Housemistress 'gaslighted over school safety fears'

Ellesmere teacher Aldona Done is representing herself alongside husband Dave

A housemistress at a top boarding school has accused bosses of "gaslighting" her after she raised concerns about pupil safety and working practices.

Aldona Done, who was responsible for 80 girl boarders at Ellesmere College, Shropshire, said she suffered a breakdown in May 2021 shortly after attending A&E with a student who attempted suicide.

She returned to work two months later but told an employment tribunal she was eventually forced out of the role after asking for support dealing with serious student mental health issues.

The boarding school denies the claims and says it did not have adequate knowledge of Mrs Done's own mental health problems.

Mrs Done has levelled more than a dozen allegations at the £38,000-a-year college, where she is still employed as a maths teacher.

They include accusations of discrimination relating to her health issues and being made to work in a stressful environment with an unreasonable number of students.

Mrs Done was promoted to housemistress at Ellesmere College in 2013

Mrs Done, from Wrexham, began working at the school in 2008 and was promoted to housemistress of its St. Aidan's house in 2013.

She told the tribunal in Birmingham she enjoyed her job and had become experienced in the housemistress role, with senior staff broadly supportive of her until the last couple of years.

But things took a turn during the pandemic, and as the country emerged from its second lockdown she said she was faced with serious pupil mental health issues which included a student needing to be taken to hospital after trying to take her own life.

"Every school should have issues but the issues I dealt with were not normal behavioural issues," Mrs Done said.

"What I dealt with wasn't normal housemistress work and I did it until I broke down. That's how it was."

Character assassination

When she returned to work after her breakdown in July 2021, she claimed she became the subject of a character assassination by the senior leadership team.

Mrs Done, who is representing herself alongside husband Dave, alleged she was told she could not cope after disclosing concerns of unsafe working practices.

"When I raised concerns I became the one who didn't know how to delegate, was too perfectionist [and] was dictatorial to staff," Mrs Done added.

The school denies the claims at the tribunal in Birmingham

She said she was forced to give up the housemistress role in July 2023 after a two-year clash with management, including long-serving head teacher Brendan Wignall who died from cancer last month.

Mark Williams, representing Ellesmere College, claimed the school did not have sufficient knowledge of Mrs Done's own health issues.

He quizzed her about internal emails which showed staff telling her not to worry about work and focus on getting better, though Mrs Done said they were sent before she raised concerns.

"You're asking the tribunal to say things switched [and] all of a sudden you were the baddie," Mr Williams said.

"That's simply not true is it? Your perception changed, not the behaviour of the [school].

"The college has continued to be supportive and make decisions in your and the children's best interest but you have not viewed it in that way."

The tribunal, which is due to last about 10 days, continues.