How much child sexual abuse is going on in UK schools?
This testimony is from a support teacher at a Manchester school that happened in 2001.
Individuals and organisations involved in this cover up are highlighted in blue.
Actions:
(1) If you're a parent in the UK and beyond, it's time you had a very frank conversation with your child about what's happening to them at school.
(2) If you have a testimony about CSA or SRA in the UK and beyond, please write it up this weekend.
Please see this article which will help guide you to write your story...
http://hampstead-actions.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/personal-testimonies-csa-sra-and-forced.html
We need your story told.
It's time people around the world stop hiding from the fact that these things ARE happening to our children, at the hands of trusted people, behind our backs, and IN SCHOOLS !!
Whistleblower's story: School paedophilia cover up.
"The day that devastated my life happened 14 years ago. It's a day I will never forget - a day that would change everything."
"Disenfranchised Teacher" tells her story...
I was working in a school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. I had been at the school for 5 years, starting off as a Special Support Assistant. I was later asked to take on training, and a position of "Successmaker Coordinator".
I worked with pupils individually in the school library, to help bring them up to date with their education. Many had been truants or had been excluded from classes, and many students were way behind academically for their cohort.
I liked the children - they were lively and sometimes unpredictable, but we got along ok. An attitude of mutual respect developed in my classes. I was happy with the relaxed atmosphere in my workspace – the library.
I got along fine with the other teachers and support staff as well. Then suddenly one day, I noticed one of the English teachers started to be treated very badly by other staff members. Soon after, the English Teacher went on sick leave and a male supply [temp] teacher came into school as her replacement.
I couldn't understand why she was treated like this as she had probably been the best teacher with the best results at the school. I could see there was some problem or issue as she was being ostracised. I felt it was a shame as she had helped the children so much in their learning, with improvements happening in leaps and bounds. I was told she would not be returning.
I was given the job of emptying her desk as she was not allowed back into the school. I wondered what she could have done wrong as she was pleasant, professional and was getting great results. Her position was advertised and the new supply teacher was appointed to fill the vacancy. He quickly became part of the 'clique'.
The school 'clique' used to spend 'Murder Mystery' weekends together. I had been invited but declined their offers, mainly as I couldn't afford it financially. I also felt I spent enough waking hours with my colleagues during the week rather than with my own children at home, so I gave it a miss.
The newly appointed supply teacher took up the position of English teacher. He had great approval from the Head teacher and Deputy Head. They seemed like close friends already.
The structure of the school morning was that all children had to attend assembly first thing, unless they were in trouble for some reason. This had always happened, ever since I started working at the school. I noticed the replacement English teacher often held back one of the boys in his class during morning assemblies.
I also noticed that one particular boy was frequently sent out of English class, during class time. When I next worked with the boy I reminded him how he needed to catch up with his English, and that he was only doing extra work with me because he was being sent out all the time. I recommended to the boy that he should try to stay in the English class, during normal class time.
He responded "I will be gay if I stay in there."
I thought he was referring to English as a subject. He told me I didn't understand.
Then he dropped a bombshell from which I was to never recover...
He told me the new English teacher was "touching" him. He was made to sit at the back of the class at a desk by himself, and the teacher would sit in the empty seat next to him. The teacher would touch him inappropriately under the desk whilst, in the boys words: "pretending to look at my work". He said he often decided to throw a chair or go into a rage so he would be sent out, and not get touched again. He also said two other boys were also made to sit at the back, as he was made to do.
I told him not to worry and that I would report what he had said.
I went to see the nominated Child Protection Officer (who was also the Deputy Head), and told him about what the boy had said. I then went back to work.
About 10 minutes later the Head Teacher came into the library pointed at me and angrily said, “You! My room NOW!"
I followed him into his office where I was told to "forget it".
I replied that I couldn't forget it and was obliged by the LEAs Child Protection Policy to ensure that the disclosure was reported and recorded. I was shocked to be told that if I valued my job I would be wise to forget about it. I was confused and upset by this and went home not knowing what to do now.
After a long wakeful night I decided that I must stand my ground and phoned in to say I hadn't slept and would not be in school that day. I then went into my local union office where I was advised to put the disclosure into writing. I was to send this to the union office where they would stamp it and direct it to the Head of the school. I agreed and did as I was advised.
