Support Paul Mundy-Castle Tribunal costs

The decision to fight and go to court was not an easy one. My life would be considerably easier had I accepted the non-disclosure agreement, or COT 3 offered to me by my previous employer, Woodcote High School. I have refused to do this because I am conscious of the number of colleagues in my position who have felt the pressure to do this for an easy life. I know many black people's insecurities regarding the justice system, and the poverty and hardship that some have faced makes money a very easy way to resolve issues caused by injustice and inequality in the workplace.

I am no different from my counterparts: my family and I emigrated to the U.K when I was 15 and lived on a council estate in Brixton. My fears and insecurities about power, laws and justice were heightened by a particularly traumatic experience during a false arrest when I was 19 years old, and police accused me of carrying drugs during a “routine stop.” In the back of the police car, I was repeatedly punched in the ribs, verbally assaulted and told to “Go back to my bloody country.” I was strip-searched by two male officers who laughed and mocked me throughout this humiliating experience which lasted just under four hours. I was later to realise the significance of the length of time of my ordeal.

When I returned home, my mother (who had always taught us respect for the law and authority) was incensed at what I disclosed to her and marched me back to the police station at 3 am to challenge the arrest. She later sought to challenge this in court but was advised by the Legal Aid lawyer that any imprisonment less than four hours could not be challenged in the courts. Unsurprisingly, this has had a lasting impact on me.

I was recently accused of having a “victim mindset” after explaining examples of the victimisation that I have faced in my career. Nothing could be further from the truth. My survivor mindset spurred me to learn about law, legislation and policy and use this to challenge injustice where I have witnessed or experienced it. My survivor mindset motivated me to study and invest time and money in my career and professional development to achieve the credentials that would allow doors to open for me where a victim mindset would have deemed them closed. My survivor mindset pushed me to play at the highest level of basketball in the U.K. and wear a Great Britain jersey on the basketball court as I did in 1997. I know many whose experiences shaped them differently, and I am genuinely grateful for my mother and the resilience she instilled in me from a very early age.

I refuse to allow the negativity I have faced to paralyse me into stupefied inactivity or animosity towards my white counterparts. I was raised by a white stepfather and have been supported and influenced by several white people in my life. Hence, it is essential to note that unlike the stigma attached to most black people when one black person fails to make the mark, I do not judge all white people by the action of their racist counterparts.

What I lacked in height as a 5ft 10in basketballer, I gained in tenacity and strength on the court. I owe this all to my late basketball coach, Jimmy Rogers (may his soul rest in peace). He was a fantastic man and a father figure to all of us who desperately tried to find a sense of security and belonging. He and Paul Ambrosius, another phenomenal coach at Brixton Topcats, taught me how to stand tall against my imposing opponents and how basketball could be used as a vehicle for change. Their words of advice, warnings about the world, motivation and encouragement have served me well - even more off the court than on. Their legacy is realised in Croydon Cougars, the basketball club I help to run in Croydon with the vision to expose young people from all demographics and walks of life to the power of focus, discipline, hard work and teamwork. It is a privilege and an honour to be able to give back in this way.

Despite many setbacks and discouraging moments in my career, I persevered. As a result, I became an accredited Advanced Skills Teacher (AST); in 2005; I received the Teacher of the Year Award; I gained a Masters in Education (MEd) and then achieved the gold standard of the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) thinking that employers would hire the person most qualified for the job.

I am a great educator. I love working with young people. Nobody has ever doubted this or cast doubt on my capabilities. I am a capable head teacher, and there are Ofsted reports to validate my leadership abilities. Competence has never been an issue in my 24 years of teaching career.

At Woodcote High School, I raised apparent issues of institutional racism with the governors as I uncovered them. Rather than address these issues openly and transparently, the governors, who are also the trustees (100% of control of the school sit with them as that is the academy system we now have in the UK, so the local authority has 0% influence on the school) instead chose to ignore issues or lay the blame on the departed headteacher who had been in post for 18 years before my appointment. The three governors (yes, only three governors) decided to suspend me two days after I had uncovered the latest incident of institutional racism and questioned it. This was the last in a list of issues that I discovered and brought to their attention.

I was accused of a safeguarding breach, and the chair of governors came into school and escorted me off-site after informing me of the suspension on the 18th of November 2020, but via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that I sent to Croydon Council, I discovered that no safeguarding referral had been made to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) about me. The LADO is the only person that can investigate a safeguarding allegation against a teacher or Headteacher, yet my employers had not referred me to the LADO. This is probably because they knew there was no safeguarding breach but used safeguarding as a smoke screen to suspend me. Subsequently, the school dropped the safeguarding allegation three months later without it ever being investigated. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is very clear about the responsibility of schools to refer safeguarding issues to the LADO. However, if there were genuine safeguarding concerns, Woodcote High School failed to carry out this statutory responsibility.

