Beginning with the 'doublethink' quotation from Headmistress Patricia Metham, "This is not an 'expulsion' or 'exclusion' since it is not a disciplinary issue," but the requirement to withdraw your daughter "is immediate and permanent", introduces me, 'The Roedean Girl'.
I'm 16 now. This is an introduction to a very true account of my experience, when one day I was improperly barred from ever returning to my school at the age of 11. It was exacted precisely a day before my end of year exams for its maximum impact, with reckless disregard for my welfare and education.
My expulsion happened as a consequence of my parents persisting in wanting some very serious concerns addressed. One of the issues was over scholarships. However, an internal School Appeal would later uphold the Headmistress's Decision to expel me, on the grounds that my parents in escalating their concerns (which were never addressed or investigated as promised), indicated they had lost confidence with the school, and it was therefore in my interest to have had me "immediately and permanently" removed. There was nothing alleged I had done, yet I could do nothing about it but be put through this humilliating and damaging expulsion and legacy for no fault whatsoever.
It would not surprise many to know this internal School Appeal would be found to be in "breach of the 'natural rules of justice', it's process conducted in breach of the school's own stated procedure." This claim became one of over 22 Heads of Claim and more brought against the school with the hope of shedding some further light on the matter. But the school still refused to address our concerns, preferring 4 years of costly subterfuge to keep the matter under wraps. Meanwhile I have suffered considerably as a result of their actions.
So the consideration to go public now, had been for several reasons. First, it was believed reasonable to exhaust all avenues to give the school the opportunity to do the right thing outside of public scrutiny.
Secondly it had taken this amount of time to uncover as much as possible why people I trusted, would carry out such an improper act on a child of 11 years. To find out why, had cost my parents over £17K in solicitor fees to flush out, largely due to Roedean being very obstructive to their requests for documents and answers we were all entitled to. This would include resorting to destroying and holding back evidence, making misrepresentation and providing false statements, cancelling meetings, and failure to follow procedures.
Thirdly, by Roedean finally choosing not to respond to the Heads of Claim, but to tie my parents into accepting a £22K settlement without an explanation we all deserved, and in circumstances that proved not to be in good faith, demonstrated a value system my parents could not dignify. It was apparent to them my welfare and reputation would at no time be considered, but our silence would.
My parents had only sought apology, explanation, redress and restitution of the legal and extra costs incurred. But here they were offering money which had no bearing on having to remove me to outside of my community, to forego my achievements, or to find a school that would not inherit what can be demonstrated to be inaccurate, misleading and falsified records, together with a defamatory profile caused by this abrupt, unnatural and damaging expulsion, that disregarded my welfare and my Rights under the "Convention on the Rights of the Child". I was just eleven years old.