The next day I returned to work. I was immediately taken into the Head's office and told I was "snowballing" my fate, and that I had put myself "outside of the team". I was now no longer needed to run the Successmaker program and would be photo-copying and helping others as and when needed, from now on.
After this, I would be sent to classrooms and be told by the teacher, "I don't want you in here", and would be sent away. Everyone in 'the clique' stopped talking to me. Others who talked to me got the same treatment, so gradually they stopped talking too. Pieces of work that I had been instructed to do would go missing from my pigeon hole, meaning there were more and more criticisms from the senior staff.
Other ostracising incidents took place as well: I took pasta for lunch, which I put in the staff room fridge in the morning when I arrived. Later on at lunch break, I would find soiled tissue inside the container with my food; My car alarm was constantly sounding off; When I entered a room it would suddenly become silent.
I can't describe how difficult this was. I had previously been praised for my work with the children.
The school had won an excellence award and the Head was asked to speak on live radio about the school. He was invited to choose one other member of staff to also be interviewed. He had chosen me. This was only a few months before I reported "the incident". I was removed from my previous roles and wasn't even permitted to talk to the children at breaks. If I did, somebody would stand close by and watch over me.
On my next contact with the union, the rep (first rep) who had advised me initially was not available. I was told he no longer worked there, so a new rep had been appointed to my case.
The new rep arranged a meeting at the Local Education Office (LEO) in the council offices. I overheard the union rep whispering with a council officer that he would get me back into work. I was now on a sickness benefit with Work Related Stress.
During the meeting, the rep (second rep) and the council officer insisted that I had been at work on the day after the boy's disclosure. But I hadn't been at all - I had gone into the union office. How could this rep be saying that I had been at work when I had signed the Visitors Book at the union office?
I felt very let down by the union, so I contacted another large Union who took my case on.
Make no mistake - the Education Office was completely aware of what was going on. Their response was to stop my pay and make things even more difficult for me.
The next day at work, I was taken into the library by the Head and the Deputy and told they didn't like my attitude.
Only a couple of months before, I had been vetted to become a foster carer. The Social Worker had told me that I was very highly valued by the school. She had been told by the Head that I had a calm and constructive attitude that produced positive results. He'd told her I was friendly, hard-working and reliable, and an asset to the school.
I returned to work after the school summer break and was told I had been "suspended" and could not enter the school. I remembered the English Teacher who this had also happened to. She wasn't allowed back into the school either, although I couldn't ever imagine that she would deserve it.
The new union allocated the area rep to deal with these issues. He was very understanding and arranged a meeting with the Head Teacher at the school to discuss the "suspension" that had prevented me from continuing work at the school. He was going to discuss the issue of "changes in my contracted duties".
At that meeting we discussed the day I had called in sick - the day I first went to the union office.
Both the union rep and I were stunned to hear the Head say: He was the Head, and that the staff would say whatever he told them to say. If he said I was in school that day, so would the staff!
The rep and I were both surprised that the Head teacher had been so confident that he openly stated he would do this.
All the pupils were asking me what I had done wrong and if I was getting the sack as they could see how I was being treated at work.
The boy who had confided in me said he wished he hadn't told me, that he wished he'd kept it to himself and just keep getting sent out of class instead, as he believed I was getting the sack.
It was terrible that he had put his trust in me and I had told him not to worry - that I would be passing the information on and it would be ok. How wrong I was.
He was now having a harder time at school. He told me he was warned that he would be excluded [expelled] if he said anything like this again.
After the meeting with the Head, the area rep advised me to resign as he believed this was a clear case of "constructive dismissal".
I resigned, and the union appointed a solicitor to take the case to Industrial Tribunal. Also, I had not received my last salary, and this was also to be dealt with at the tribunal.
I contacted the Low Pay Unit in Manchester to see if they would help me to determine exactly how much I was owed in unpaid salary. The woman there was very helpful and discussed what had happened at length. She also felt that it was a rock solid case of "Constructive Dismissal".
I was now struggling. How would I get another job? How would I pay my mortgage? I would need a reference, which I could see was impossible.
I was right -
I have never had another job that would compare financially, to this very day.
