Bullying allegations rock school
Complaints on bullying prompted WorkSafe to take action, the school has confirmed
Concerning allegations about bullying at exclusive St Peter’s School in Cambridge are being taken ‘‘incredibly seriously’’, the school says.
A note with more information about why WorkSafe is investigating was sent to parents and caregivers yesterday morning, and was also provided to Stuff.
The revelations come amid questions about why executive principal Dale Burden and deputy principal Yevette Williams have not been at work this term.
WorkSafe told a school trust board member about anonymous complaints in the first term, St Peter’s Trust Board chairman John Erkkila said, and the school was told WorkSafe was making inquiries.
Workplace bullying ‘‘will not be tolerated, now or ever’’, Erkkila said.
However, he reminded the community around the private year 7 to 13 school that investigations were still under way and the outcome couldn’t be pre-determined.
After a meeting with WorkSafe, the school board took on two independent investigators who are still working out ‘‘what may or may not have occurred’’, and if there had been bullying behaviour towards staffers.
‘‘I want you to understand that this issue is being taken incredibly seriously,’’ Erkkila told parents and caregivers. ‘‘And I want to understand, if any wrongdoing is found, how that was allowed to happen and how we go about ensuring it doesn’t happen again.’’
If workplace bullying is uncovered, it will be addressed, he said.
‘‘I cannot and will not allow bullying of any kind in our workplace. Being on the receiving end of bullying behaviour is incredibly damaging to a person’s mental health and it will not be tolerated, now or ever.’’
The school community had also told the board ‘‘we haven’t told you enough and that we haven’t told you soon enough’’, Erkkila said.
Legal obligations had made it difficult for the board, but he said he recognised the need to be as open as possible with the school community. The school has a focus on wellbeing, with a Wellbeing Centre opened in 2018 and a wellbeing team, he said.
Current investigations are being carried out with wellbeing in mind.
Stuff initially met a wall of silence when asking why Burden and Williams were mysteriously absent from work. It’s understood Burden and Williams – a married couple – were last at work a few days before the recent term break.
Attempts to contact them by phone, at their home, and at the school were unsuccessful.
A former St Peter’s staff member said it was fantastic to have matters in front of WorkSafe, but felt many people were too scared to speak out. They had seen emails from Burden to whole sections of staff, ‘‘lambasting’’ them about results, ‘‘essentially being told off like children’’, they said.
They had also seen people dressed down in front of others, and had Burden email ‘‘at all hours’’ expecting a response, they said.
Two sources told Stuff there was high staff turnover, including in the senior leadership team, after Burden’s arrival. It was at a level that wasn’t normal at a school with such good standing, one said. However, another former staffer said they had loved their time at St Peter’s and simply hoped staffers there were OK, but suspected they would just carry on as usual.
WorkSafe doesn’t generally step in for one-off mental harm issues, the WorkSafe website says. However, the organisation might intervene if ‘‘significant work-related mental health risks’’ haven’t been managed.
For example, WorkSafe might get involved if there were multiple incidents at one workplace, if not managing risk caused ‘‘a high level of harm’’, or if there were industry-wide or organisation-wide failings, the site says.
The school isn’t required to tell the Ministry of Education about matters such as this, a statement from deputy secretary of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said. Private schools are registered with the Ministry of Education but governed by independent boards, she said. However, the ministry would support the board where possible if that’s what the board wanted.
Burden has been in his St Peter’s role since the start of 2016, and came to Cambridge after more than a decade at Mount Albert Grammar school.
Before Burden’s arrival, Steve Robb spent 20 years as principal of St Peter’s School.
Williams was a deputy principal at Mount Albert Grammar School from 2001 to 2015, according to school magazine The Lion, and had earlier been assistant principal at Whanganui High School.
Stuff understands the couple are still living in the on-campus principal’s residence.
‘‘As far as we know, there haven’t been any moving vans,’’ a source said. ‘‘It’s hard to hide when your house is at school.’’
‘‘I cannot and will not allow bullying of any kind in our workplace. ’’
John Erkkila