I am aware that, ahead of a public meeting called to discuss South Bank Academy Trust, concerns have been expressed in public that, as the new Head of School at Scarcroft Primary, I have no senior leadership experience.

I would like to clarify that I have been part of school senior leadership since September 2012 at Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary School, Grange Primary School (in London), Woodthorpe Primary School, and since then as part of the South Bank Trust school improvement team.

During that time I also gained a Masters in Education by research at the University of York.

As a proud, full-time working mother of two, and someone who has worked tirelessly to serve the school communities I have been a part of, I am dismayed at the untruths being expressed about my qualifications and experience.

I am extremely proud of my career achievements, and for them to be publicly reduced to a throwaway and inaccurate comment by a councillor I’ve never met is galling to say the least.

These attacks are now becoming very personal, and only serve to damage the reputation of a fantastic school, full of dedicated and highly-skilled professionals and the most wonderful children.

I only hope that by meeting parents informally over the coming weeks and months, as mentioned in various communications, I can repair some of the damage done.

I wonder if at any point the councillors have considered the impact of their comments on the mental health of those they are so personally and vocally targeting?

I also wonder for whose benefit these comments are being made, because it certainly cannot be for the school or its pupils.

A school should never be made the centre of a political circus.

Jennifer Mitchell, Head of School, Scarcroft Primary

 

Playing the game

As Cllr Hollyer did not attend the council meeting that debated his ‘Fair Game’ motion, I was surprised to read that he accused me of ‘playing the man rather than the ball’ in the debate he had orchestrated (Cllr Andrew Hollyer hits back over York City claims, The Press online, November 25).

As any football fan knows, it’s hard to ‘play the man’ when he’s not on even on the pitch! Had Cllr Hollyer and his fellow missing Lib Dems been in attendance they would have heard me championing the lower divisions.

As a lifelong follower of non-league football, I argued that funds should go further down the football pyramid than Cllr Hollyer had called for, deep into the the grass roots community clubs that are the foundation of our national game. Unfortunately for the absent Cllr Hollyer, his response highlights the perils of commenting on issues from a position of ignorance.

Cllr Pete Kilbane, Micklegate ward, York

 

Switching off

With reference to Mr Deamer’s letter about switching off car engines (Letters, November 17) - is the writer of this letter the same Mr Deamer that supported the closure of some through roads in the Haxby Road and Wigginton Road area which led to more congestion and pollution in these streets and around York District Hospital?

For Mr Deamer’s information, more modern cars now automatically switch off when waiting in traffic.

A.P. Cox, Heath Close, Holgate, York