The Industrial Tribunal took two days. I had asked supportive colleagues at work if they would give testimony to what they had seen and heard, but was unable to get any support - only:
"I have a mortgage and can't lose my job like you."
The only witnesses at tribunal were the clique members. I was reassured when it became obvious that people were lying, making contradictory statements, and were checking with other clique members for nods or shakes of heads when asked questions.
I had given the solicitor lots of evidence – the Foster Care approval reference from the school obtained only a few weeks before the disclosure, the OFSTED report which positively praised my work, and the tape recording of the radio interview when I had supported the Head teacher.
The solicitor didn't believe we needed it – in fact he told me to drop the unpaid salary claim as he was confident in the case of Constructive Dismissal, and that I would receive all monies owed.
Tribunal panel consisted of a Chairman, another man and a woman. The woman had picked up on the contradictions and discrepancies of the defense, and had questioned them.
At the end of those two days as the panel returned to the room to give their verdict, I could see the woman on the panel looked upset.
The tribunal verdict given by the Chairman was that I had chosen to leave my job and that I wanted a fat sum to take with me.
I actually loved my work with the children, it was very reasonable pay, and I had the school holidays free to be with my own children. It was rewarding to see the progress the students made. It had everything I wanted from a job.
How could the chairman say something like this?
Imagine what would happen if a child made a disclosure at that school now...
Would any staff report it?
- After seeing what happens to those who don't "Shut up and forget it", after seeing what happened to me, I doubt it.
How many Whistleblowers have there been in all these cases of Child Sexual Abuse? How many Whistleblowers lost their homes, jobs, references, etc. for trying to protect the vulnerable?
How many Whistleblowers who cared about and previously excelled at their work, are now jobless?
How many Whistleblowers who were doing a damn good job, have now had their jobs snatched from them, for speaking out?
- Meanwhile, perpetrators keep their jobs, careers, they still work with children, are enabled to pay their mortgages so keep their homes, keep their pensions, can afford holidays, new cars, etc.
So unless people stand up and demand investigations and sentencing of these abusers, their children and grandchildren are left alone in the hands of these paedophiles; Anyone who speaks out is threatened and removed; Anyone thinking of speaking out is intimidated.
It is up to the public to force the issue and demand justice for both the abused, damaged, murdered children - and also for the Whistleblowers - those who lost everything when they tried to stop the sexual abuse of children.
Thank you for reading what happened to me...
by "Disenfranchised Teacher". Manchester UK
Who are the people who kept their mouths shut?
(1) The original English Teacher - Had she found out what was happening at the school?
The school 'clique' =>
(2) other teachers and support staff
(3) Head teacher
(4) Deputy Head = Child Protection Officer
(5) Local union office - staff and administrators
(6) First union rep
(7) Local Education Office (LEO) - staff and administrators
(8) Second union rep
(9) Council officer (LEO)
(10) Another large Union - staff and administrators
(11) Third union rep - "area rep" of the large Union
(12) Solicitor
(13) Industrial Tribunal - staff and administrators
(14) Woman at the Low Pay Unit
(15) Supportive colleagues at work
Tribunal panel =>
(16) Chairman
(17) Another man
(18) A woman
(19) All the pupils
(20) Two other boys (victims)
(21) THE BOY HIMSELF in the end, KEPT HIS MOUTH SHUT !!!
And obviously: The Perpetrators
Look at how many people sold this boy out.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE !!!!
What a social TRAGEDY !!!
Only YOU as an INDIVIDUAL can fix this problem !!
STOP COMPLYING !!!
As a non-Native of Britain, I want to tell you:
THIS IS VERY EXTREME SOCIAL CONDITIONING !!
When are you going to snap out of it ???
Final note: Redirect the money spent on useless political jockeying and refurbishments being done at Westminster, to chasing down the paedophiles. It's time the public got face-to-face with politicians and put the pressure on. It's time to demand that perpetrators be properly investigated by police, and for restitution be made to victims and the Whistleblowers that supported them - For restitution to be made for any losses of life-opportunity incurred.
Enough is Enough.
Tell the politicians our stories.
We must draw the line here.
We must STAND UP for The Children!
They can not do it alone -
They need our help.
SPEAK OUT !!
- Or forever be considered an accomplice
to the sexual abuse of children.
If you're appalled enough -
DO SOMETHING !!
