The role of the independent professional

Level 3 parental complaint panels 

However well-intentioned, well-briefed and assiduous governors may be, parents (in particular) can be sceptical when governors present themselves as independent. 

As the IP, I give parents a chance to feel properly heard and the school a chance to be seen to listen. Too often complaints spiral out of control because of a lack of understanding on both sides of what the other is trying to say. Similarly, eliciting what parents want to achieve from the process can provide a release of pent-up tension.

I can ask questions of the school or parents that governors may not feel able to ask, either because they are not sufficiently attuned to the situation and its context or because they are governors and unable to take an objective view.

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Disciplinary panels

Generating a reasonable and proportionate response by a school to a member of staff who has “got it wrong” is fraught. Emotional lobbying and statutory pressures alongside concerns about the consequences of being seen in retrospect to have been too lenient can exert a great deal of pressure on heads, as can – in the opposite direction – previous good conduct, sympathy, union officials and a wish to give a second chance. 

Teasing out the truth and assessing whether or not a duty of care has been breached requires a measured mind, as does ascertaining if regulations have been broken and understanding the advice given by statutory bodies.

Communicating a decision so it is comprehensible and seen to be fair needs careful planning and careful words.

Process is at least as important as the facts of a matter.

As a head, I received good counsel from governors and independents, who helped me to arrive at better decisions than I would have managed alone, and those whose cases were heard by panels felt it added credibility to the process. Any “victims” of the staff members subject to disciplinary action also felt the process was improved by the involvement of an independent professional. 

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Interview panels for senior roles 

Especially where there are internal candidates for a senior post, having an external advisor adds credibility to the process. I have found this both as a head and as the independent adviser on recruitment panels.