BEAULIEU has made a direct appeal to parents to bring an end to ‘protest’ and ‘campaigns’ sparked by the departure of a popular member of staff.
Senior management have faced fierce criticism on social media from some parents – and been subject to widespread rumours and speculation – after head of school Andrea Firby left the convent.
Several parents have also said they will keep their children at home on the first day of term in protest.
And the NASUWT issued a strongly worded statement last week warning that it had no confidence in Beaulieu’s management structure, and voiced concerns over the ‘unusually high’ staff turnover and an ‘increasingly difficult’ working environment at the school.
It also questioned why a school of Beaulieu’s size needed both a chief executive (Chris Beirne, who is also headmaster) and a chief operating officer.
But in a letter to parents, Beaulieu’s board of directors said that all decisions were made in the best interests of the pupils, and stressed that Mrs Firby had taken voluntary redundancy.
The school had previously stated that her departure was part of a process to streamline senior management to ensure it could further invest in frontline teaching. Mrs Firby, they said, did not teach secondary school classes and therefore her departure would have no ‘effect on pupils on a day-to-day basis’.
In the letter, the board said: ‘The continuation of campaigns, social-media engagement and protest will seek to not only damage the school and distract from the learning and educational experience we are all here to deliver, but also may cause harm to all parties involved, including Mrs Firby, who has voluntarily chosen this route when leaving Beaulieu.’
The directors also moved to quash rumours regarding the number of teachers who had left, and the school’s financial position.
‘Like other organisations we face additional financial pressure at this time but we will continue to invest in our student-facing services; and the streamlining of the senior leadership team will help us to continue to do so, as well as delivering our dedicated staff a pay rise in 2023, in line with that which is due to be agreed by the Government of Jersey.
‘We do confirm that whilst the school faces these financial pressures, we are not in a “dire financial position” as is currently being claimed.
‘BCSL’S private financial statements are professionally audited and have been for some time. This audit process should bring comfort as to the financial soundness of financial management at the school over recent years,’ the letter added.
The directors acknowledged that the school, like many educational establishments, was facing additional difficulties recruiting teachers, but said it was still ‘attracting’ and ‘developing high-quality staff’.
The letter continued: ‘There has not been a mass resignation of teachers at the school and rumours to the contrary are simply unfounded.’
Explaining the process behind the decision making at the school, the directors stated: ‘Any management decisions taken at Beaulieu are done so collectively by the board of directors, and the trustees (of which Chris Beirne is not one) bring oversight and consideration to any serious matters resulting in significant changes at the school. This was the case in this instance, and all decisions were fully discussed.’
The letter added: ‘The timing and terms of Mrs Firby’s departure were reached by agreement, with her volunteering to take redundancy, and you may be assured that the trustees and directors have in this matter acted (as you would expect) with professionalism, compassion and in the best interests of the school, and importantly its students.’
The directors said they would try to bring forward a planned meeting with parents, currently scheduled for 26 January, and that during that event they would give more information about the management team, and ‘endeavour to be as open as possible’.
