PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S Audit Committee is to seek answers as to why allegations against a former head teacher were ignored.

In September 2015, the new head teacher of Saundersfoot School made allegations that the previous head, Miss Helen Lester, had acted inappropriately by manipulating school test results.

At the time the allegations were ignored by the Council but last year an Education Workforce Council hearing found her guilty of those allegations.

At a meeting of the Audit Committee on Tuesday (Jan 30), Cllr Jacob Williams asked that the Cabinet Member for Education, Director of Education and Head of Human Resources attend a future meeting of the committee to ‘account’ for what happened when the allegations were made.

Cllr Williams also revealed that Miss Lester, after she had left her post, was employed by the Council as a schools advisor.

He described the situation as a ‘disgrace’ adding he thought the council had moved away from ‘cover-ups’.

The East Williamston Councillor has also had parents from his ward with children in Saundersfoot School come to him with a number of other issues.

The effects on the pupils was also mentioned with some having to be downgraded because pupils were found not to be as clever as there ‘manipulated’ test results had shown.

Cllr Williams described it as ‘demoralising’ adding that there were ‘big ramifications’ from the situation.
He said: “What I think is appalling, frankly, is what emerged from the hearing and that was what sparked me to put the question to full council.

“The issue that I am looking at here that I think is of prime importance to the Audit Committee is that Pembrokeshire County Council’s Education department was made aware of the suggestion that the head teacher had been acting inappropriately in September 2015 by the new head teacher Nick Allen who succeeded Helen Lester, the head teacher in question, and ten days after he came into post he made a referral to the council that there had been mal-practice and what he was told there was no need for an inquiry because Miss Lester had left.

“To me that is the real issue and that should never have happened. If there was no evidence submitted with that complaint or there was, you don’t say ‘there is little to be gained from an investigation’ because clearly the suggestion was that the head teacher was acting most inappropriately so that is what I take issue with.

“I asked as a supplementary question whether or not there was a protocol in place for dealing with allegations like this, whether it was followed and who dealt with it at the council.

“Cllr David Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Education said he would provide that information to me after the meeting and he did eventually get back to me after I asked for this to be put on the agenda. His response I found quite disappointing and I don’t think it was at all professional because what he was suggesting was that there was no protocol in place for dealing with allegations of that kind and it wasn’t treated as a whistleblowing matter.

“It doesn’t matter how it has been filed, we know what resulted from this, whatever processes were in place there was surely a way such an allegation should have been dealt with. It wasn’t only not dealt with; he was told forget it about it she’s gone. She was a schools advisor at Pembrokeshire County Council after leaving as a head teacher. This is another cover-up, as recently as 2015.

“At a future meeting we should invite the Director of Education, the Cabinet Member for Education and the Head of Human Resources to come before the committee to account for what happened when those allegations were brought to the authority’s attention.

“Lessons must be learnt, if they have been learnt then please tell us.”

Cllr Williams’ proposal was fully supported by the committee.