Ex Suffolk headteacher a role model misconduct hearing told

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard from two more witnesses on Tuesday in the case of Shaun Valentine, who is facing allegations of misconduct between 2020 and 2023.

Mr Valentine was the headteacher and designated safeguarding lead at St Edmundsbury CEVA Primary School at the time, but was suspended and later resigned in August 2023 after an Ofsted report graded the school as ‘inadequate’.

He is facing allegations of failing to record, act or oversee safeguarding concerns relating to pupils at all or in a timely manner.

Mr Valentine did not appear during the hearing and was not represented.

The panel heard actions on concerns raised by staff would be carried out weeks, or even months, after they were first brought up.

Meanwhile, referrals which should have been made to the safeguarding team at Suffolk County Council – some of which featured ‘high-end concerning cases’ and ‘children who were quite vulnerable’ – were not made.

James Murray, who worked as deputy head at the time of the Ofsted inspection, said the school’s culture did not see safeguarding as being everyone’s responsibility.

He said safeguarding was not seen as a problem before the watchdog’s inspection and governors saw it as a ‘strength’.

When he was tasked with investigating issues after the inspection, he said there were 46 cases of children whose safeguarding concerns were logged but not properly handled, with no clear actions or outcomes.

Mr Murray said there had been significant pressures on the former headteacher, including staff shortages, prolonged absences, pupil behaviour, school budgeting and the Covid pandemic.

He said Mr Valentine was not capable of running an effective safeguarding team due to these pressures but ‘did not turn a blind eye’ and defended his character.

“Shaun had very strong ethics,” he said. “Morally, he was a role model to staff. He would be mortified that this is something which has happened in his career.

“An allegation against him that he didn’t do all he could to keep children safe […] would be very upsetting to him, and I’m sure it has been very challenging.”

He also said there should be further investigation of how Suffolk County Council handled the issue.

Victoria Cooper, the school’s deputy headteacher, said safeguarding was ‘clearly a priority’ when she joined in April 2020.

Mrs Cooper was on maternity leave during the Ofsted inspection and its fallout.

She told the panel the ‘inadequate’ rating was not unexpected given problems around the school curriculum and pupils’ behaviour, but said she was ‘surprised’ safeguarding was the main reason for it.

The panel will continue to hear from witnesses today and the rest of the week, with the hearing scheduled to take place until Friday, September 25.