CAMPAIGNING Thurrock councillor Gary Byrne has challenged the region's education supremo to answer parental concerns about Thurrock's Mossbourne Federation schools.

Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham Secondary schools Port Side Academy and Fobbing Academy, plus Herd Lane Primary Academy have been at the centre of complaints and media focus throughout the year – culminating in Thurrock Council's leader and its education portfolio holder calling on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to instigate action and an investigation led from Westminster last week.

Now the Regional Director for education in the East of England, Jonathan Duff, is in the crosshairs of Stanford Homesteads ward's Cllr Byrne.

As the head of the regional Department for Education (DfE) Mr Duff is responsible for working locally across children's social care, SEND, schools and area-based programmes to improve outcomes for children, families and learners.

They are duties Cllr Byrne believes Mr Duff had abdicated.

In an open letter to Mr Duff, Cllr Byrne says: "After the damning findings of the independent inquiry into the Mossbourne Trust and the BBC's exposure of Mossbourne Thurrock, your continued silence is no longer credible or acceptable.

"For over a year I have repeatedly raised serious concerns with you by email. You chose to ignore them. By doing so you have actively turned a blind eye while vulnerable children were failed.

"The facts are now public, the excuses have run out, you can no longer hide behind process inaction or convenient silence.

"The question is simple; will you finally stop protecting those responsible and start using your powers to safeguard children or will you continue to be complicit through inaction?"

Cllr Byrne also wants residents and parents with children at the schools who are unhappy, to take direct action and complain to the Department of Education if they get no satisfaction locally.

He says: "The advice given to me by Thurrock's cabinet member for education is to remind parents that if they have reason to complain about anything relating to their child's education, they must follow the Mossbourne complaints policy to the letter.

"Let me be absolutely clear: parents should not be deterred from making formal complaints, Ofsted does take account of the volume and nature of complaints received by a school as part of its assessment and inspection process, complaints matter, and silence only protects those who wish to avoid scrutiny.

"Parents have a right to be heard, and those rights should be exercised — not suppressed.

The complaints procedure process can be read via this link.

Parents and carers are follow the school's complaints procedure to make a formal complaint. ​​Every school in England must have one. It's usually available on the school's website or from the school office and should tell you the kind of complaints the school deals with.

You may not be able to complain to academies or free schools if you do not have a child at the school.

Complain to DfE

You need to complete the school's complaints procedure before you complain to DfE, unless one of the following applies:

• a child is not getting an education
• a child has been exposed to harm
• the school is stopping you from following its complaints procedure

DfE will consider your complaint. They may use the information you provide to recommend improvements to school policies.

DfE cannot deal with complaints about:

• fines for taking holidays in term time (sometimes known as a 'fixed penalty notice')
• lack of compensation or apologies from the school
• the behaviour of school staff

If you have followed all the steps in the school's complaints procedure and believe your complaint was not dealt with correctly, you can complain to DfE.