THE head of a school in Rhyl who resigned last September, having been absent for 10 months, was cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation, an ex-governor has claimed.
Amanda Preston was head of Christ the Word Catholic School, which has been in special measures since mid-2022.
Mrs Preston had been suspended from the school since November 2022, with an interim headteacher, Bernadette Thomas, appointed in her place.
Kate Smith was a governor at Christ the Word until early February, when she resigned “because of the handling of the departure” of Mrs Preston.
Ms Smith criticised the “drawn-out” nature of the investigation process concerning Mrs Preston, and has written to the Diocese of Wrexham to request that it reviews the handling of her suspension and resignation.
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Earlier this month, it was revealed that, since education inspectorate Estyn put Christ the Word in special measures, it has found that “insufficient progress” has been made in all four of its follow-up visits.
“The school has declined since (Mrs Preston’s departure) and isn't equipped to improve, because it lacks a focused driving force to acknowledge the real problems”, Ms Smith said.
“Classes are not sufficiently structured to cater for the children's abilities and needs.
“This directly impacts the level of learning that children can achieve, which is why very limited numbers attain high grades - they simply aren’t taught that level of the subject to equip the children to attain them.
“The investigation process should have been concluded as quickly as possible for the head to return, as she was cleared of wrongdoing.
“The diocese and council have made a bad situation worse, and their policies are more about protecting their image than the ex-head and the education of all the children.”
Ms Smith said that she was never involved in any discussions among the governing body about Mrs Preston’s position in the time between her suspension and her resignation.
When she resigned on February 7, she urged the school to “consider the ethics of what had occurred”.
In her resignation letter, Ms Smith wrote: “It is wholly wrong to silence a party’s innocence, particularly given the nature of the rumours and accusations that have been, and continue to be, in circulation.
“Whilst it is expected that details of suspensions and investigations remain confidential until conclusion in the interests of impartiality, once complete, we should have been informed.
“The deafening silence has not protected the party who has been cleared of any wrongdoing; instead, it serves to endorse the rumours.
“Where a person is exonerated of any wrongdoing, they should not be facing consequences, yet it has ended a career as a head and blighted the ability to gain employment within education.
“I cannot be a party to this conduct.”
When Mrs Preston was suspended, so too was the school’s deputy head at the time.
When approached for comment on both Mrs Preston and the deputy head, Denbighshire County Council said it is unable to comment on specific cases.
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