Leicester Montessori
Aleksandar Grubisic
Dear Parents
It is with a heavy heart and a great deal of sadness that I write to you.
You will have received a letter in the post that the school is about to change its name to
Allandale Independent School.
I would like to explain my situation currently and a little of what has happened the past week.
On Tuesday evening I was told, by a Montessori employee, that the school had been sold to the Chinese agents that have 8 students currently at the Grammar school. I was informed that a list of names of current employees at the school had been put forward that were to remain in employment at the Grammar school for the new owners but MY NAME was not on this list.
The employees not being kept on would receive a letter that would state 'we have to make you redundant with effect from July 1st 2016'
This came completely out of the blue and gave me a sleepless night-the following day I went to school and cleared my desk of a number of personal and confidential items and was hoping to find out a little more-instead of which a number of staff spoke to me that they either had been paid very early that day-or some stated they had not been paid. It transpires the staff that were going to be made redundant were all paid very late some were not paid at all. Staff that were going to remain in employment were all paid by 9am- I myself was paid after 4pm.
This created a lot of unease-I explained what I had heard. I also told staff that I do not think that on the 1st July any staff being made redundant will be paid-indeed I have it on very good authority we will be told the company has gone bankrupt.
On Thursday I received a letter dated June 1st that from July 1st I was to be made redundant.
I must stress-I have had no consultation regards this-I have had no say in which staff are to stay teaching and which are to go.
My own intentions were to stay at the school until Xmas or next July and then take early retirement-it has never been my plan to leave at this point.
I have been approached by a number of outside agencies to speak about the current situation- a number of parents have rung me,. I have spoken to Bally Gill and have been very surprised at the speed of which events appear to be unfolding- Bally Gills response has been staff should speak directly to the owners-however she is the head of Human Resources, she is the person that is to become the new school Principal and she is also the main point of contact for the Chinese agents. She and her secretary are remaining in post, the new school secretary Ruth is being made redundant. There are some teaching staff that are being made redundant and a driver and escorts and possibly kitchen staff.
I have told staff that my fear is if they work their notice they may find that on the 1st July they are not paid but instead will be told the existing Company has been liquidated/receivership etc etc. This has happened a number of times before.
I WILL not be in school on Monday therefore Sam Jacksons class will have no teacher- if this angers you then please remember this class will have no teacher from July 1st anyway-would you work a month and then not be paid??. Miss Anish is being made redundant-if she chooses not to come into school her class ( year 1 and 2 ) will have no teacher. Perhaps Mr Domin will be expected to teach them all?? That is a question you need to ask at the school as I do not know what will happen.
YEAR 6 children that sat the SATs-the papers will be returned to school after July 1st but no one at the school will be able to pass on that information to parents/other schools-this is something the owners have not considered-the school is due an Inspection - if the school changes name and is re registered it will mean the school is not inspected till after the holidays-yet it is a Safeguarding issue when a class has no teacher and is left unsupervised-this has been common with the Chinese as their teacher walked out after not being paid some time ago. This something that has been reported to the UKBA so the new Management /Leaders will have to answer to should they be visited.
I have been asked to attend a meeting with the owners on Monday at Head Office at 1pm -I apparently will be told the reasons for what has happened and be given some reassurances. If I do not get a satisfactory response I will not retuen to the school MY only concern is for the children -the letter you will receive mentions deposits being carried forward -it does not state you will get your deposit back however!!
If you decide to take your child out of the school and need my support then please contact me 07815082423-any conversation will be in strictest confidence-I am so so sorry to you all I love the school and the children have been such a joy BUT I have to put my needs first-I turn 55 in October at which point I can access my Teachers Pension- but from June -October I will not be paid and this is not how I envisaged finishing my career.
I wish you all the very best of luck and I hope all the children thrive but through no fault of my own I will no longer be a part of this and that saddens me.