Page 255 - She's One Crazy Lady!

Yes, I did sign on the dotted line, but... and that is a BIG but...!
I was told that should I take the stand and go through with the hearing; I would lose. I had no experience of this whatsoever and had to trust the legal team behind me, even though I couldn’t understand why. My thoughts that I had been pushed into taking ill-health retirement were still as strong as ever, but I had to, reluctantly, withdraw – the fight in me was ebbing away and to take the stand for up to six days, prosecution and defence questioning going backwards and forwards pulling to bits the statements, with no guarantees, was, I knew, going to be harrowing. The ‘trial’ was completely dominating my life and, those around me. It wasn’t fair on family and friends to keep this going much longer and they were insisting I drop the case. ‘K’ had worked so hard, and I will be forever appreciative of his efforts and his patience to act for me.
The only points we could have argued, and fought for, were that the Authority did not offer any alternative employment options in September 2003, and I could possibly have been entitled to a claim for injury to feelings but any compensation would be very low; it would not cover all my legal costs and in a nutshell I could be well out of pocket. I was advised against going for this. I agreed. As it was I had to pay out a lot of money for the barrister’s fees and the solicitor’s admin fees – so glad ‘K’ had agreed to a ‘no win, no fee’ scenario.
I was bitterly disappointed that I didn’t have my day in court but realistic enough to know that I had, at least, made the LEA think about their actions. I had made them work very hard too and hoped that by raising such awareness of how I felt and what it had meant for me to retire early, no-one in the future should have to go through what I did; that the LEA should be, perhaps, more accommodating and understanding – that their employees were actual people with feelings – not just a number. There was nothing more I could do except move on. We all know, that now, 2023, such happenings would never be allowed to happen – today, people have a much stronger voice in society.
However much it hurt I was able to keep my head held high and I strove to do my utmost to show the LEA that I was indeed ‘alive’, that I was here and that I was able to work hard and achieve – in a completely different way. It was their loss.
Mum was happy! In a card she gave me, wishing me a happy retirement, she wrote: “I’ll never make you redundant!” I knew what she meant.
After my retirement and writing bits and pieces for my book I asked Julie, as a friend, if she would like to add some words...
“...Glennis’s willpower, hard work, enthusiasm and sense of direction remained with her staff as they, alongside new staff and leaders of the team, worked together to lift the school out of special measures and provide the children with a happy, productive education. Her selfless, jovial determination seemed to have touched many others who helped to continue the momentum – to try to fulfil at least part of her vision. Her dream seemed to have been passed to everyone else. What she had always wanted, happened – and will continue to happen, despite no
“I was bitterly disappointed that I didn’t have my day
in court but realistic enough to know that I had, at least, made the LEA think about their actions.”
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