My suspension and subsequent dismissal were initiated by a list of baseless and false allegations, in response to which I have refuting evidence. The chain of events and timeline to this end was revealed when I examined a chain of emails sent between the governing body exposing governors' intentions to undermine my leadership and remove me from office before an investigation had been initiated. This was followed by radio silence when I asked for my employers' assistance. For example, I requested some support and advice regarding COVID, and I was eventually told that the governor’s COVID committee had been disbanded. You can imagine my surprise when allegations regarding COVID protocols were levelled at me. Within my first few months at WHS, I expressed concern about the school’s finances. This led to me asking the governors to employ a finance manager within my first year and even requesting that the governors allow me to relinquish the financial management element of the role to fix the many issues I uncovered at the school. They denied this request, and these same people accuse me of financial mismanagement.

WHS commissioned an independent investigation, and I have repeatedly requested and given permission for the findings of that investigation to be published by those who commissioned it. Therefore, one must ask why governors have refused to publish the findings of that report.

My goal was to turn Woodcote into a world-class school to which I would be happy to send my children. Woodcote has the potential to be great, and I have a proven track record of improving schools. Unfortunately, it appears that the governors and some leadership members were not on board with this vision for change and preferred to maintain the system that had kept their previous headteacher in post for 18 years. The more I worked, the more deep-rooted and insidious things I discovered. Regardless of who does it, it is essential that these issues are rectified and that the staff and students are protected from the effects.

This whole process has been characterised by gross injustice at every level. Unfortunately, time, space and legal implications prevent me from explaining this in the depth that will do it justice. Secondly, there is a myriad of issues that I uncovered with leadership and management at the school that I was in the process of trying to correct.

Since leaving WHS, my attempts to find gainful employment have been hindered by the public announcement made by Hiten Salva (COG); tip-offs to local newspapers in boroughs where I have sought employment and poor references casting doubts on my professional integrity. The supporters of WHS throughout this process would be happy for me to develop the “victim mindset” that they have accused me of, but I refuse.

This is why I am left with no option but to defend my name in court, as this will allow me to put all the relevant facts, reports and evidence into the public domain. Thereby ensuring that any doubts or accusations are countered by the facts of the case, not the subjective, emotional and biased responses governed by personal allegiances.

I am preparing to spend over £40,000 in legal fees to clear my name and fight for justice. I have been inundated by supportive messages from people from all walks of life, and through the Go-Fund me account that has been created, I am appealing to anyone who would like to support me financially.

No amount is too small, and I assure you that any penny not used in my defence will go to the Croydon Cougars’ Basketball Club to support this much-needed provision in the Croydon community. This is why the Go-Fund me campaign is being run through the club accounts to ensure that they benefit from any surplus donations from the public.

If you follow the link below, you can read the evidence already in the public domain. I hope you can support me in any way you can, including sharing my appeal with your networks.

Testimonials

I have known Paul for over thirty years. Whilst working in my community, I coached Paul as a cadet, a junior and senior, in the English National basketball league. Paul is one of a handful of people, I have worked with, that has always had the attitude of a winner. He has worked hard to achieve whatever he put his mind to success and has put what he has learned and developed back into the community. Just as he appreciated the men of the community that gave time to him, Paul has built a basketball club that is based on giving back, developing winners, channelling young people's energy into positive channels, teaching character building principles of leadership, submission, teamwork, hard work and achievement. Paul is a pillar in the community who is not afraid to put his head above the parapet, challenge the norm and support development of all echelons of society.

Mr Dennis Paddyfoot - Church pastor, Basketball coach, Engineering Manager

Mr Mundy Castle is a renowned and highly thought of executive leader within the field of education. He is informed and progressive, whilst keeping inclusive practices at the heart of his work. Paul has worked across a wide sphere of society, giving generously of his time to young people in his local community and beyond, over a significant period of time. He has evidenced his ability to deliver excellent outcomes in the range of work which he has undertaken, including more recently with his international work. As a leader, Paul leads with honesty, compassion, integrity and is tenacious. He is a voice for change and when he speaks., people listen. I am honoured to confirm my association with him.

Ann Palmer - CEO of Figtree International/ secondary Headteacher

In the two years I worked with Paul, not only did I learn so much from him, but I witnessed the impact he had on students from all backgrounds and of all academic abilities. He has a way of helping children see where their strengths are and guiding them in the right direction. But, of course, their happiness and safety are paramount, and he never shies away from difficult conversations if it means keeping one of his students safe.

Ms Colleen Hopkins Referrals Manager Kedleston Group

• My claim submitted to Tribunal - https://www.theleadershipvillage.com/docs/blog/amended_particulars_of_claim_PMC_vs_Woodcote_High_school.pdf

• Financial notice to improve issued to Woodcote high school 18 months after I was suspended, revealing the extent of issues at the school before my appointment and since my removal from post - https://lilc.greenhousecms.co.uk/docs/blog/Notice_to_improve_Woodcote_High_School.pdf

• The independent financial audit carried out by the Department of Education six months after I took up a post at Woodcote - https://lilc.greenhousecms.co.uk/docs/blog/SMRA_report_feb_2020.pdf

• My 2007 Ofsted report before my appointment at Woodcote high school- https://lilc.greenhousecms.co.uk/docs/blog/RPA_2017_Ofsted_report.pdf