Teachers, council officials, social workers and journalists are among those criticised for their handling of allegations against a five-year-old boy that led to a mass boycott of a Friern Barnet primary school.

A six-month investigation headed by former Barnet Council deputy chief executive Rita Dexter was heralded as shedding light on unprecedented events at St John's C of E in Crescent Road.

The report describes a meeting of more than 20 parents who threatened to withdraw their children from the school unless action was taken against the boy, whose identity remains anonymous.

It says: "In one account it was said that a group of Year One boys were playing games with an excessive curiosity about sexual matters. A number of these parents identified the named child as a 'leader' of this behaviour.

"In another account it was said that the parents focused quite specifically on the named child, to the virtual exclusion of other children."

The allegations against the boy, which are not proven, came to light in October 2000 and continued to plague St John's until May this year, when he was removed voluntarily from the school by his parents.

The report made no attempt to find out if the allegations against the boy were true or in his parents' counter-claims that their child was a victim of racism.

Instead, the specially-appointed committee concluded: "We have not gained any impression that the school, the LEA local education authority, social services, the rest of the council and the LDBS London Diocese Board for Schools worked together in a concerted attempt to resolve what was happening at St John's School.

"Quite the reverse: there was distrust between a number of these parties."

The report says that the then headteacher Janet Harvey collapsed at a very heated meeting of parents called to discuss the allegations against the boy and has not returned to the school since.

On April 5, a total of 146 children stayed away from school in a one-day protest at what parents saw as the authority's failure to deal with a disruptive pupil.

The report says: "The main LEA strategy seemed to be that the issues would resolve themselves, aided only by the Christmas holiday. It is hard for the review team to understand this optimism.

"Our view is that 'a duty of care' was not properly exercised in the treatment of either the named child or the other Year One children."

The report also criticises the council's child and family services unit and their equalities team, the LDBS and press coverage.

Governors at St John's said the report was inaccurate and unbalanced and their chair, Fiona Childs, said: "The only time the review panel met with us the governors and acting head Elena Ttofis was once for an hour.

"We needed a lot more time to present the whole story to them."

December 5, 2001 17:30

LEIGH COLLINS