Please see
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2096692_tomlinscote_headteacher_defends_merger_talk
Thousands of people have already read Mr Ryles' email trail and will form their own opinions. Mr Ryles' legacy is unimportant relative to the need for the new administration to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Please see
http://tomlinscote-kings.blogspot.com/2011/07/little-history.html
An article which expresses no opinion but presents the reader with the raw data upon which to base their own judgements. It is a long and complex trail which bears reading a couple of times if you are to understand the full import and context. I imagine that people will demand significant increase in transparency levels in future and will take a keen interest in the workings of the Headmaster and Governing Body as we proceed into a new administration.
Ian Sorby..
comments
I have been following this story very closely and have not seen any accusations, such as those described in the first paragraph. Documents supplied by Mr Ryles under the FOI request was made publicly available to enable worried parents to move on into the new term with a clear picture of what was behind the proposal that had taken over their lives for the past three months. There was no guidance as to what should be interpreted by the words included on the page - there was no need for interpretation as the messages were loud and crystal clear.
Mr Ryles has been a well respected Head of Tomlinscote for over 20 years. In three months he has managed to tarnish his own good name and remove all traces of repect that the parents and teachers have had for him. It should be made clear that HIS OWN ACTIONS have been the cause of this. He knew the risks, for some reason he was happy to take the risks, but now when it has blown up in his face he is trying to make out he is the innocent victim in this.
At this stage most people would have just quietly slipped away, say nothing and enjoy a long and happy retirement, but Mr Ryles has to try to have the last word, try to convince us he acted honourably and try to make out that we are not understanding the situation properly. We understand the situation and nothing you can say or do, Mr Ryles, will renew my respect for you. You had it and you have lost it forever.
I look forward to the new Tomlinscote next term and will be pleased to welcome a new head and a new ethos to the school - which will hopefully be based around honesty, trust & respect.
For Mr Ryles to say: "Mr Sorby's interpretation of events is at best mischievous and totally ignores any context." I say to you Mr Ryles, Lack of information combined with selected contact with parents was always going to bread mistrust and misunderstaning. At the first meeting in March we were promised a meeting with Governors, we had to wait 3 months for that! Paper work released shows that in Nov 2010 Mr Ryles agreed with a written statement that said 'Moving to a hard federation is is best option but need to move first through formal soft federation in order for Governors not to take fright' Mr Ryles was the tail wagging the dog?
Both Mr Ryles and Surrey Council do both seem to suffer from acute memory lapses when it comes to remembering what was said and when. Thank goodness therefore, that accurate Minutes are taken and that emails are sent between interested parties before and after such meetings. It was obvious from other Minutes and emails (not published) that Collingwood and Tomlinscote heads and governors, both wanted there to be just two secondary schools in Surrey Heath, Kings was squeezed from all sides by the 'big boys'. I would love to know how far Mr John Edwards (the previous head of Kings) was involved in these meetings. Perhaps the "out of context" Mr Ryles is referring to, is the fact that Mr Edwards was kept in the dark about many of these initial proposals, certainly his name is rarely mentioned in most documents.
By his own hand/computer, Mr Ryles admits to keeping secrets not only from his own Board of Governors but also from Her Majesty's Inspectorate. These were not out of context. The fact that Kings International had a large deficit was down to Surrey County Council getting their sums wrong in the first place, when they put France Hill (as Kings was then) in partnership with 3E's. SCC also did not fulfil their part of the contract, as various important 'Deeds' were never passes to 3E's so as to help rectify this deficit. During Mr Edward's headship, the school was starting to flourish, more students applying, academic results improving, and the budget deficit did not increase by one penny. It was slow, but Mr Edwards had a vision, which was shared by staff and parents. We all knew there were some difficulties in some areas of the school but we were assured that these issues were being dealt with through the avenues of "protocol", which exists in any government run establishment. I found it quite strange that SCC suddenly wrote off the deficit and Mr Ryles was allowed to push through the management changes almost instantly, something Mr Edwards had been at pains to do "by the book". I do wonder if Mr Ryles resigned when he finally realised that SCC were back paddling over the extra financial support he would need to take over the Kings site fully.
I acknowledge that Mr Ryles worked hard to bring Kings out of Special Measures; he devoted a great deal of time and effort to the Kings site. With this in mind, surely, it must be Mrs Zoe Johnson Walker, who should be congratulated for ensuring that Tomlinscote achieved the outstanding Ofsted result it deserved. I am not a Tomlinscote parent, but I know they hold her in high regard.
I am a Kings International parent, who has always been proud of the college and its achievements. The staff are incredible, working with an increasing diverse array of students from all walks of life. Some students leave Kings to go on to university or other forms of further education, while others go onto more vocational employment. However, each student is treated as an individual and not as a statistic to satisfy some league table. I chose Kings not just for its small size but also for its community and family ethos. Students and parents were both valued as important partners in education. That was lost under Mr Ryles regime. We are looking forward to Mr Ian Hylan coming in to take over the reins of both schools, and Mrs Judith Langley as Head of School at Kings. Hopefully they have taken on board, that it is perhaps better to engage with the teachers, parents, students and wider community in two way communication. We still feel Kings is better away from SCC and become an academy under a third party provider such as Oasis Community Learning, who will look at the whole of the Watchetts community and give it the support it needs for an exciting new future.
Over the last few weeks, since it was announced that the merger was not to take place and the "closure" of Kings has been put on hold (SCC are still looking at numbers in the autumn), and those "emails" were put up for all to see, there has been no apology from either Mr Ryles, Col. Steele or PJ Wilkinson at SCC, for the upset and anxiety they have caused the staff at both schools, the students and parents, and of course the wider community. Not one word of apology. I just hope that my daughter does not follow the example of these suppose leaders and the way they carry out their duties. I hope Mr Ryles enjoys his retirement.
In Mr Ryles' last letter to Kings he inserts, dare I say it, this rather mischievous comment..
The future may not 'look orange', but it certainly looks bright.
Tipping his hat to CAM perhaps?
And on a lighter note since this is descending into farce!
carol.coleman@surreycc.gov.uk,
