Head teacher 'sad' after being cleared of any wrongdoing (From Warrington Guardian)
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Head teacher 'sad' after being cleared of any wrongdoing
12:00pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in News
Geoff Bowles - no case to answer
A HEAD teacher who was suspended for five months before being told he had no case to answer says he feels sad with the way the matter has been handled.
Geoff Bowles, who was at the helm of Barrowhall Primary School in Great Sankey since 1993, was cleared of any wrongdoing at a hearing before Christmas.
He had been suspended, on full pay, in July by chairman of the governors Cathy Brocklehurst and has now been able to start his retirement.
But the manner of the suspension - which has cost the school £25,000 at least in wages - has left Mr Bowles, aged 60, feeling let down.
He was accused of financial mismanagement by an anonymous whistleblower. All the allegations were thrown out at December’s disciplinary hearing.
He added: “I was convinced that I had not done anything wrong.
“But they were paying me for five months to sit around doing nothing when the decision could have been made earlier.”
He was banned from entering school while suspended, it is understood even teachers were kept in the dark about his absence, and missed out on saying goodbye to parents and the children. Although he was allowed in the school on the last day of term to take his belongings - which has already been boxed up.
“If ever a school was made for someone, that school was made for me.
“It was brilliant to say goodbye to the children and the staff were absolutely great. They have paid for a leaving do for me which means a lot.
“When you work at a school like that and for so long, you become part of the community. And my reputation is more important than anything else to me.”
Mr Bowles, from St Helens, will now begin his retirement and despite the recent problems - he resigned from the governing body in May - he hopes the school continues to grow.
He said: “I wish the new head every success. He is a lucky guy because despite everything that has happened, it is a lovely school and it has given me a lot of fun.”
Comments(6)
smallscousefox
says...
10:10pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Shame on those responsible for the appalling way this nice man has been treated.
What a horrible end to his career.
Mr Bowles did a sterling job at the school +deserved better.
Hope he can put this behind him and have a very happy retirement!
Laboursupporteraswas
says...
4:23pm Fri 18 Jan 13
As for the whistleblower shame on her/him. The education department should take every step to find out who the whistleblower is and what connections (if any) she/he may have with the school and/or Governing Body. People may be forgiven for smelling some form of conspiracy here and hopefully someone will be able to get enough information to "out" those responsible for such despicable behaviour.
Enjoy your retirement, Geoff. Hopefully you will be able to wash out the bad taste from your mouth sometime soon.
Gripper_S
says...
3:42pm Sat 19 Jan 13
Headteachers are at the mercy of malicious accusations, and as a result are often suspended without question. On full pay or not, no one can escape the nasty taste which this sort of event causes. The current system suits no one; governing bodies can decide their own procedures and timescales and I would urge any member of a school governing body to scrutinise their local procedures at the earliest opportunity. The massive disruption which can be caused to a school's good name, and efficient and effective running, all on the 'nod and a wink' of someone with either a grudge or only a slender grasp of the facts, should be recognised- not to mention the disastrous effects on individuals which can follow, as evidenced by this story.
I wish Mr. Bowles a long and happy retirement.
WollyHat
says...
4:45pm Tue 22 Jan 13
sprinterman
says...
1:34pm Thu 24 Jan 13
As the allegation was financial mismanagement an investigation cannot place place with the person still at work, it is normal they are removed from premises. No doubt as old-codger states an audit of finances took place which would help with the decision of suspension. No action could surely have happend based on nod and wink as Gripper S says.
It is sad that a career ends like that but if money was being taken/used inappropriately that could be used on our children then the right action was taken. I hope the outcome of no case to answer was evidence based and not a sympathy vote as he retired.
We can only hope the school moves on with their new head in place.
old-codger says...
6:17pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Good luck and a very happy retirement Geoff..