IN the article (TES, December 6) about Grahame Arnold, my predecessor at Thomas Adams school, Wem, it states that his thefts “went undetected for so long because the money was largely taken from the school’s private funds”.
Mr Arnold was convicted of stealing only pound;23,000 from our private funds but around pound;58,000 was taken from public money which was paid by the education authority on a monthly basis over four years.
This does not necessarily negate the point of the article, i.e. that private school funds may need a tighter audit, but in this particular matter it was not as simple as that. It is also the case that with Shropshire County Council’s and the school’s current excellent audit and control arrangements it is extremely unlikely that such stealing could ever occur again.
Tony Stephens
Headteacher The Thomas Adams school Lowe Hill Wem, Shropshire