A pupil was injured while on a school journey abroad. No blame attaches to the teachers in charge of the party, but the parents wish to take action for negligence against the travel company which arranged the trip. What line should the school take?

I assume that the school simply acted as the “middle-man” in this, getting the party together and making the booking with the company. It seems to me, therefore, that the school is simply an interested by-stander. If the parents believe they have a case, they have every right to pursue it. The teachers concerned may be called upon as witnesses but, as the parents are not attacking them, they have no reason to worry.

Can we delay our inspection?

Our headteacher has been off sick for four weeks and expects to be away for some time. As deputy, currently acting head, I have just received notice of an Office for Standards in Education inspection in six weeks. Can we put them off?

You can try. OFSTED is always willing to consider such requests but it does not always agree to postpone the inspection.

Your case might seem a pretty good one, but it might be argued that the strength of a good school is that it continues to do a good job and to deliver value for money, even in the face of unusual difficulties. If all your systems are in place and your teachers are performing to their usual standards, you ought to have nothing to fear from the inspection. Taking a purely personal view, you might find your own career prospects enhanced, if you lead the school successfully through this experience.

Archimedes