Don’t Quit

This blog is much harder to write than I initially thought. So many times, you want to just give up and I know that many teachers in my position do just that - most resign but there have been many suicides over the years.

I thought that I would share a piece of prose that inspires me to keep going :

When things go wrong as they sometimes will.
When the road you’re trudging seem all uphill.
When funds are low and debts are high,
And when you want to smile but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When they might have won had they stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
And you may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
God’s hidden gift in the clouds of doubt.
You never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Leo Piggott 1931

Arresting Times

“You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

You have heard this phrase so many times before but this will be the first time that it will have been directed at you.

I was arrested at 10:00, 31 October 2007 at Leyland Police Station - 34 days after my suspension. The time and date of my arrest had been arranged by my solicitor.

The previous week had been traumatic with many disturbed nights and I was not looking forward to the event. On the day, I felt much better; a combination of Diazepam and an acceptance that it could only get better after today. (It did not - but I hoped.)

My partner and I were at the police station at 09:30 and my solicitor arrived a few minutes later. At that time, I was unaware of the details of the accusation. I knew that the allegation was one of smacking but I did not know for certain who it was that I was supposed to have smacked nor who had reported the incident; I had presumed it to be the mother.

At 10:00, I was cautioned. The interviewing DC explained the significance of the caution; it is vital that you relate as much as you can – courts do not like new evidence that appears following an interview as it suggests guilt. She then got me to repeat the caution using my own words.

My solicitor and I were then taken through security doors to the interview room. The DC described the fact that the interview would be recorded using two tapes. She said that, at anytime, I could ask for a break and that the interview was very much under my control.

Her manner was kindly, respectful even sympathetic – a refreshing experience after a month of anguish and isolation.

The interview started at a general level and I talked about myself, my background and family. She then moved onto the day of the alleged assault and I was shocked to hear the details. The incident had been observed by a special needs assistant and not the mother. The alleged smacking had been reported to have taken place at a table in the classroom. The only contact with the child that I could recollect had been earlier in the day when I had to take her hand as she was waving it wildly as she walked around the classroom.

Despite being taken aback, I continued to relate my recollection of that day and its aftermath. I took the view that, as I knew that I had not assaulted anyone, I simply told her everything that I remembered and I let her read my statement that I had made on the day of my suspension.

I found that I relaxed into the interview; this was the first time that I had been allowed to tell someone what had happened that day and the DC was receptive and reassuring. My solicitor played no part in my interview – I looked at him a couple of times and he smiled, indicating that I was presenting my account well.

We even managed a laugh ! The key witness had added a statement that she clearly heard a ‘flesh on flesh’ sound. The DC said that she and her colleagues were impressed with this dramatic description and some funny comments were made.

After a couple of hours, the interview was concluded and my statement was prepared which I later signed and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was then escorted into another room where my personal information was recorded. My fingerprints were taken – I had expected to end up with black fingers but they use an electronic scanner. Then my DNA was taken – a swab in my mouth – much like they do on CSI. I was then photographed – I had expected to stand against a lined chart holding a number plate but it was just a digital camera snap against a plain wall. Finally they made a written description of my appearance and asked whether I could remember what my original hair colour had been – we laughed !

That was it done – I was given a bail certificate that instructed me that I should return to the police station exactly one month later.

My solicitor and I were then escorted out through the security doors by the DC. She told me not to worry and that she did not expect to see me again but would contact me as soon as she heard any news – she added that this case should never have got this far, adding that it was investigations like this that wasted so much police resource.

My solicitor asked me how I felt about the process. I told him that this was the first time in a month that I had been treated as a human being and, in a strange way, it had been a good experience. He added “I don’t think that you could recommend it to your friends !”

So, after about three and half hours, I left the police station to find my partner patiently waiting.

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My solicitor had warned me about what might happen to me when I was arrested. In addition to my experiences, he told me that I might have to spend time in a prison cell; if there was a lengthy break during my interview then they would have no other option. He also said that I might have been hand cuffed at the moment of my arrest - it depends on local police station policies.

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Over what is now 5 months, the only time that I have been treated with any respect, kindness or care was during my arrest.

I extend my personal thanks to all those officers who were present during my arrest. They made me feel like a real person. Their help, reassurance and genuine concern that they afforded me was beyond anything that I had expected.

Later, I will describe the nature of the procedural prison of the LEA rules and the utter disregard that they cause. The police got it right; I can not think of an organization that has to adhere to tighter or more stringent policies and yet they succeed so well in their treatment of you as an individual.

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Thankfully I did not need to use it !

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Page 3 Girl

Within two days of my suspension, this article appeared in the Lancashire Evening Post (front page) :

According to some articles, it is possible that the LEA might leak these type of stories to the press; so far I do not know who released the story to the press. The first story really hurt me badly, I was shopping with my mother in Preston when I noticed the newspaper - you might have expected that the LEA would have alerted me to the fact that they had spoken with the press ... but remember that no one cares anymore ... so your feelings are irrelevant.

The following week, the Chorley Guardian featured this article :


This one was well coordinated - not only was I in this paper but my head teacher featured in another article commending him on his management style ... how was that orchestrated ? ... and by whom ?

These two articles introduced a new level of misery. I found it difficult to go shopping for fear of who would know me and what they might think. Even after many months, I still can not face the thought of visiting the town centre.

Still, remember the nightmare, paranoia and now agoraphobia plus stress and nervous exhaustion. Apologies ? You must be joking ... remember you are guilty and it is only your first week of suspension !

