Parents petition school - 'We don't want this head teacher'

Adam Lenkiewicz was to be re-instated as head of St Catherine's Catholic Primary School in Highdown Drive following a long period of sick leave, during which the school was placed under special measures by Ofsted.

But under pressure from parents gathered outside the school gates on Thursday, West Sussex County Council has backed down and said that he will not return.

It is not yet clear whether this decision means the former head will never be re-instated at the school.

In June, last year, Ofsted inspectors visited St Catherine's and concluded that it did not provide a satisfactory education.

Out of 20 inspection judgements they deemed just one to be "good", 10 to be "satisfactory" and nine as "inadequate".

The school was consequently put under special measures to improve and two trouble-shooting locum head teachers were drafted in to tackle the problems while Mr Lenkiewicz was away on long-term sick leave.

Then, last week, parents were told that he would be returning to the school after the half-term holiday.

Some parents collected 26 signatures on a petition against the decision, forcing the council to change its mind.

Catherine Kelly, a former governor of the school, said she has taken her two children out of the school and moved them elsewhere, despite the news that Mr Lenkiewicz will not return next week.

She said: "I'm still moving my children, regardless of what's happened.

That school has gone from being the best in the county to one of the worst and I don't want my children there any more.

"I hope that the council will meet with the parents as they have promised and stop making decisions without consulting them first."

Another parent, Paula Merridue, said: "I'm appalled at the way this has been handled. We got a letter on Friday as we picked our children up to say that he was not coming back, but it doesn't say whether this means permanently.

"The school used to be good, but standards slipped so much that we had to pay for a tutor for our daughter."

But one parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was "disgusted" at the way some parents had formed a "lynch mob" to campaign against Mr Lenkiewicz's return.

She said: "They have got personal issues with him but as far as I'm concerned it's a lovely school and I've not had any problems with it.

"I think Mr Lenkiewicz is a thoughtful, kind man who never put a foot wrong. It's not right that parents have complained like they have. It's just a lynch mob."

In the letter to parents, handed out at the school on Friday, Colin James, deputy director of children and young people's services at West Sussex County Council, and Elizabeth Bedford, chair of governors at the school, said: "Mr Lenkiewicz will not now be returning to the school following the half-term break.

"We will provide you with further information during the second half of the term. In the meantime, the local authority and the governing body will continue to work closely together to support the school and an interim head teacher arrangement will continue.

"It remains a priority for all concerned for the school to move forward. We are sure that we all want to see a smooth and positive start to the new half-term in the interest of the children and the whole school community."