Governors Quit at Great Ormond Street Hospital School
Almost the entire governing body of the school at Great Ormond Street Hospital has resigned, after a long-running dispute with teaching staff that included 61 days of strike action in the last academic year.
In a resignation letter to Camden Council, the governors said they had been forced to remove a head teacher in whom they still had confidence, and that their carefully considered decisions had been overruled to smooth relations with the union. They said they were resigning with "considerable regret" after a "prolonged and exceptionally challenging period".
A dispute that ran for more than a year
The Children's Hospital School at Great Ormond Street and UCLH educates children aged four to 18 who are receiving hospital treatment. Trouble followed the appointment of head teacher Neela Moorghen in 2024. Members of the National Education Union accused the leadership of trade union victimisation, bullying and unsafe working practices. One teacher, union representative Kate Williams, was sacked in March after being suspended the previous July, and three other staff members were suspended.
Moorghen announced her departure at the October half term. The governors said last month she had led the school "through exceptionally challenging circumstances with dignity, professionalism and unwavering commitment".
Agreement reached, but governors go
Before resigning, the governing body reached an agreement with the union through Acas mediation. The union said on Friday that it paved the way for sacked and suspended staff to be reinstated, and called it a victory. Camden Council has appointed two new governors, former Ofsted regional director Sir Robin Bosher and former senior civil servant Helene Reardon-Bond.
The school, which has about 45 teaching staff and was rated outstanding by Ofsted in November 2023, now faces rebuilding its leadership.
