Julian Johnson-Munday, headmaster of Culford School near Bury St Edmunds, sacked for ‘gross misconduct and breach of trust’

The headmaster of a Suffolk independent school has been dismissed from his role.

Julian Johnson-Munday has been sacked as headmaster of Culford School following an independent investigation.

A letter to parents today said the probe, conducted by an independent lawyer, found he had breached a number of the school’s internal policies and his actions constituted ‘gross misconduct and a breach of trust that was incompatible with his leadership role’. The allegations did not concern pupils.

He had been suspended earlier this year while an investigation was carried out, followed by disciplinary and appeal processes.

Culford School wrote to parents in January to inform them that Mr Johnson-Munday would be absent from the school for a short period for personal reasons.

The letter today, from Mark Donougher, chairman of governors, said: “We recognise that this has been an unsettling time for our community and we are sorry for the frustration this has caused.

“However, the investigation, disciplinary and appeal processes took time to complete. As we are sure you will appreciate, it would have been both inappropriate and prejudicial to communicate about these matters until these processes had fully concluded.”

The recruitment process to appoint a new headmaster will be initiated shortly, led by Mr Donougher and a subcommittee of the board of governors.

He said: “As you are aware, Claire Bentley has been doing an outstanding job as acting head since January.

“We are very grateful for all her hard work and commitment over this period.”

She will now take on the role of interim head until a permanent head is appointed.

Rory Parker will become acting head of the prep school and Victoria Steers becomes head of pre-prep.

Mr Donougher added: “The governing body will work closely with Claire and the senior leadership team to ensure the continued smooth running of the school over this period, driven by our overarching mission to unlock the full potential of every pupil. We are very proud of Culford and are committed to finding the right person to lead it on the next stage of its journey, in line with our mission and values.

“We are excited for what is to come and are confident that the school has a bright and successful future ahead of it.”

A spokesman for the school told SuffolkNews: “We are saddened by this decision which was only taken after a thorough investigation and a rigorous disciplinary and appeals process.

“The allegations under investigation neither concerned pupils nor have they impacted the school’s financial position which remains robust.

“Claire Bentley has been doing an outstanding job as acting head since January and will now take on the role of interim head until a permanent head is appointed.”

They said they would be reporting the matters in full to all the relevant regulatory bodies and authorities.

SuffolkNews asked the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) if it was now involved in looking at what has happened at Culford School, had been informed of the issues or if Mr Johnson-Munday’s dismissal would trigger an inspection of the school.

An ISI spokeswoman said there were two main groups of inspections – routine and non-routine.

Routine inspections of all independent schools are once every three years.

Non-routine inspections include those which can be triggered, in part, by events at a school or by a number of other factors.

The Department for Education (DfE) decides which schools should undergo a non-routine inspection and then commissions ISI to undertake them.

The DfE receives concerns about schools and use these, along with other information, to guide the decision-making on non-routine inspections.

The ISI spokeswoman said they couldn’t comment on any of the inspections that the DfE had asked them to undertake.

All inspection reports are published on ISI’s website, about five weeks after the inspection has taken place.

When the DfE was asked if it had been informed about Mr Johnson-Munday, it said the Teaching Regulation Agency did not comment on individual cases, including confirming whether a referral has been received in relation to an individual.

Culford School is part of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST).

A spokesperson from MIST said: “Following an investigation commissioned by the governors of Culford School, conducted by an independent lawyer, and a rigorous disciplinary and appeals process, Julian Johnson-Munday was found to have breached a number of the school’s internal policies.

“This was not a decision taken lightly and we are all saddened by it. However, his actions rendered his remaining in position untenable. The allegations did not concern pupils.”