The suspended headteacher of St Benedict’s Catholic Primary has resigned – and a boy understood to be at the centre of the ‘disciplinary’ allegations made against him has been taken out of the school by his parents.
James Gallogly handed in his resignation after a seven-month fully-paid suspension over his ‘discipline methods’, during which five acting heads have been at the school.
He will officially finish at the Hall Road school at the end of August after 12 years.
Last week, the Express reported that some parents concerned about inconsistent leadership and falling standards since Mr Gallogly’s suspension were pulling their children out of the school – but the council insisted pupil turnover was normal.
However, this week Cheshire East admitted turnover is ‘slightly higher than normal’ after the Express learned that 19 pupils have left since September, including eight since January – more than from any of the other nine primary schools in Wilmslow.
Three other teachers are leaving St Benedict’s this year.
The latest pupil to leave is Ryan Johns, who is understood to be involved in the allegations behind Mr Gallogly’s suspension in January.
His mother Adele Johns and her partner David Deakin say they are withdrawing their children – Ryan, eight, Emily, 10, and Afton, seven – and have cancelled the enrolment of daughter Charlie Rose, four – in protest against standards and lack of communication over the allegations.
Mr Deakin, 45, a carer and former governor of Marton Primary School in Macclesfield, said: "We are not saying Ryan isn’t difficult – we know he is. But before Mr Gallogly’s string of replacements he was never suspended. He loved school. Now he hates it.
"We were called into school to be told Ryan was involved in the allegations against Mr Gallogly, but the communication we’ve had since has been terrible. We don’t even know when this alleged incident is supposed to have taken place."
Since the upheaval in January, they say Ryan, who is autistic and epileptic, has been suspended several times and excluded from school trips.
The couple, of Lime Walk, on the Colshaw Estate, Wilmslow, who also have a new baby, have enrolled their children at new schools in Crewe and Heald Green. Miss Johns, 28, said: "We are consulting a solicitor over the way this has been handled by the school."
Another parent who has withdrawn her child but asked not to be named added: "The school has treated parents diabolically. Everything we have learnt has been through rumour and gossip."
A Cheshire East Council spokesman said: "Turnover is slightly higher than normal, but it cannot be assumed that children leaving the school is as a result of the head teacher."
He said parents had been told a highly-experienced head from Manchester, John Gretton, will lead the school until Christmas while the governors find a new head.
He added: "While the school has experienced some unsettled periods during this time, we now look forward to a fresh and consistent leadership for the future."
Regarding the case of Ryan Johns and his siblings, he added: "We do not comment on individual cases and in any event this is a private matter."
