone 21:15 and the disciplinary committee said that the meeting would be adjourned until the following day. They said that they would deliberate the presentations and that a decision would be communicated to me via my solicitor.

I felt that I had given my best and I knew that I had been represented by the finest legal support possible.

So we walked out into the night, gave our barrister a big, heartfelt hug and our deepest thanks and went home with a sense of optimism.

The hearing had not been the nightmare ordeal that I had expected. No one lost their temper, although one of the head teacher’s witnesses did look very distressed even from the start.

Advice ? You must have a good legal representative – my confidence came from trust and faith in my barrister. It was very reassuring to have my partner with me ... he was not allowed to speak nor intervene on my behalf and he sat writing notes.

The rules for who may accompany you are well documented. Essentially you are allowed one representative – there was no problem expressed about my partner attending but I took the precaution of getting a letter from my doctor that stated my partner should be there on medical grounds due to my mental state.

Remember too that you can request an adjournment at any time.

Dress Rehearsal

2008-03-25T13:00:00.002Z

“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)

“The truth needs so little rehearsal.”

Barbara Kingsolver (1955- )

The eve of the hearing has arrived. After some 6 months, I have accumulated a box file of paperwork and a lever arch folder crammed with neatly organized correspondence, statements and other reference material.

I have lived with it all, most I have written myself and most I now have forgotten.

Today, I look at it - there is too much ... like staring at a hedgerow from a high speed car, it all blurs and blends into a confusion of colour. Tomorrow it has to all become crystal clear, sharp and memorable.

I have not yet met my barrister and I wonder how much depth of knowledge that she has of my case and associated facts and details.

It is up to you but it is much like a revision process - a dress rehearsal. You will be asked questions and your responses need to be fluent, concise and accurate.

Everything is in your statement, so read it, noting any important points. Try to replay it all in your mind. Then scan all of your paperwork. Use ‘PostIt’ notes against anything that you might want to reference whilst taking notes of any questions that you would like your representative to address.

(The hearing will be an ordeal, so pamper yourself and have an early night - do not worry - my barrister was competent and able, as will be your representative !)

The head teacher professes to be an aspiring actor and says "In my spare time I tread the boards at Chorley Little Theatre."

His idea of a dress rehearsal was more akin to that involved with a theatrical production. He was observed entering my classroom with the two hostile witnesses after school where they discussed the format of the hearing and what would be said. Later they were seen around the scene of the ‘crime’ - the table, where they tried to reach over and smack one another.

I question whether such behaviour is in the best interests of impartiality and the desire to determine the ‘truth’ but remember it really no longer matters and no one cares anyway !

(I ponder whether the two witnesses were provided with a script !)

Einige Zitate

2008-03-14T13:00:00.003Z

“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.”

“As soon as by one’s own propaganda even a glimpse of right on the other side is admitted, the cause for doubting one’s own right is laid.”

“Great liars are also great magicians.”

“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think.”

“Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice.”

“I do not see why man should not be just as cruel as nature.”

“I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few.”

“It is not truth that matters but victory.”

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”

“Only force rules. Force is the first law.”

“Our teachers were absolute tyrants. They had no sympathy with youth; their one object was to stuff our brains and turn us into erudite apes like themselves. If any pupil showed the slightest trace of originality, they persecuted him relentlessly, and the only model pupils whom I have ever got to know have all been failures in after-life.”

“Sooner will a camel pass through a needle’s eye than a great man be ‘discovered’ by an election.”

“Strength lies not in defence but in attack.”

“Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong.”

“The art of leadership... consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention.”

“The broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force.”

“The day of individual happiness has passed.”

“The doom of a nation can be averted only by a storm of flowing passion but only those who are passionate themselves can arouse passion in others.”

“The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.”

“The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category.”

“The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence.”

“The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.”

“Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.”

“Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise.”

“Universal education is the most corroding and disintegrating poison that liberalism has ever invented for its own destruction.”

“What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.”

“When an opponent declares, “I will not come over to your side”, I calmly say, “Your child belongs to us already... What are you ? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.””

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

The doctrine and ethos of Nazism is present in our lives in Britain. Once again we are surrounded by ‘whistleblowers’ whose actions are encouraged by the state. The denial of social and moral accountability permits the ‘bullies’ free reign.

No more so at my school where it is dangerous to say anything. Your words and actions are distorted and reported.

