Standards at head pay row school 'compromised'

Parents at an Exeter school have been sent a letter which says an investigation into the former headteacher's pay has found that professional standards were compromised and the college's reputation was brought into disrepute. It follows the revelation that executive headteacher of West Exe Steve Maddern was earning £152,211 – almost £10,000 more than the Prime Minister. The full letter is below.

19th September 2012

Dear Parent/Carer

As you are aware, West Exe Technology College has been the subject of a Devon County Council audit investigation for some months. We are writing to let you know this process has now finished and the report on the investigation is complete. The report is likely to become public later this week and we want to share the main findings and implications with you, as members of our school community, before they become more widely known. The main findings are: Leadership and governance were compromised where the former Executive Governors were too strong in their leadership and the Governing Body was not strong enough in holding them to account. The Governing Body was, therefore, led too strongly by the former Executive Headteacher and Executive Governors. There were procedural shortcomings around the Performance Management and pay of some members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), some staff appointments and the absence from school and claiming of allowances by a small number of the former SLT. The report concludes: “Many of the concerns raised publicly, but not all, have been found to be substantiated such that there have been inappropriate decisions made, weak governance in key areas and a lack of public accountability. This has significantly compromised the reputation of the college where otherwise there is a sound educational reputation and confidence from parents.” “The culmination of this decision structure and, in some circumstances, misuse of position by the Executive Headteacher has established a culture which ethically is not sound and publicly is unacceptable to the extent that it has compromised professional standards expected of school leaders, trust of the staff and public and brought the reputation of the College into disrepute.” You will be as shocked as we were to read this. Clearly the rebuilding of trust and the reputation of the college will take some considerable time. Nor can we as part of the former SLT and Executive Governors shirk our part in the circumstances leading to this report. We do wish to apologise here for the naivety and lack of challenge which allowed this situation to develop and to assure you that in the last six months enormous efforts have been made to ensure that our processes and structures are right, as we begin this task of rebuilding trust and ensuring that West Exe Technology College regains the good reputation it deserves. We thank you for your support throughout this time and hope that you will continue to work with us during these difficult times. It is worth mentioning that the report also states: “It is clear from this review that the current Governors and staff have the best interests of the College and pupils at heart.” We are working closely with Devon County Council to ensure that all governance requirements are met and to strengthen the work of the school in many areas. Whilst we are very aware of the challenges which lie ahead we are also very pleased with the progress which has already been made, with the excellent results West Exe achieved this year and with the extremely calm and purposeful start made to this school year. The governors have begun their task of appointing a substantive Headteacher and we will keep you updated on this and other progress as the year continues. In the meantime we thank you once more for your patience and commitment to the school through this investigation and hope that you, like us, will feel that West Exe is now focussed on the most important task of educating the students without distraction. Yours sincerely Vick Carah, Acting Headteacher and Peter Scot, Chair of Governors