The closure of
Howell’s School in Denbighshire was possibly avoidable had the school in place
adequate insurance arrangements against employment claims.
The school,
which had a loss of £162,733 in its accounts filed in August 2012, had lost a
case for unfair dismissal in which a teacher was awarded £38,000. The
compensation is still unpaid. The finances are further complicated by another
claim for unfair dismissal for a case lost in March this year against the
former head teacher and his partner, who was head of PE and pastoral care in
which compensation is still to be agreed.
Legal
insurance is widely available to cover such disputes, paying both the legal costs
to represent the employer, in this instance the school, and paying the awarded
compensation to the ex-employees.
The closure of
the school that had been at the heart of the community for more than 150 years
is a catastrophe, particularly for the pupils and parents who have very little
time to find a new school before the new term in September. The closure
will be even more difficult to accept by pupils and parents in knowing that had
the school taking out appropriate legal insurance then some of the financial
burden could have been removed, possibly leaving the school to serve the
community for years to come.
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