Pinocchio

2008-03-13T13:00:00.005Z

Blue Fairy :	Now remember Pinocchio, be a good boy and always let your conscience be your guide.
Blue Fairy :	A lie keeps growing and growing until it’s as plain as the nose on your face.

Why do people lie ? In my case, two colleagues are now clearly lying. At first, I believed that they had made a genuine error of judgement and incorrectly interpreted events.

Now they are lying, their versions, with every telling, continue to change and new evidence and observations have been added - their lies get bigger. I suppose that they have no choice - when you start lying there can be no turning back - no matter the consequences.

Up until this mess, I had an implicit trust and faith in people. Today, I have a different opinion and it is sad to know that I doubt everyone’s motives ... no longer am I able to be as open and confident in my conversation.

It is pity that we are not more like Pinocchio ... lies are hard to recognize and even more difficult to defeat.

Types of Lie
Lies can be categorized in many different ways but a widely held view is that there are four types of lie :

Pro-social - Lying to help someone else.
Self-enhancement - Lying to make yourself look better whilst not hurting another.
Selfish - Lying to personally benefit at the expense of another.
Anti-social - Lying to deliberately damage another.

Simple Signs of Lying
The type of lie, and whether it is in keeping with the liar’s character, dictates how apparent the signs of lying are. Occasionally they are extremely obvious, especially when the liar is feeling guilty.

Obvious signs include :

Over denial - Repeating protests of innocence.
Stuttering - Stumbling over words without natural fluency.
Hand Wringing - Fiddling, rubbing, picking and playing with the fingers and hands while talking.
Eye Contact - Unwillingness to make or never breaking it.

The majority of people intending to tell a lie fabricate their story long beforehand and become comfortable with it and so rarely get caught out easily. Equally, many of the signs indicated may also simply be signs of nerves due to shyness or discomfort with a new situation.

Subtle Signs of Lying
There are of course more subtle signs which most people miss and which can affect even word perfect liars. These include :

Over formal speech - Use of long words, painfully correct grammar and the full forms of words or phrases that would normally be shortened, suggesting a scripted speech rather than natural conversation.
Very few gestures and no pointing - As physical movement illustrating something being described are a quite common and natural activity.
Justification - Attempting to justify every detail with lengthy explanations
Disparity - Mismatch between tone of voice and expression.

People who are used to detecting lies develop an instinct towards the more obscure signs, perhaps without even consciously noticing them. Most people, however, have a great deal of difficulty working out when someone is telling the truth. Which is why there are so many attempts to make a foolproof machine for catching lies.

I have pondered the value in taking a polygraph test. There are some staggering claims about their accuracy and reliability. I enquired about costs; there are three specialist organizations that will visit your home, including one that undertakes testing on behalf of Trisha Goddard’s Channel 5 Television programme - total cost of about £500.00. Yet would anyone be prepared to accept the validity of these tests ? Ideally I and the two hostile witnesses would have to be tested and that is not going to happen !

DETECTING DECEPTION : NADAC GROUP

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Life Of Brian

2008-03-12T13:00:00.002Z

Brian	:	What will they do to me ?
Ben the Prisoner	:	Oh you’ll probably get away with crucifixion.
Brian	:	CRUCIFIXION ?
Ben the Prisoner	:	Yeah, first offence.

Brian	:	Thank God you’ve come, Reg.
Reg	:	Well, I think I should point out first, Brian, in all fairness, we are not, in fact, the rescue committee. However, I have been asked to read the following prepared statement on behalf of the movement. “We the People’s Front of Judea, brackets, officials, end brackets, do hereby convey our sincere fraternal and sisterly greetings to you, Brian, on this, the occasion of your martyrdom.”
Brian	:	What ?
Reg	:	“Your death will stand as a landmark in the continuing struggle to liberate the parent land from the hands of the Roman imperialist aggressors, excluding those concerned with drainage, medicine, roads, housing, education, viniculture and any other Romans contributing to the welfare of Jews of both sexes and hermaphrodites. Signed, on behalf of the P. F. J., etc.” And I’d just like to add, on a personal note, my own admiration, for what you’re doing for us, Brian, on what must be, after all, for you a very difficult time.

Tools Of The Trade

2008-03-10T13:00:00.003Z

“We shall neither fail nor falter; we shall not weaken or tire...give us the tools and we will finish the job.”

Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

As already mentioned, it will be necessary for you to produce much of your written documentation in Microsoft Word format and any pictures in JPEG. The benefit is that you can then readily e-mail your case files to your representative.

I use Microsoft Word for word-processing but OpenOffice.org is a very good alternative; it is a full office suite including spreadsheet, drawing and database support and best of all it is free.

For basic image processing / conversion, I can thoroughly recommend IrfanView. IrfanView has a wide range of features including rotation, cropping and resizing. It is not a paint package.

You will receive letters and other non-electronic documents. You must preserve / file the originals but it can be useful to convert these into Word documents. TopOCR is an optical character recognition processor. Essentially, you provide TopOCR with a picture of a document and it then converts it into text that you can edit.

I used a flatbed scanner but TopOCR works with any source and that might be from a digital camera or even your mobile phone.

		Microsoft Word Create and share great-looking documents by combining a comprehensive set of writing tools with an easy-to-use interface.
		OpenOffice.org OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
		IrfanView IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative freeware (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista.
		TopOCR TopOCR, Version 3.1. The latest release is completely free to end-users. TopOCR makes it easy to use your digital camera or smartphone as a mobile scanner to capture and OCR documents.

I have only investigated Windows based software - so apologies to Apple MAC users.

Ethos - I Found It !

2008-03-09T13:00:00.003Z

Ethos : (n.) The character, sentiment, or disposition of a community or people, considered as a natural endowment; the spirit which actuates manners and customs; also, the characteristic tone or genius of an institution or social organization.

[Webster 1913 Suppl.]

In early November 2004, I and two colleagues were told by the head teacher that we had been awarded UPS3 – (a pay award – Upper Pay Spine 3). He told us that our salaries would be amended accordingly and that an adjustment would be made as the award was backdated to September.

This UPS3 was in line with government and county policy. Teachers in other Lancashire schools had already received their awards as a natural progression and without the need to produce any additional performance related evidence.

Two weeks later, the head teacher informed the three of us collectively that, as he had been absent during the preceding school year and had not been involved with performance management, he could not grant the pay award without written evidence. He made no apology for this and tried to convince us that it was in line with LEA policy.

The head teacher led us to believe that written evidence was needed to comply with his policy and that upon submission of our work that the UPS3 would be approved.

We duly produced reports but were later told that our work was not satisfactory and the head teacher said that we would not receive UPS3 awards.

One member of staff, following a discussion with the chair of governors, was granted her UPS3 – whilst I and my colleague had to contact our respective unions to formally appeal against his judgement.

Whilst waiting for union intervention, I decided that it might be more straightforward to ask the head teacher what had been wrong with the report that I had submitted. His behaviour at this meeting was aggressive and very personal – not professional by a long shot ! He lost his temper and shouted at me. (He is one of those people – prior to him erupting, his neck goes red then his face !) He told me in no uncertain terms that I had no ethos and that other teachers were more supportive of him and the school.

I have learnt to keep calm at these meetings with him – there is no point in me losing my temper … on this occasion, I could not tolerate his attitude and words and was forced to close the conversation and leave.

My UPS3 appeal was heard on 18 May 2005, some 6 months later ! At this meeting were the head teacher, chair of governors, another governor, an LEA representative and my union representative.

I made my presentation to those present. This met with an aggressive response from the chair of governors who was more interested in why my report had been submitted late. (I had not been told by anyone that it should have been submitted in the first place.)

The head teacher then responded to my presentation. He made no reference to my presentation nor the paperwork that I had submitted. He had his own written agenda and proceeded with a character assassination, saying :

I am not a team player.
I never support him.
I don’t take advice.
I am a law unto myself based on the fact that I had disagreed with his reasons for wanting the reception children to attend morning assemblies.
I take ad hoc coffee breaks.
I would do a lot better if I watched my colleagues in action.
I have no ethos.

When I tried to comment during his ranting, I was told by the chair of governors that if I continued to interrupt that I would have to leave the meeting.

After waiting in a room for 30 minutes, the LEA representative informed me that my appeal had failed for reasons never explained. (My union representative had not helped / supported nor intervened at any time – she had been as shocked as me but did nothing !)

Following this sham, my colleague withdrew her appeal, which was due to be heard later the same week, through fear of similar treatment / outcome.

