Copland victimisations: glimmer of hope?

Guest post by Mistleflower:

Michael Pavey, head of  Children and Families for Brent, yesterday posted this reply to a comment on my earlier post  ‘Deafening silence on Copland victimisation allegations’. LINK

‘ I met with the Unions last week and discussed these matters in detail. It's not appropriate to disclose our discussions with anonymous people on blogs but I'll continue to meet them and to take their concerns very seriously’

I may be being optimistic but, reading between the lines, it may be that Mr Pavey was as dismayed as Copland staff were by the tactics attempted  by Mr Marshall and Mr John  since they were drafted in to the school a few weeks ago:  victimisation, misuse of capability procedures  and threats of redundancy to those heads of department  unwilling to set up their own colleagues for redundancy.  

 Let’s hope that Mr Pavey  has,  now he’s been made aware of what’s been going on,‘had a word’. The test of this will be the future behaviour of the new management  but at least some  context has now been established. For now, the petty and vindictive treatment of the Humanities department ( or those few who remain) needs to be abandoned.

As far as the use of anonymity is concerned, this  is unfortunately  inevitable when a climate of fear has been intentionally introduced by managers  as a way of closing down open comment and discussion. There is a simple solution to this: regular and acknowledged communication based on mutual respect between management and genuine representatives of staff at  scheduled  meetings which are not unilaterally cancelled (or ‘postponed)’  and through  which management and genuine staff representatives attempt to come to agreement  in a civilised, professional  and collegiate fashion.  If someone hasn’t already stolen the name it could perhaps be called the ‘JCC’.

Copland staff fear hidden site sell-off agenda

I publish below a Guest Post from someone involved with current events at Copland Community School. The views expressed are those of the guest blogger but I publish it because I believe that the public should know what some of the staff are experiencing and thinking. I will be happy to publish any alternative perspectives.
 

An increasing number of Copland Community School staff suspect that it is Brent’s intention to let the school die. The evidence?

New Head Richard Marshall and new Deputy Head Nick John have spent their few weeks in office

·         cutting whole courses and subject areas

·         narrowing the curriculum

·         demanding that department heads nominate staff for redundancy

·         threatening any who refuse with redundancy themselves

·         reducing heads of department to tears

·         wasting Brent HR officers’ time calling them in to interview staff about legitimate and certificated sickness absence (including ones following operations and motor accidents)

·         cancelling Sports Day and another planned Activities Day at short notice

·         refusing any joint consultation with staff

·         refusing to furnish a definitive list of staff leaving in July citing ‘equal opportunities’(?)

·         adding to the 30 plus staff leaving for voluntary redundancy (sometimes under threat of future non-procedural and bogus capability action) by making working conditions for remaining staff so bad that they are desperate to leave as well

·         making the school curriculum offer to prospective Yr 7 parents, and to Year 11 students considering staying on for A levels, as unattractive as the appalling physical conditions students will work under

·         boasting about how ‘tough’ they are prepared to be in carrying out more of the above

Everyone knows how extensive and attractive the Copland site would be for developers. It certainly wasn’t lost on former Head (now awaiting trial on fraud charges) Sir Alan Davies.  Many at Copland now believe that the only explanation for the imposition of yet another clueless management regime on this long-suffering school community can be that Brent want to reduce the roll to  the point where they can declare the school unsustainable, close it down  and flog off the land to a supermarket chain and a residential developer.