THE PRINCIPAL of a Bradford school where all the governors were sacked last year felt they were "more concerned about their own aspirations in the community" than the school's best interests.

Documents just released by Bradford Council shed fresh light on the turmoil behind the scenes at Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College early last year.

They show that the head feared governors had an "agenda" to replace her, and that the senior vice principal was suspended for refusing to sign off a £12,000 payment to consultants.

Last April, the school's entire governing body was removed and replaced by an interim executive board after claims the governors had proved a barrier to school improvement.

Tomorrow, a petition of over 1,600 names calling for an independent investigation into why the council removed the governors will go before the Children's Services Scrutiny Committee. As part of the meeting's agenda, previously unseen documents detailing the background to the governors' removal have been released.

One of the former governors, standing Bradford Councillor Faisal Khan, said the governors had all followed proper procedure.

Evidence provided by the school says that early last year governors assigned £10,000 of the school's budget to a consultant to find ways to challenge their looming sacking. The school document describes it as an "inappropriate use of school resources."

When the school's Senior Vice Principal refused to authorise a £12,000 payment to consultants, he was suspended for "gross insubordination." The document said that the Chair of Governors, Rifat Parveen, "in effect took operational charge."

When principal Jen McIntosh returned from a period of sick leave she demanded answers about this and other suspensions, but all but one email was ignored. She revoked the suspensions, and the school's document says: "Her concerns that governors would attempt further suspensions was so great that she revoked governor access cards."

On March 31, governors pushed forward with approving £22,701 of school money for "unspecified consultancy."

In April, an Ofsted review of the school was critical of the governors. Shortly after, the Department for Education approved a Council request to replace them.

After their removal, the document says some former governors "kept a negative view of the school in the public domain."

It adds: "The principal believes the agenda was to replace her. She also believes that the governors were more concerned about their own aspirations in the community rather than the best interests of the school."

Cllr Khan said: "The school has manufactured this situation so they could say the relationship with governors has broken down."

He said all the suspensions had followed proper practice, based on advice from an employment specialist. He said all the suspensions had been justified.

He added: "We actually wanted more support for the head in improving the school. We wouldn't do that if we wanted her out."

The scrutiny committee meets at 4.30pm on Tuesday in City Hall.

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