I never succeeded in getting my UPS3 award but, later, I did find Ethos – it was in the china section of Dawsons Department Store in Clitheroe … who would have thought it ! … my partner even got me a poster to prove it !

Good Times - Bad Times

2008-03-08T13:00:00.003Z

“Mrs. Jane Jameson, daughter of long-time Royal Preston Hospital patient, Tony Woods, narrowly missed joining her father today when her vehicle burst into flames. Eye witnesses were disappointed that the conflagration failed to engulf the petrol tank. The owner of an adjacent car thanked the fire brigade for cleaning his car.”

Lancashire Evening Post 16 April 2007

In every way, 2007 has been the worst year of my life. It began with every woman’s nightmare – I had a cancer scare in January; a routine test had found ‘abnormal cells’.

In February, I underwent minor surgery. My operation did not go exactly as expected … I collapsed in the corridor on the day of my discharge having had to stay the night. I suffered from phlebitis (inflammation of the veins) triggered by the anaesthetic.

In late February, my father of 86, fell and broke his hip. He was admitted to the Royal Preston Hospital where he underwent surgery for hip replacement.

Whilst in hospital, my father contracted Clostridium Difficile. The family rallied round and we established a weekly schedule of visiting times.

It was during one of my visits that my beloved Vauxhall Vectra caught fire in the visitors car park adjacent to the Accident and Emergency Department. At first, the ignition would not turn off. I rang my partner for advice and whilst on my mobile, black smoke started to engulf the front of my car. He told me to ring the fire brigade but by that time, the smoke had triggered the hospital fire alarms and help had been summoned.

My car was a write-off and was towed away unceremoniously. Inside the hospital there was a fevered excitement – for safety, the A & E Department had been evacuated.

Upstairs, on my father’s ward, the excitement continued and the story had grown – according to many ‘witnesses’, my humble Vauxhall was now the flagship of the BMW range … why does that happen ?

The treatment and care that my father received was far from what anyone would have expected. It is odd to notice the same telltale signs of rigid adherence to policies / procedures that resulted in little awareness of the needs of the patient. None of the doctors seemed to have a ‘full-picture’ of his treatment, condition or prognosis … worse, there were no signs that they cared.

Following a lengthy meeting with PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service), the quality of the nursing care improved dramatically.

Sadly, my father died on 29 May 2007.

Classroom Stories

2008-03-07T13:00:00.002Z

“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”

“Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty.”

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Slowly and inextricably, I am coming to terms with what I am about to lose – in truth it has already been taken – that happened 6 months ago and it now seems like a lifetime.

I have been a teacher for almost 30 years and I loved every day of my job. I always knew that I wanted to teach; even before I attended my first school. I consider myself to be a vocational teacher; many people these days work to live but, for me, I live to teach and I had expected to continue teaching until age got the better of me and that retirement would move me on to other opportunities and challenges.

Teaching these days is not easy and all of us need greater support and help with the ever changing demands and requirements of the system; especially the increasing levels of bureaucracy.

In today’s schools, the emphasis is on constant monitoring, observation and attainment records; not solely children but also teachers. In this pressurized environment, it is vital for all teachers to know that they can rely on their head teacher for support (there is no one else !). In return, the head teacher must engender a sense of respect, understanding and appreciation of one another in order to maintain a team of motivated, enthusiastic and confident staff. The head teacher must have the ability to listen and be pro-active in providing support and this role demands someone who is self confident and able to make decisions based on rational judgement and possibly devolving decisions to other staff thereby fostering a sense of trust. Few people have these qualities; I respect the fact that being a head teacher can be onerous and this is reflected in the number of head teacher vacancies.

For me, my children come first and I love to interact with them as they are all such unique and precious individuals and they have such a special and fresh perception of the world.

I have intended to collate a book of the many stories that children have shared with me over the years. One special memory that I recollect was related to me a few years ago by a boy whose grandmother had recently died. Death was very much on his mind and what it meant and he approached me and asked “Do you get poorly when you go to heaven ?” and I replied “No, no one gets ill in heaven.” He looked at me and smiled saying “Oh, that’s good, it’s a long way to heaven and I get travel sick !”

1.5.2 :	Mrs Watts continues to deny smacking E.... T......
1.5.3 :	I believe Mrs Watts is guilty of gross misconduct for smacking E.... T..... and my concern is compounded by her refusal to admit the offence.