Louisa Woodley to appeal school governor disqualification
LABOUR'S London Assembly candidate for Croydon and Sutton intends to appeal her disqualification as a school governor.
Councillor Louisa Woodley will ask council education chief Tim Pollard to investigate the circumstances behind her dismissal as a local authority governor of Ryelands Primary School, in South Norwood.
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Louisa Woodley, Labour's London Assembly candidate for Croydon and Sutton, intends to appeal her disqualification as school governor
Cllr Woodley, who represents Thornton Heath ward, believes her disqualification is a mistake and has stated her intention to continue in the role.
Update: Louisa Woodley reinstated as governor at Ryelands Primary School after chairman told he'd made a mistake
But speaking briefly this week, chair of governors Norman Gooding remained steadfast.
He said: "I can't go back on the decision. She has been disqualified, she's been told, you know the facts – end of story. There's no story."
The Advertiser revealed last week that Cllr Woodley, who will run against Tory incumbent Steve O'Connell in May's London Assembly elections, is accused of missing several meetings of Ryelands' governing body over a six-month period.
School governance regulations state that absence over this period, without the consent of the governing body, can result in disqualification.
Mr Gooding wrote to Cllr Woodley informing her of his decision at the end of last year.
Cllr Woodley admits missing a meeting on September 21 but said a governor's gathering on November 30 had been cancelled.
She said: "He obviously has it in his head that I missed the previous meeting on June 27, but I was there. The letter indicates I would have the chance to explain and I should have been given the opportunity before he informed the council.
"Instead it ends with 'I don't like writing to an old colleague on these terms, but I am sure with the upcoming election this will come as a relief'. Well, it's not for him to decide how I spend my time."
She added: "I believe this has sadly brought the reputation of the governing body into disrepute and there is some underlying malicious political intent."
Cllr Woodley said she has attempted to contact Mr Gooding to speak about her dismissal without success.
He replied: "I've had no calls or e-mails. She can't carry on as a governor. She's been disqualified."
8 Comments
by tbabygib
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 5:42PM
“Do the people at the meeting have to sign in?
Surely they have a register to say who was there and who was not.
Isn't that how they found out she didn't attend?
look at the book, then tell the truth.
My comments come from the first report and that only.”
by Chris_Wilcox
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 4:49PM
“Much as I agree with Ivor, re Louisa managing her diary and that, sabotage is still sabotage. It's serious stuff.
If what Louisa is saying is true ( apparently she is claiming she missed only 1 meeting last term ) when the Chair lobbing her out was EXTREMELY iffy.
Is it possible she was a threat to the Chairs' role?
Let's hope Cllr Pollard investigates promptly or this will look even iffier. The elections are in May after all. And Pollard is a Tory, and Louisa is Labour obviously. Louisa being disgraced is very handy for Steve O'Connell ( Pollards' fellow Tory ).
Stay tuned folks!”
by Ivor_Shed
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 4:28PM
“As I said earlier, when I was chair of the school governors it was may council appointed meeting secretary who took the register at every meeting and advised me when my councillor governor had missed the required number of consecutive meetings to be sacked - which he was.
So how about some facts then Advertiser. Was Louisa Woodley absent for the rquired number of meetings to be sacked - a simple Yes or no will do. However, she is a council appointed governor and the governors have no say on who is appointed by the council. I wonder how long the council wait before assigning her again.
No doubt she is only doing it to add to her CV so I guess she will leave out the bit about being sacked. If she is planning to run against Tory incumbent Steve O'Connell in May's London Assembly elections, then if she wins, how much time will she be able to devote to being a school governor - which entails more than just turning up at the occasional meeting. It's a team game and there is no place for someone who doesn't pull their weight.”
by CrossRdRes
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 3:44PM
“Excellently put @tbabygib I would agree that rules should be obeyed. School Governance is crucial to the day to day running of any school and the commitment to being a governor is vast.
One could argue that using the title of Governor to score "brownie points" for upcoming elections as an outrage. Cllr Woodley should be ashamed of her conduct and accept the informed decisions made by the chair.
Oh for an England where standards, attention to detail and moral principles mattered.”
by Chris_Wilcox
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 3:30PM
“I've just found out from a good source she only missed 1 meeting. Not 'quite a few'...
Much as I want to see the proof etc etc this could well be a good fight. It'll be interesting to see if this 'sabotage' allegation is true.
And, if it is true, who orchestrated it.”
by tbabygib
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 3:22PM
“disqualified She is, disqualified she should remain. Simple Obey the rules, and she didn't.
Tough but there you go.”
by Chris_Wilcox
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 12:21PM
“The spell checker is obviously not a Terry Pratchett fan...”
by Chris_Wilcox
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 12:21PM
“Ah. If you're a School Governor you do have to attend the meetings.
******.
Well, her policies are good. As are Kens so far. So let's hope this is minimal damage as May approaches.”