Learning Trust suspend inspirational IT Director (for trying to help you!)

Geoff Carter has been the inspirational IT Director at the Learning Trust since 2004 and has left no stone unturned trying to raise the use of IT in hackney schools. As the cuts started to bite last year Geoff & I formed a Community Involvement Company to see if we could, as a not for profit organisation fill the gaps left by the funding cuts due to hit the Education Sector. It was envisaged that we could do this in full co-operation with the Learning Trust helping them to plug any gaps that might be left unfunded and ploughing any surplus back into education projects in Hackney. Geoff has been in consultation with senior management at the Trust (informing them that the CIC company was available to use as a ‘vehicle’ that wold plough any profit back into education in Hackney) whilst ttrying to put together a business plan that covers any shortfalls as they are identified. The CIC has never traded and had no intention of doing so until an agreement that we could work synergistically with the Learning Trust could be reached. Geoff was today uncerimoniously marched off TLT premises under suspension for trying to do precisely what the government appear to be requesting – proposing public-community partnerships that benefit the community. He has been supended because he formally failed to ‘register an interest’ in a company that had never traded and was only set up to serve the community if a need could be demonstrated. Geoff was a champion of education in Hackney, but he ‘get’s things done’ – (people don’t always like this and one might suspect that this played a role in this decision). His motives in all this have been beyond reproach an he is a man of the highest integrity who doesn’t deserve to be treated like this! Any of you who might support the immediate reinstatement of this huge asset to education in the borough might want to make your feelings known to Steve Belk, ‘Director of Learning & Standards’ at the Learning Trust. The Borough an your kids ought to fight to keep valuable resources like this…… It may be just co-incidence but this seems to have taken place when Geoff’s biggest advocates (headteachers of your schools) have just set off on holiday……