Fiona Phelps is to become the acting Managing Director of Cognus, Sutton Council’s education services provider
Fiona has been Sutton Council’s Assistant Director with responsibility for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for 18 months. She has most recently been working with Cognus to improve the services and support they provide children and young people with SEND. An independent review, published this month, reports the council and Cognus are making ‘significant progress.’
The arrangement will see Fiona share her time appropriately between the council and Cognus.
“Following a request from the Chair of the board of Cognus, Ian Comfort, Sutton Council has agreed that Fiona will manage the company on a short-term basis until a permanent arrangement is made. Both Cognus and Sutton Council agree this will be the most effective way to ensure both organisations continue to improve at the pace they have so far maintained,” said a council spokesperson.
4 Responses
This is an entirely unacceptable conflict of interest. Cognus now effectively have zero accountability.
Sutton is one of the leading boroughs to reject disabled children’s applications for help at school in the country… A needs assessment rejection rate of 64% in Feb 2019 compared to a national average of under 23% (rejection rate supplied by Cognus via a FOI request)… Something that Fiona has overseen and appears to be continuing with… Are we going to see any improvement regarding these figures? The borough happily continues to use unlawful criteria to reject assessments and not provide the correct legally enforcable provision in EHCPs. Are you going to address this Fiona as part of your new role and in light of the borough’s 2023 culture bid?
They didn’t have any accountability anyway!
So you weren’t happy before and you aren’t happy now! Why don’t you apply for the job yourself. It wouldn’t matter what Cognus did, you will never be satisfied.