Pat Regan: BROKEN TRUST: HOW SAFE IS YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOL?

By Pat Regan

I wrote the following article some years ago, but something tells me that it’s an issue we need to urgently revisit today!

Humanity has at times become preoccupied by what lies beyond the stars and our link with our intergalactic cousins. This is good and wholesome, yet harsh truths closer to home must frequently take priority.

We can easily forget that the dire failings of our fellow humans can affect us all at times more than we care to admit.

Our offspring are the vital future of our species and as such they are a precious resource that ‘must’ be protected at all costs. We implicitly trust the educational staff and safeguarding authority teams that mind our children, regardless of the country we dwell in. However, at times the perceived trustworthiness of the international educational system fails us all completely. The following is one such example that I include herein as a stern warning to all loving parents/grandparents of planet earth.

In Sefton in the UK at many schools smiles and tears are flowing copiously from the eyes of numerous teachers, parents and pupils because it is the last day of term. The summer holidays have finally arrived! Some new teachers will arrive next term and some old ones will retire. Some may be sorely missed, yet for others it will be a case of ‘good riddance’!

This is of course a joyful yet emotional time for many. However, a darker and largely unobserved side exists beneath the cheerful smiles, hugs and giving of presents.

Please consider the following data, which is gleaned from reality and not any type of fiction.

No names are mentioned, at this stage, and neither is the name of the school where these odious events actually occurred. However, it can be stated that the school is in Southport on the English North West coast. Your child is assaulted at your school by a trusted teacher who has held a high position therein for many years. The teacher denies your allegations yet will not agree to confront you with your child face to face. Following this police, local childcare authorities and teachers have a surreptitious meeting in which you and your child are NOT permitted to attend. Social services advise the parents to take the child to be checked at the doctor. This advice is followed and bruising is discovered and recorded by the medic.

The teacher under suspicion of abuse is strangely ‘fully supported’ from the commencement of your complaint by the Head teacher. The Head expresses an opinion to the parents that children often “make up tales” about being abused. Her opinion is stated ‘before’ she is even aware of all the elementary facts at hand. The Head teacher is made aware by the parents that ‘other’ children witnessed the abuse and were very upset by it. The Head’s immediate reaction is to ignore/dismiss this information and refuse, point blank, to hold an unbiased investigation. The parents therefore contact the police and other authorities responsible for the children’s safety. The police etc agree with the parents that an unbiased investigation ‘should’ take place. Further lengthy meetings between parents, accompanied by a supportive local councillor, and the authorities are however largely fruitless as they advise the parents that they cannot possibly circumvent the Head’s almost imperial monopoly of the given situation.

So here we have a horrendous situation in which a small Southport child has been assaulted by a teacher, in front of class room witnesses.

The Head teacher will NOT permit an impartial investigation to take place even though police and others have said this ‘should’ be undertaken. Moreover, the only truly supportive safe-guarding chief who agreed 100% with the family in question has now conveniently been transferred to another distant locality.

All evidence available therefore indicates that the issue of safeguarding children in school is a fallacy. Your child is NOT safe at school! The question is: how would you feel if this was YOUR child? The little child in question always believed that teachers do not tell lies to him; this belief is no longer held.

TRUST HAS BEEN BROKEN FOREVER AND THIS IS THE REAL TRAGEDY OF THE EVENT.

The apathetic safeguarding authorities have stated to the parents that they will NOT communicate further on the matter. The whole issue amounts to a scandalous official cover-up and the abusive teacher still amazingly holds her position in education. The witnesses who saw the event have ‘not’ been called upon to give evidence, thanks to the Head’s entrenched stance. The education officials responsible should hold their heads in shame. They are not fit to hold the trusted and highly-paid positions they occupy. They are paid to protect our children not abusive teachers! One thing is certain. The UK educational authorities and police under question have not learnt by their multiple errors and children are most certainly not safe under their so-called safe-guarding policies!

Furthermore, one may ask: is this solitary account just the tip of the iceberg – perhaps so?

So folks, following the happy ‘end of term’ smiles, tears and hugs when the presents have been given to the teacher, remember that all that glitters is not gold.

YOUR CHILD IS NOT SAFE UNDER CURRENT OFFICIAL, UK SAFE-GUARDING POLICIES.

Today, the situation is on-going and the truth ‘will’ surface, sooner or later!

NB. I have also covered some historical abuse at other schools in one of my books, 'The Devil God's Best Friend'.