The headmaster at Ripon Grammar School, Jonathan Webb and the head of boarding, Caroline Day, covered up safeguarding negligence. To perpetuate this cover up, the chair of governors, Elizabeth Jarvis and North Yorkshire Council LADO, Susan Crawford were also involved.
Let’s Recap
- Caroline knew the girl was self-harming
- The girl had self harmed twice the previous week
- Caroline did not tell parents of this
- Caroline did not tell staff
- Parents had emailed, spoken face to face, and telephoned Caroline the DAY the girl returned to school, worried she would self-harm again – which she did.
- Caroline did not take the medication from the girl when she returned to school.
- There was no valid self-administration form for the girl to self-medicate.
- Caroline did not lock the medication away.
- The girl overdosed on her medication – Sertraline.
- The girl had 1 months worth of tablets at 150mg per day.
- No-one ever confirmed exactly how many tablets the girl took
- The tablets were left in the dorm with another student.
Sertraline
Sertraline is an antidepressant, known as a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI). The usual dose for an adult as described by the NHS is 25mg per day. Lisa was prescribed 150mg per day. (Yes this raises more questions, beyond the scope of this post!)
The Drugbank describes the toxicity of Sertraline. “The most common signs and symptoms associated with a non-fatal sertraline overdose are vomiting, tachycardia, nausea, dizziness, agitation, and tremor. Consequences of a sertraline overdose may include serotonin syndrome, hypertension, hypotension, syncope, stupor, coma, bradycardia, bundle branch block, QT-prolongation, delirium, hallucinations, and pancreatitis”.
I don’t know about you but these seem pretty serious don’t they?
Wouldn’t YOU consider that this is HARM to a child?
I do.
The Disclosure and Barring Service says regarding HARM:
The LADO Threshold Matrix
As I have evidenced in this blog, I was repeatedly told that my concerns were being investigated. By Marita Murray, the school DSL, by Jonathan Webb and by Elizabeth Jarvis. I was told that the LADO, Susan Crawford had been informed.
Once a referral has been made to the LADO, certain procedures have to be followed. The LADO has to check against the LADO Threshold Matrix to see if the allegations reach a level that requires certain actions
The National Lado Network produces this document as a guide. It has 5 tiers with examples and the action required. Tier 5 gives the example where:
“a child has clearly been injured or could have been injured as a direct result of the actions of a professional or volunteer”
That seems to fit what has happened, don’t you think? Caroline’s actions, in allowing the girl to have her medication, enabled the girl to overdose. The consequences of which could have long term effects on the girl’s health.
As you can see, tier 5 is
“an incident which requires immediate suspension /police referral/arrest/immediate action to protect child“
NONE of these happened.
North Yorkshire Education Services
NYES have a document entitled:
Guidance for Schools on Managing Allegations against those who work or
volunteer with Children
In this document it says:
Let me reiterate – NO investigation took place. The Designated Safeguarding Lead, Marita Murray did NOT interview me regarding my concerns. Nor did Jonathan Webb. Nor was Sarah Williams interviewed regarding Caroline’s actions and Sarah was on duty one of the nights the girl self-harmed (See post Lisa Self-harmed Again)
In fact what happened went like this:
- 22nd Sept – I raised my concerns to DSL – told “thank you for your notes”
- 24th Sept – Raised again to Jonathan Webb – told he would not discuss Caroline with me
- 30th Sept – 8 days after the Protected Disclosure Caroline has a LADO Referral Meeting with Marita Murray & Jonathan Webb. Caroline threatens to leave.
- 7th Oct – I meet governors with concerns
- 7th Oct – Girls’ parents complain Caroline did not inform them of the self-harm
- 9th Oct – LADO referral form sent to Susan Crawford. 17 days after my protected disclosure.
Procedures state strategy meetings and referrals to the police. None of this was done.
Substantiated
The chair of governors, Mrs Elizabeth Jarvis, and North Yorkshire Council repeatedly told me that I was NOT allowed to have the details of the outcome of my allegations. However this was not what it said in their whistleblowing policy. Eventually, I received this letter from Marita Murray, the DSL and Elizabeth Jarvis.
