Release Of Independent Review Into James Parker Offending

Media Release – 12th November 2012

Release Of Independent Review Into James Parker Offending

The report on the review of employment and offences of James Parker provides a thorough and objective understanding of the events leading up to charges being laid against Parker, said Pamapuria School commissioner Larry Forbes. The report by an Auckland barrister, Robin Arthur, was released on Friday 9 November.

“When I became commissioner of this school in August, I committed to an open and transparent process that allows the school, our community, and the wider education sector to understand how such serious offending was able to occur at Pamapuria.”

“The report makes it very clear that James Parker is completely responsible for his actions. He was clever at manipulating people and created a lot of victims in the process. However, this report also shows us that there was a lack of action and serious failings within the school that provided James Parker with the opportunities to offend.” Larry Forbes said he was satisfied the report answered the question of ‘how did this happen’ and that it provided clear findings, conclusions and recommendations for Pamapuria and other schools. He said he “urged all principals and boards of trustees to reflect on their own policies, procedures and practices in the context of the report and its findings.”

“The Pamapuria experience highlights how important it is for schools to be constantly aware of the connections between what is required in documentation and what is actually happening in reality. The extent of the “disconnect” was a key factor in the systemic failure that occurred at Pamapuria”.

“We cannot undo the things that James Parker did, but we can all learn from what happened and take every step possible to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future at any school in New Zealand.”

Larry Forbes said he had accepted all of the recommendations in the report and the school had begun implementing the required changes, including reviewing and strengthening the policies, procedures and systems that underpin operations in effective schools. “The initial focus for everyone has been on making the school a safe and stable environment for students and staff.”

Copies of the review Report are available from Pamapuria School: secretary@pamapuria.school.nz

ENDS

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