School defend £200k bill for suing parents

A school trust has defended spending more than £200,000 in legal fees for their head teacher's legal action against two parents.

Kevin Flanagan, head of Pensby High School in Heswall, Wirral, took legal against a couple he accused of harassing him - which the parents denied - and won a court settlement of £10,000 after mediation.

The final £210,576.79 legal bill was not paid out of the school budget but trust funds raised through hiring out its sports pitches and TV film fees.

The trust funds for the school would normally have been used to pay for building or roof repairs, the school said.

The legal fees for the case had been estimated at £545,000 but were less as the case was settled.

A spokesman for the school's trust said it was "fully supportive" of Mr Flanagan's harassment claim "as part of our legal obligation to protect the safety and welfare of those employed" at the school.

He added: "This duty of care includes providing support for legal fees where staff are the victims of alleged harassment.

"The trust is permitted to provide such support through self-generated funds – primarily income generated from private use of its grounds and sports facilities."

Mr Flanagan claimed he had been accused of "bullying" children when they were punished for breaking school rules.

He said parents Keith and Stephanie Critchley had been abusive and threatening several times.

The parents denied the claim and said they raised concerns that their daughters were being bullied "on a daily basis" at the school but were not being listened to.

Mr Flanagan said the experience had been "distressing" and legal proceedings had been a "last resort".

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