But the story of what has been happening in this corner of the local community has still touched many lives – and the worrying thing from my point of view is how many more it could still affect?
Throughout the pages of the story I have been telling there is one clear message: Something went wrong, and it still hasn’t been put right. If it had, then there would have been no need to share this “personal reflection” with the outside world. If I have learnt one thing over the last two years, it has been that there can be no faith placed in figures of authority that anyone will actually DO anything to put things right. Like so many other people involved in both this dispute and in others nationally, we have been banging on doors to get someone in authority to listen – and the common response seems to be one of casual disregard – “I can’t see the problem, therefore it does not exist.”
To be fair, our Members of Parliament in Blackpool South and Fylde have both acknowledged that there IS a problem, but because the government of the day does not want to know, they feel their hands are tied, and so can do nothing.
Oddly enough, it is widely acknowledged within the media that bullying in the workplace is more rampant in the teaching profession than anywhere else. The Times Educational Supplement regularly runs stories of teachers being bullied by head teachers, with limited support from their unions. The sort of thing that has been happening at Marton is only one incident in a long-running national story – and still it is ignored by the Government.
And yet even the sternest cynic can not ignore the message that comes out of this particular story: We have seen how Marton Primary School functioned without incident for over 12 years, with government statistics and inspections confirming its status as being an effective part of the community; we have seen a dramatic change in the attitudes of its members of staff since September 2004, and a sharp rise in the number of staff leaving; we have seen a dramatic plunge in the numbers of pupils on the school roll; we have heard alarming stories of the way in which the school has been governed, and rumours of corruption within the Council itself – a Council which publicly maintains that the problems at the school are now resolved. But they are NOT resolved. It is still the case that something went wrong, and it still hasn’t been put right.
If it were TRUE that the problems HAD been resolved, then we would have seen a totally different story since September 2005: According to the statement made by Mrs Coupe just one month before, Mrs A had been the root cause of the problem, and it was claimed that “the atmosphere lifted” once she was no longer on the premises. By that time, Mrs A’s “fellow conspirators” Jill Reidy, Janet Connor and Lisa Taylor had all either been removed, or been signed off with stress. So – no excuse then for the whole school not to start to get back to “normality” from that point on, especially with the total (and very public) backing of the LEA. There was even the Post-OfSTED Action Plan to use as a guide, where the vision of the head teacher was applauded – so long as everyone backed her.
So why didn’t they back her? Why did parents continue to remove their children? Why did staff still look for other teaching posts? The fact remains – something went wrong, and it still hasn’t been put right.
And now we have to face up to the consequences: The school is still in a mess. Those staff that remain have recently been told by their Head that none of them are to be recognised for promotion this year because “none of them are good enough”… How does that reflect on the woman who is supposed to be their mentor? The numbers of pupils on the school roll are barely sufficient to maintain staff numbers at their present level. Any further reduction will result in someone losing their job. The atmosphere at Marton Primary School has NOT lifted – and precious few members of staff are singing the praises of their Head Teacher – who hides behind the door of her office even more than she used to.
What will happen next? Well – depending on who you are and where you sit, the answer is very much up to you. If you are a Blackpool Councillor, you could try asking questions. After all, there have been some changes of personnel in that quarter, so maybe you might be more successful this time; if you are a governor at Marton School, you could ask yourself whether your own personal input has helped improve the situation or not; if you are a parent of a child at Marton School, perhaps you need to seriously ask yourself whether your child is getting the right standard of education there.
And what about everyone else? Suppose you have no connection to the school whatsoever, why should you take any interest? Well – how about this: It is my contention that the people who govern this country (or any country) all started to learn their first impressions of the world and their place in it from a teacher at primary school. Those first impressions count, believe me. “Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life” is the oft quoted phrase from “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”. All that a child absorbs in those early years helps to shape their attitudes to life, to the world, and to everyone they meet. So what if they are mis-led? What happens if the standard of the education they are given is allowed to slip? What does happen to a group of children who lose their friends because their parents mysteriously remove them? What if the only children left are from homes where the parents really don’t give a damn what goes on in school anyway?
This (in my opinion) is what is now being allowed to happen at Marton, and will inevitably have a wider impact on the community. Blackpool already stands charged as a town full of tat, with depressing images of drunken louts, graffiti splattered buildings and litter-strewn streets. It is becoming known as a town in decline, and desperately needs to polish up its present, tarnished image. That can not be achieved just by cosmetic camouflage, brightening up the tourist spots and town centre. This used to be a place “where people come first” – but the attitude I have met from Blackpool Council since September 2005 is just the opposite.
It starts with a child. A child should be allowed to grow up learning all the wonders of life, associating with others and learning how to relate to them. A child should learn about love and hate, about good and evil, and be guided on the right path to take. Where that child meets confrontation, it should learn how to resolve it. We are taught that this is a civilised world, a democratic world where everyone is entitled to voice their opinions – and not one where the bully should prevail.
In September 2004, the bullying started at Marton Primary School. Something went wrong, and it STILL hasn’t been put right.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke Irish orator, philosopher, & politician (1729 - 1797)
THIS BLOG IS NOW OPEN FOR COMMENTS!
