By Gavin Mackintosh-
A dishonest government academy chief executive officer at ACE Schools Multi Academy Trust, has been banned from teaching after “bullying” staff with “vicious and venomous” language and telling them their mortgages depended on performance.
Sarah Gillett, (pictured)former chief executive at ACE Schools Multi Academy Trust, was also found by the Teaching Regulation Agency to have been dishonest about holding a Master’s degree. The entire affair has left an indelible mark on her career and reputation, somewhat making nonsense of years of hardwork.
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The trust made a referral to the TRA in September 2019 after concerns were raised about her conduct.
After hearing the arguments and supported facts about the range of complaints against the former teacher, the panel banned Mrs Gillett from teaching indefinitely, though afforded her a review of the decision after five years, with the added option of appealing to the High Court.
Concerns regarding her conduct were first raised with the chair of trustees in March 2019. and the trust commissioned an independent investigation.
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Mrs Gillett was suspended from her job and then left the trust by mutual agreement before any disciplinary hearing took place. But the trust referred her to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) in September 2019 and she was hauled before a professional conduct panel in October 2022. The decision of the panel has just been published.
She faced a string of allegations that she was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. The panel found some of the allegations proven, but not all.
It found that Mrs Gillett engaged in inappropriate and/or unprofessional behaviour towards staff. It also heard she had threatened the dismissal of and/or engineered the redundancy of a staff member in retaliation to a grievance he had raised, despite her denying this.
ACE was previously brought in by the government to help with school improvement at three pupil referral units run by the scandal-hit Schools Company Trust in 2017 before they were rebrokered.
In 2019, the trust was also considered as a potential sponsor to take over three Steiner academies and the Glendinning House Special Free School, in Devon.
The TRA panel decision document, published today, said Gillett was “a highly skilled and driven individual”, but there were certain aspects of her leadership style that the witnesses stated were “unacceptable and amounted to bullying”.
One witness alleged Gillett said she would “get rid” of a staff member who had complained about her, and also said “revenge is sweet”.
The panel heard Mrs Gillett admitted calling one worker “tiresome”, “immature and plain petty” and called a leadership team “dysfunctional”. It also heard she had said, in a senior leaders meeting, “if you don’t like it here you can **** off”
Mrs Gillett also referred to staff as “useless ****ers” at one meeting and the panel considered Mrs Gillett’s use of such language was embedded behaviour as there was evidence of similar comments being made. Mrs Gillett denied telling people to “**** off” at a meeting but the panel decided she had and it was inappropriate and unprofessional.
Denial
The panel found on the balance of probabilities, her behaviour constituted bullying. It also heard she told the trust she had a master’s degree in education but had actually withdrawn from the course without completing it.
She allowed this incorrect information to be put on the trust’s website and communicated to the Department for Education, the panel said. It decided her conduct “lacked integrity and/or was dishonest” and amounted to dishonesty.
However, the panel found some allegations not proven. Including that she showed favouritism towards an apprentice, a teacher and others. It also found it not proven that her conduct created an environment where staff felt inhibited from raising concerns either informally or through whistleblowing or grievance policies.
Overall, the panel was satisfied the conduct of Mrs Gillett, in relation to the facts found proved, involved breaches of the Teachers’ Standards. The panel found Mrs Gillett’s conduct amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
It found Mrs Gillett’s actions to be “calculated and motivated” and noted she “has not demonstrated any insight into her conduct”. The report said: “There was limited remorse, but this was only in relation to the facts of the particulars admitted.”
The panel found Gillett had threatened the dismissal of the witness and “engineered” his redundancy “in retaliation” for the grievance.
The TRA panel also found Gillett told staff they had let ACE down and were wasting taxpayers’ money when a school achieved a ‘good’ rather than ‘outstanding’ Ofsted grade.
A witness said Gillett told staff their mortgages were depending on staff performance. The panel found it was likely Gillett told staff “I love ya, but I am coming for ya” and that she wanted to dismiss staff “who had let you down” during meetings.
One witness said Gillett said to them that “if you don’t make [person] redundant I will and then the trust would decide whether or not your school needs a head teacher or not”, which the panel found was likely to be true.
Another witness said during a middle managers meeting in March 2019, Gillett said if staff did not like working for the trust then “we can all fuck off”. Several years earlier, she had previously allegedly said staff were “useless fuckers”.
The panel found it likely Gillett “aggressively responded” to staff members if concerns were raised and created an environment where “staff felt they were not able to raise concerns”.
Witnesses said Gillett used words that were “vicious”, “venomous” and threatening.
But she likely displayed “nepotism” towards others, by asking a staff member to change a classroom observation rating for one employee.
Gillett did admit how she “inappropriately” told one person they were “tiresome”, “immature and plain petty” after they asked for training and support. She had expressed remorse about this but tried to “justify the circumstances that led to her sending it”.
While Gillett denied being a bully, the panel found she chose to “avert blame on to others for her wrong doing”. They said her behaviour more likely than not “constituted bullying”.
Gillett also enrolled on a master’s course in education in 2016-17 but withdrew before completing the qualification.
The panel said she knew her CV incorrectly stated she held the qualification and knew “that misleading information had been placed on the trust’s website and communicated” to the Department of Education.
Four further allegations were found not proven. These included favouritism towards an apprentice, and showing nepotism by allowing a person to not comply with a fire drill.
The panel concluded Gillett had demonstrated “bullying behaviour and also acted dishonestly”.
“The witnesses called by the TRA recalled to the panel about the adverse impact of Mrs Gillett’s behaviour on their health and wellbeing.”
The government banned Gillett from teaching indefinitely. She can apply for this to be revoked in five years time.
Sarah Buxcey, on behalf of the Secretary of State, said Mrs Gillett is “prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.” Mrs Gillett may apply for the prohibition to be set aside, but not until October 27, 2027, at the earliest
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