|
|
 |
| |
Janet Mokades |
‘No school staff checks for 2 years’
Inspector says recruitment took place under an ‘inherently weak monitoring arrangement’
THE private company that runs Islington’s schools allowed Canonbury Primary to take on staff without checking references for two years, a damning report has revealed.
Independent inspector Janet Mokades, whose report into the failings in recruitment procedures at Canonbury school was published last week, said Cambridge Education (CE) had set up an “inherently weak monitoring arrangement”.
In a report presented an Executive meeting, she said: “Since 2007, schools have been required to submit monthly returns to CE updating their Single Central Record (which contains details of reference checks). None was supplied by Canonbury during the period under discussion, nor does the school have any record of requests for them to be supplied. Moreover, CE has no means of checking on the veracity of such updates in the case of schools that have outsourced their human resources functions. This is therefore an inherently weak monitoring arrangement.”
Canonbury had already been identified as one of three schools whose records were not fully up-to-date. The system at the time relied on schools filling in a monthly form confirming they had carried out reference checks on all new staff.
When asked why the school was allowed to continue for two years without submitting monthly recruitment forms, a CE spokeswoman said: “Janet Mokades’ recommendations are being given due consideration. This process will include a review at the Overview Committee.
“What is clear from her investigation is that the specific issues at Canonbury were isolated to that school and that, in general, recruitment practice across the borough is either good or satisfactory.”
Ms Mokades’s report confirms the Tribune’s own findings that CE’s system relied only on taking a school’s word and did not demand any supporting evidence.
Ms Mokades’ investigation was prompted by the recent case at Canonbury which led to 12 governors resigning from their roles in April, claiming they were being scapegoated by CE because the school had not carried out reference checks on some of its staff.
The report exonerated the governors, saying they were volunteers who could not be expected to be involved in the day-to-day management of the school.
Ms Mokades said it was also difficult for governors to second-guess the headteacher, if he told them all checks had been carried out. She criticised the system of checking on schools as far back as 2006.
At that time, a random audit of seven schools, showed that three had “deficiencies” in the way references were checked.
After a meeting of the council’s People Board in 2006, which met to discuss school personnel and the audit, CE ordered the schools to update their records, but it later emerged that Canonbury did not. Ms Mokades criticised the failing of CE and Islington Council to chase it up.
She said: “There is no record of remedial action being proposed.”
The most CE demanded was for schools to self-assess by filling in the monthly forms saying they had complied.
The Lib Dems’ response to the report will be scrutinised at a Town Hall Overview Committee meeting on Monday.
The unusual move means that a committee, which is not controlled by the ruling party, will have the chance to add comments to the council’s “action plan” before it is presented to the executive.
Council leader Terry Stacy said the action plan will change the system so all monitoring arrangements will be carried out by the council.
“These will be reported to me personally and to the Overview Committee on a regular basis,” he said.
Cllr Stacy promised to introduce a new “framework” that all governors will sign up to and has asked the director of children’s services to draw up a package of urgent support and guidance.
He added: “All monitoring and evaluation will sit squarely with the council and councillors will now get much better information, which will be in the public domain. The safeguarding board will have a bigger and key role to play in more frequent reporting so that we do not have to wait before finding out if issues need tackling.”
When asked if the council would reconsider its contract with CE, Cllr Stacy said: “We are always looking for ways to improve partnership working with CE and schools.” |
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
