(Post made at 2354 BST on 31 Jul 2017 in a personal capacity. Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests. Update 01 Sep 2017: response eventually received from the College, please see the comment below this post).
This is a follow up to the preceding post. Here is a copy of an email I sent earlier to the College (the chain of emails referred to is shown in the preceding post and this one):
Open letter:
Dear Bournemouth and Poole College Principal (cc Quality team)
I do not appear to have had any response to my requests, despite asking that correspondence be forwarded to someone deputising for you in your absence:
- (see my email of 14 July below to your Quality team) “Please advise me which external agency is most appropriate.”
- (see my emails of 17 July below), asking for confirmation that my email of 1017 on 17 July has been forwarded to the Chair of the Bournemouth and Poole College Board together with my comments “Please also forward this to James Hampton, Chair of the Bournemouth and Poole College Board – I wish the Board to be aware of my concerns about the way this investigation has been conducted and to ask for a response from them.”
Please would you provide me with responses to 1 and 2 above as soon as possible, and no later than 1700 on Friday 4 August.
Yours faithfully
Patrick Lee
Improve Bournemouth and Poole College 
(Comment added at 1950 UK time on 21 Aug 2017 in a personal capacity).
I received the following reply at 1701 on 4 August 2017 from the Bournemouth and Poole College Principal. In my opinion, the response is very unsatisfactory, in that the College is clearly relying on the investigation into the complaints (despite my pointing out that it ignored evidence from several key witnesses, amid other irregularities), refuses any further communication or to pass my concerns on to the Board of the College (akin to a head teacher refusing to allow a parent to raise concerns with school governors), and hence leaves important questions about governance unanswered. The College has also refused point blank to answer several recent Freedom of Information requests relating to points that the investigator from ViewHR Limited and/or the College's lawyers appear to be relying upon in their communications (see here.) The College solicitors' letter of 14 July also appears to rely on the outcome of ViewHR Limited's investigation into the complaints.
From: Diane Grannell
Sent: 04 August 2017 17:01
To: Patrick Lee
Subject: RE: Response Letter
Dear Mr Lee,
I am unable to provide any advice in relation to your question 1. The Education and Skills Funding Agency have confirmed that they deal only with complaints relating to courses funded by them or by an Adult Learner Loan. This does not apply to the Wessex Youth Orchestra.
We have conducted an independent investigation into all your allegations, the outcome of which has been communicated to you. You have also received a letter from our solicitors dated 14 July setting out our position very clearly.
I now consider all matters relating to you as having ended. I will not be passing on your letter to our Board as it does not involve itself in operational matters. Please do not contact again on any matter, any member of my staff or anyone else who has been involved in matters relating to you or CWYM, as I have instructed them not to respond to you. I also will not be responding to you any further on any matter.
I would remind you of our intention, communicated in the letter from our solicitors, to take all necessary steps to protect against reputational damage resulting from your public statements.
Yours sincerely
Diane Grannell
Principal & Chief Executive
Bournemouth & Poole College
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