Waiting for closure...

It is now five years on from the onset of a mass exodus of excellent and experienced education workers.

Three years on from my breakdown (followed by 4 others leaving due to their worsening mental health) and general gaslighting/victimisation of union reps -and to be honest- anyone ‘in the way’.

Two years of exploring various avenues to try to get some form of accountability, acknowledgement, apology – justice basically.

So much time and so much effort. Hours on the phone, hours writing e-mails, letters, and this blog.

And for what?

Very little indeed.

We have been let down by the establishment. Sure, there has been the odd sympathetic ear, but they have been able to do very little.

An article was written in a local newspaper: this got the story out to a certain extent but nothing came of it.

I have been informed of many other instances of manipulation, untruths and incompetence from the school since the article. Children are leaving. Parents are angry. The staff is increasingly inexperienced.

People may be more aware of what has been going on. But no steps have been taken to remedy the situation.

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The message I have been getting is that our complaints are not in the public interest.

Professionals’ mental health.

Basic workers’ rights.

Duty of care.

Disgruntled parents.

Children not wanting to go to school

A culture of fear.

Not in the public interest…

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Blocked by shoddy policies drawn up to favour leaders.

Blocked by governors and a council too weak to admit that mistakes have been made and to stand up for its workforce. Such a lack of integrity. Such disillusionment.

Higher agencies (DfE, ICO, independent investigator, ombudsman organisation, Ofsted) either genuinely do lack the power to deal with this type of whistleblowing, or they have been ignoring, rebuffing or misleading us.

Whichever way you look at it, the cards are stacked against us. The system is f***ed.

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And yet here I am.

A glutton for punishment? Stupid? Possibly a bit.

Passionate? Stubborn? Definitely.

I cannot let this go until I have some closure. I may not like the closure I get, but I will keep fighting until I hit a definite dead end.

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Borrowing from Beckett: sorry Sam!

Let's go

We can't.

Why not?

We're...