PLEASE SUPPORT AN OPEN LETTER TO ST JAMES SCHOOLS
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:07 pm
Exactly two years ago (February 2004) I decided to write about my childhood experiences as a pupil at St Vedast School (now St James) and the SES. When I posted my account on this website I could never have imagined the enormous response that followed, or that two years later St James would have publicly acknowledged that pupils had been ?mentally and physically mistreated? at the schools.
For all those who like me suffered as pupils at St Vedast or St James I hope that the conclusion of the inquiry will mean we can now finally begin to move on with our lives knowing that the truth is at last being established.
I believe that for the Schools to be able to move on they must take appropriate action in response to the inquiry's findings. They must not only take action against individuals named in the confidential version of the report but also address the ineffectual governance and its domination by the SES which enabled these individuals to act as they did - with impunity or in the belief that their actions were approved of.
I have written an open letter to the schools asking them to act on the inquiry's findings. I very much hope that you - pupils, parents, (either former or current), and any others within the schools' community will join me by signing this letter which will be sent to the schools.
If you would like to sign the letter please email your name to me at openletter@tiscali.co.uk and I will add your name to it. I will make further postings on www.ses.whyaretheydead.net each week to let you know how many people have signed the letter. The letter will then be sent to the Chair of Governors of St James Schools. I fully appreciate that for some people anonymity is a sensitive subject. Please therefore note no names will be published on here, they will only appear at the bottom of the letter being sent to the governors, rather like a petition. Of course if you would still prefer to not put your real name on the letter then a pseudonym will suffice, although for obvious reasons, would not be ideal. It would also be very helpful if below your name you could state your relationship to St James or SES, i.e. former or current: pupil / parent / SES member / friend / relative / etc, indeed anybody with an active interest. I have so far already collected 22 signatures. Please join us.
Thank you
Matthew Woolf
OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNORS OF ST JAMES INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS, LONDON
To the Board of Governors of St James Independent Schools,
Re: The Townend Report and St James
We the undersigned welcome the decision of the Governors of St James to accept in full the findings of the Townend report and the unconditional apology you have issued to those who suffered during their time as pupils at the Schools.
The inquiry?s findings on mental and physical mistreatment of pupils, on governance, and on the direct role of the School of Economic Science (SES) in the schools require that you (as the governing body) act urgently.
Decisive action is needed now to minimise disruption to current pupils, ensure that the Schools are places where children are happy, safe and fulfilled, and to facilitate the reconciliation you seek with former pupils.
As members of the school community and interested parties we, the undersigned, call for:
1) The resignation of all current governors who were teachers or governors at St James or St Vedast during the period considered in the Townend report.
2) The termination of contracts of any teachers currently employed who were identified by Mr Townend as guilty of persistent acts of excessive punishment, including criminal assault.
3) The Schools to undertake genuine consultation with current parents on reform of the Schools' governance (including the appointment of non-SES governors), and that you act on the results of this consultation.
4) Complete transparency over the SES's influence over the St James Schools - including addressing governance, management, staffing, recruitment of pupils into the SES, curriculum, philosophy, and ethos.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Woolf (former pupil, St Vedast School)
A N Other
A N Other
A N Other
A N Other
A N Other etc
For all those who like me suffered as pupils at St Vedast or St James I hope that the conclusion of the inquiry will mean we can now finally begin to move on with our lives knowing that the truth is at last being established.
I believe that for the Schools to be able to move on they must take appropriate action in response to the inquiry's findings. They must not only take action against individuals named in the confidential version of the report but also address the ineffectual governance and its domination by the SES which enabled these individuals to act as they did - with impunity or in the belief that their actions were approved of.
I have written an open letter to the schools asking them to act on the inquiry's findings. I very much hope that you - pupils, parents, (either former or current), and any others within the schools' community will join me by signing this letter which will be sent to the schools.
If you would like to sign the letter please email your name to me at openletter@tiscali.co.uk and I will add your name to it. I will make further postings on www.ses.whyaretheydead.net each week to let you know how many people have signed the letter. The letter will then be sent to the Chair of Governors of St James Schools. I fully appreciate that for some people anonymity is a sensitive subject. Please therefore note no names will be published on here, they will only appear at the bottom of the letter being sent to the governors, rather like a petition. Of course if you would still prefer to not put your real name on the letter then a pseudonym will suffice, although for obvious reasons, would not be ideal. It would also be very helpful if below your name you could state your relationship to St James or SES, i.e. former or current: pupil / parent / SES member / friend / relative / etc, indeed anybody with an active interest. I have so far already collected 22 signatures. Please join us.
Thank you
Matthew Woolf
OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNORS OF ST JAMES INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS, LONDON
To the Board of Governors of St James Independent Schools,
Re: The Townend Report and St James
We the undersigned welcome the decision of the Governors of St James to accept in full the findings of the Townend report and the unconditional apology you have issued to those who suffered during their time as pupils at the Schools.
The inquiry?s findings on mental and physical mistreatment of pupils, on governance, and on the direct role of the School of Economic Science (SES) in the schools require that you (as the governing body) act urgently.
Decisive action is needed now to minimise disruption to current pupils, ensure that the Schools are places where children are happy, safe and fulfilled, and to facilitate the reconciliation you seek with former pupils.
As members of the school community and interested parties we, the undersigned, call for:
1) The resignation of all current governors who were teachers or governors at St James or St Vedast during the period considered in the Townend report.
2) The termination of contracts of any teachers currently employed who were identified by Mr Townend as guilty of persistent acts of excessive punishment, including criminal assault.
3) The Schools to undertake genuine consultation with current parents on reform of the Schools' governance (including the appointment of non-SES governors), and that you act on the results of this consultation.
4) Complete transparency over the SES's influence over the St James Schools - including addressing governance, management, staffing, recruitment of pupils into the SES, curriculum, philosophy, and ethos.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Woolf (former pupil, St Vedast School)
A N Other
A N Other
A N Other
A N Other
A N Other etc