Headteacher 'must stay'
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 17th February 2000.
ANGRY parents and pupils packed a meeting demanding the head of a failing school be reinstated.
Jean Waite sent a letter home with pupils at Haverhill's Castle Hill Middle School saying she was stepping down for the sake of the school, after earlier reassuring them it was not closing.
More than 100 people packed into Haverhill Methodist Church to support Mrs Waite.
County Councillor Gerry Kiernan agreed to find out whether the Education Authority would fund an independent survey into the school.
He said: "There is a strong feeling here that OFSTED has got it wrong and I will be putting it to the Education Department that we see if it is legal or possible to get such a survey done."
Parent Sonia Lane said she felt Mrs Waite was being made a scapegoat and it would be more damaging to the school and its children if she was not able to stay.
The school has a large special needs section and parents felt OFSTED inspectors were not taking this into account.
Several pupils spoke at the meeting and many had signed a petition with around 500 signatures.
One girl said: "I feel that our head teacher having to leave is an injustice.
"Mrs Waite is always there to support us and just because our school has not achieved academic results does not mean our head teacher is not trying to achieve these."
Castle Hill has been classed as a failing school - one of only two in Suffolk - but closure would only be considered as an option if special measures in place to improve it have not succeeded by May 2001.
Jean Waite sent a letter home with pupils at Haverhill's Castle Hill Middle School saying she was stepping down for the sake of the school, after earlier reassuring them it was not closing.
More than 100 people packed into Haverhill Methodist Church to support Mrs Waite.
County Councillor Gerry Kiernan agreed to find out whether the Education Authority would fund an independent survey into the school.
He said: "There is a strong feeling here that OFSTED has got it wrong and I will be putting it to the Education Department that we see if it is legal or possible to get such a survey done."
Parent Sonia Lane said she felt Mrs Waite was being made a scapegoat and it would be more damaging to the school and its children if she was not able to stay.
The school has a large special needs section and parents felt OFSTED inspectors were not taking this into account.
Several pupils spoke at the meeting and many had signed a petition with around 500 signatures.
One girl said: "I feel that our head teacher having to leave is an injustice.
"Mrs Waite is always there to support us and just because our school has not achieved academic results does not mean our head teacher is not trying to achieve these."
Castle Hill has been classed as a failing school - one of only two in Suffolk - but closure would only be considered as an option if special measures in place to improve it have not succeeded by May 2001.
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