By Sheila Mckenzie-
A former headteacher who was instrumental in turnaround a failing schools is suing Lambeth Council for more than £200,000 over claims an excessive workload caused her depression. The legal suit which is in the High Court in London seeks damages for negligence and breach.
Sir Craig Tunstall, 36 was once credited with reforming failing schools in England, whilst he earned a handsome £367,000 a year. The executive headteacher of the Gipsy Hill federation of schools was hired to run Oval primary in Croydon, but left after two days when parents complained about an alleged draconian approach of his
He was dismissed from Gipsy Hill Federation in 2018 for “gross misconduct” and was suspended in May 2017 due to a council fraud investigation. Tunstall says he was the victim of negligence, contractual breach, and maltreatment.
Tunstall had plans to academise the federation’s eight schools in 2016, including setting up a new secondary free school in addition to his other responsibilities “resulted in workload and work pressure which was too great”. At the time, the standout educator presided over 8 headteachers, 36 deputy heads and 600 members of staff.
He was required to respond to incidents of “actual or threatened violence” towards teachers, as well was prepare for Ofsted inspections, the documents state. The legal complaints to the High Court claims he was required to work long and unsocial hours during evenings, weekends and school holidays.
He was also given less than a week’s notice before becoming executive headteacher of each school, the papers say. Wijeyaratne argues that since Tunstall was “unlawfully dismissed”, he has continued to suffer with sleeplessness, nightmares and depression.
Tunstall, according to his representatives, was “subject to intense and often hostile and confrontational interactions at such meetings, having been put into a position whereby he was the public face of the projects.“The claimant was required to device and implement plans for the secondary free school project, despite never having worked within a secondary school,”the legal documents claim.
INTERVIEW
In March 2017, Tunstall was asked to attend an interview with Lambeth Council’s internal counter fraud team under caution. With no prior warning he was unaware it was part of an investigation into himself. In his absence, the panel found “gross misconduct” and dismissed him. An appeal by Tunstall was rejected.
HEIGHTENED ANXIETY
Tunstall’s anxiety is also continuing because he does not know whether the council intends to refer its findings for criminal prosecution, the papers claim. Wijeyaratne says the organisations should have been aware Tunstall’s job, combined with academisation plans and the secondary school, were “too great” a workload that was “injurious to the claimant’s health”.
FAILURE
His representatives claim he should either not have been given the academisation project, or should have been relieved of his headship responsibilities until completed. They also claim there was a “failure” to protect Tunstall from dealing with press “intrusion”, including failing to provide an “adequate formal statement to the press” around his pay.