The medication prescribed for a student was not appropriately secured
Notice that they have not included Caroline Day’s name? They have not included under what category the allegation was considered. Was it Neglect, or Harm?
My questions here:
- No investigation was carried out, the pertinent people who were there and could supply factual information were not interviewed
- The LADO form not sent in until 17 days after the allegations/ 19 days after the incident. Why the delay? JW says in his statement he thought it needed to be referred to the LADO immediately after the incident.
- The so called ‘investigation‘ was carried out by someone involved in the incident. Marita Murray, Caroline’s peer in SLT, knew about the self-harm and had advised Caroline not to tell staff, she was also the person who found the remaining meds and removed them from the dorm.
- No procedures were carried out regarding referral to police. The LADO should have referred to the police given the seriousness according to the Threshold Matrix.
- The school and council were very reticent to give me the details of the outcome. WHY did they not want me to know? Because no investigation was actually done?
I believe that they were never going to investigate, and the referral would not have been sent to the LADO [if it actually was!], but the parents complained about not being told of their daughters self-harm.
I believe that the LADO knew there was not an investigation, otherwise they would have followed their own procedures and the Threshold Matrix and involved the police as this states.
Keeping Children Safe in Education
The outcome letter [above] states that my concerns “met the criteria for being considered under ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ and NYSCP Managing Allegations Against those who work with Children'”. I have provided links and extracts above to these.
The letter states that:
The medication prescribed for a student was not appropriately secured UPHELD
This means it was substantiated. According to Keeping Children Safe in Education, Gov’t statutory Guidelines it says, “There is a legal obligation for employers to make a referral to the DBS where they consider an individual has engaged in conduct that harmed [or is likely to harm] a child.“
Caroline Day is still working at the school, despite being in her 6 months probationary period when this incident occurred
In fact she is now Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead!
Conspiracy to Deceive
I have highlighted throughout this blog that there was a conspiracy to deceive, particularly the Employment Tribunal. See Jonathan Lies Under Oath and Caroline Lies Under Oath, these show how they told exactly the same lies! One in particular stands out – the Ambulance crew policy of not going into houses during covid!
However the deceit obviously goes further. I have repeatedly asked for details from the council, asked them to investigate, complained about the lack of investigation and they just wash their hands of me.
However to cover up safeguarding negligence of this seriousness must have involved the council.
My friend, neighbour advised me that I need to get out of the Ripon / North Yorkshire bubble. I laughed. She was serious.
The school is council run. I was employed by North Yorkshire Council when I worked at the school. The school likes to promote it’s ‘Top state school in the North‘ [Sunday Times] status. The North Yorkshire Council are therefore wanting to protect the school’s reputation.
Just like the Post Office wanted to protect it’s reputation!
Shades of Post Office Scandal
I can totally relate to what these people have gone through. Obviously they have been fighting this for years, and, in my eyes, have had considerable amounts of money stolen from them. Shocking, disgusting, appalling, I can’t find a superlative good enough to describe what they have been through.
Like them, I have been defamed, vilified, wrongly accused, arrested, gaslighted. Gone through the trauma of injustice in an Employment Tribunal, with a biased, racist judge. Driven to alcohol dependence and thoughts of suicide.
The ‘little skint person‘ against the corrupt local council who have their own law firm!
Let me finish for now with this.
If senior staff at the Post Office are capable of, allegedly, perverting the course of justice, perjury, failing to disclose documents, falsifying documents, harassment,… the list goes on….. all with the excuse of trying to save the Post Office’s reputation
Isn’t it entirely possible that local government staff, Jonathan Webb, Caroline Day, Elizabeth Jarvis, Susan Crawford and other staff are capable of colluding to vilify a person – just one skint 59 year old woman – to everyone, including the local police, in order to try to save THEIR reputation?
Simply, they have colluded, conspired against me because they are not happy that I have written a blog and provided evidence that they are all guilty of gross misconduct.