Prepare For Battle

Even though you will be dazed and stunned by the knowledge that you are now entering the world of a criminal, you need to start planning a course of action.

Your immediate action must be to accurately document everything that you can recollect about the events relating to the timeframe of the allegation. Remember any conversations and draw diagrams. This document will form the basis for your statement; in my case it is my statement. Now sign and date every page in the company of a witness and make sure that they also sign every page. I would recommend providing your representative with a copy; I lodged mine with my solicitor.

You can now take breath and arrange to meet your union representative. I was disappointed by my union who adopted a very matter of fact attitude; telling me that suspension is purely a neutral act. It is far from a neutral act - you are guilty until proven innocent and you will feel dirty and lost. You will not know if the police are involved and that at any stage you might be arrested.

It all takes weeks and, in my case, no one contacted me or helped me to understand the processes that were taking place. I needed a good solicitor to give me the reassurance that there would be someone there who cared. Even though his fees were high, it was worth it just for the comfort of knowing that there was a kind voice in the dark.

I would advise you to keep a journal of each day. It is a constructive distraction and it can help immensely to record events as your case proceeds.

You need to record any telephone calls from your school or LEA. I found that the stress of the situation made it difficult for me to concentrate on the telephone. Even the sound of the telephone ringing made me anxious and I suggest that you request that the school / LEA write to you instead - that way you can add the letters to your files.

Paranoid ? You bet !

... from the film Enemy of the State (1998) :

“It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you”

... and they are after you !

Be Prepared

I was not prepared for what happened - such things only happen to others ! Good advice - ‘be prepared’.

Get a copy of your school’s disciplinary procedures today; read, digest and memorize.

Handling Allegations of Abuse Against Staff

• Remember that at any meeting with your head teacher, you are legally entitled to be accompanied by a friend / colleague / union representative.
  
  
• Learn from your car insurance documents. Admit nothing and say nothing - that is the role of your union representative.

My head teacher denied me any right to be accompanied. He later took advantage of the fact that there was no witness as it enabled him to add words that were never spoken.

Be wary of support from ‘colleagues’ - say nothing and leave site as soon as you are able. My ‘friends’ betrayed me - whilst in hysterics in the car park awaiting my partner, fellow teachers comforted me and at the same time noted my incoherent ramblings that were later used in evidence.

Later, by letter, you will be advised not to make contact with any of your colleagues. This is good advice - at the moment that you are suspended, your friends might betray your confidences.

More of the nightmare ... friendships that might span many years are destroyed. You are alone in the cold !

It Happened To Me

At 13:30 on 27 September 2007, I was taken to the head teacher’s office from my classroom by him. I was alone at this meeting, there was no support, no friend, no colleague or other advisor. He told me that there had been an allegation made against me of child assault and that he could not discuss the matter. The effect of his words threw me into an immediate panic and I could hardly stand. It was only at this point that he suggested calling my partner to help. All that I wanted to do was escape. He then instructed me to collect my belongings and said that someone would contact me.

I was provided with no details of the allegation and my mind struggled to comprehend what was going on and why.

In the end, a colleague came to my assistance and immediately called my partner who collected me from the car park outside school.

When I got home, I could not cope and had to get away. I walked around Chorley for a few hours to try to clear my head. My partner tried in vain to find me and as he drove around Chorley summoned the assistance of two police officers to help him search.

In the evening, my partner encouraged me to start writing a set of notes of all that had happened on the morning of Thursday, 27 and Wednesday, 26 September 2007. It was important for me to be able to recall as much as possible for future reference. These notes later became my statement and have remained unchanged since that evening of Thursday, 27 September 2007. A copy of these notes were lodged with my solicitor.

The nightmare begins ...

It Can Happen To You

An allegation of assault is an ever present danger - it can happen to anyone ! In today’s world all it takes is one false accusation of impropriety or molestation to ruin a teacher's career forever. A misinterpreted glance, an accidental touch or a myriad of other things can easily spin out of control. Once falsely accused the teacher’s career is ruined regardless of the outcome.

The best way to prevent such false accusations is to not allow the opportunity for them to occur. The ‘two deep leadership’ rule is that no adult above the age of 18 will ever be alone with a child. This prevents the uncertainty of any one-on-one contact between an adult and a child. When an allegation comes out of a one-on-one conversation it is at best a no win situation for both parties with no one knowing who to believe. At its worst, the character and liberty of the teacher is placed in jeopardy and the school as a whole gets a black eye.

The best way to prevent such false accusations is to not allow the opportunity for them to occur. In following the concepts of ‘two deep leadership’ there should always be another teacher around to witness the events and provide another unbiased side of the story. With this immediate and unquestionable backup of the teacher’s story, instances of false accusations are greatly reduced.

When you find yourself disciplining or talking to a student in a one-on-one situation consider moving the conversation to somewhere that is public yet private enough to speak with the child. In other situations you may wish to move down the hallway to a position where a neighbouring teacher can see you through their doorway or window. If the conversation must be private see if it is possible to move the entire conversation to a conference room with windows or some other room that is visible by another teacher. Consider creating a simple, school wide hand gesture to inform your co-workers that you have to have a conversation with the student and you would like them to be an uninvolved witness.

Each day brings more and more news reports of teachers being falsely accused of criminal acts against children. Whilst some of these cases may be valid, it is also likely that most of them could have been avoided completely if the teachers had seen fit to guard themselves against the false accusation in the first place.

Sadly the ‘two deep leadership’ rule did not work in my case - quite the reverse !


Warning :

(You can lose contact with your own children if under 16 years)