Did everyone see this article that appeared in the Acton Gazette recently?
It really is about time that someone in the Diocese started to take some responsibility for the disgraceful events that have been taking place at St Vincent’s.
PARENTS are demanding action from the Catholic church to end months of hostility at an Acton primary school.
Relations between parents, staff and governors at St Vincent's RC Primary School have become so strained that an anonymous internet blog has been set up to give parents the opportunity to vent their frustration and concern over the management style of head teacher Tina Cleugh.
Since her arrival at the school in January 2006 almost all of the staff have left, with only a few of the original teaching team still in place.
The mass exodus mirrors the situation at St Mary's RC Junior and Infant School in Hillingdon, where there was an almost compete change of staff between 2002 and 2003 when Mrs Cleugh was head.
But despite repeated complaints to the governors and the Diocese of Westminster, including allegations of bullying, no action has been taken. Parents are now pulling their children out and sending them to Catholic schools in Hammersmith or even teaching them at home, despite excellent SATs results in English, Maths and Science this year that ranked St Vincent's as the top performing primary in the borough.
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous in case her child's education is affected in the close-knit Catholic education system, said: " I believe that the standard of teaching really went down and I felt my children were unsafe being at the school.
"The teachers all changed and their attitude towards children appears to have changed.
"So many families have taken their children out, 30 or 40 children, and I know people who are saying they are not going to send their children there."
And a former governor said: "All the appeals to the diocese have been completely stonewalled and it has made me very depressed about the Catholic school system.
"They are all in it together and they stick together and that's the way it goes."
A former teacher told the Gazette that after just weeks of Mrs Cleugh's arrival the moral of staff 'plummeted'.
Tony Loftus, whose children used to go to St Vincent's, said: "People feel they should shut up and get out. If you say something you may well feel the wrath."
The Diocese of Westminster and Ealing Council defended Mrs Cleugh, pointing to an Ofsted report in May 2006 that stated "the new headteacher has an accurate view of what needs to be done and has made a good start in reorganising management".
In a joint statement they said: "Since her appointment as head teacher of St Vincent's Catholic School in January 2006, Mrs Cleugh has been working diligently to improve the performance of the school and to resolve a number of longstanding problems. In this work she has been fully supported by the Governing Body.
"A recent survey of parents and an open parents' meeting indicated very high levels of satisfaction with the school and where issues were raised the Governors have prepared an action plan to respond to these."
