Beyond fucking angry about our primary school

I worked in a school which had a wonderful reputation locally with many popular teachers who worked there , Ofsted came in and slammed the results and a new head was appointed, some of the staff just would not accept new ways of teaching and new responsibilities and they left bitter and angry , the head teacher brought in many new ideas and the new younger staff and school flourished and it has now been outstanding for over 10 years under the new leadership with happy children who are reaching their potential . This too was a school in a good area with ambitious parents who supported the school. School politics are prob behind this , give the head teacher a chance maybe!

Maybe staff and students need to protest with their feet and not go in? Or complain to the local authority.

There’s a school in Solihull toi like this. Unqualified, inexperienced, incompetent head. Beats me who gave her the job. The old head got an mbe for services in teaching before she retired. Instead of giving the job to deputy that was a teacher and knew how to run the school and was really good at it. The job went to someone who is rumoured to have stolen money from a free school she previously worked at and helped start up.

She is abusive to staff puts kids at risk by saying things like all the kids being taken out on could be on the safe guarding list or not have the forms signed before they let the parents freely film everything. And the comms are shocking. Like telling things to 6 year olds expecting them to pass on the message instead of a newsletter to parents.

she was off for some 18 months until literally the last day of school before the summer and things improved until then. No one knows where she went for all that time (for all I know she could have been in prison?!) and again in the new school year no comms suddenly the kids (7-8), are told not the parents again, to wear their pe kit all day for 2 days of the week instead of changing in separate class rooms like they did up to year 6 until the summer. When I tried to call to confirm it the lines were still closed 10 mins before school starts. Finally get through later in the day to be told it was in the newsletter. Well I checked them all and there was nothing of the sort! Nothing at all!

she needs to go she keeps taking back handers for pointless school branded stuff and wasted the budget on this. I mean let the kids bring their own bottles that are not damaging their teeth (unlike the one she wants parents to buy) and pencil cases and ratty dirty organiser things that hang on the back of the chairs causing obstructions.

she is also rude and refuses to see any parents regardless how often we request an appointment with her.

I believe a group of parents have gone as high as they can but because the head is very clicky with the school governors she gets away with everything and all complaints are brushed under the carpet. No matter what u have concerns about they don’t want to know.

The governors do not care about the complaints they make them disappear pretty quick

That happened at a school I worked at. All staff left apart from one TA. When I started I was Teacher number 11 in the class that year - crazy. It’s all too common sadly

So sorry to hear this.
This happened to a friend of mine and a couple of her colleagues in a primary school. She is a brilliant teacher and she had to take time off school for stress, she did not want to go back. Her headteacher was a horrible man, a bully, who made her life hell. She was advised to contact her teachers’ union and her professional body as well as the council with her grievances. A lot of parents also wrote to the council on her behalf as she had taught many of their kids and they really liked her and knew how good a teacher she was. A vote of no confidence got rid of the bullying head who was really jealous of my friend’s success instead of being proud of his staff. My friend returned to school and is happy there now. Many heads are not taught to manage human resources. I hope everything gets resolved for your children’s school. Good luck!

My MIL worked at a very good rural school many years ago, and the same thing happened- a very poor head was put in to replace an excellent one* who had retired after many years there. My MIL left.

• (the old head had been very responsive to parents, supportive to staff and pupils, had taught the parents of many of the kids, knw the families and their circumstances, saw to it that what the kids were taught was relevant and that they were all stretched to their full potential, etc.- the replacement was the 'no teacher has desks in the classroom here, I have had them all removed' sort of pest.)

As pointed out, there is "getting rid" of staff in the correct way, which means observations to gather evidence, putting support plans in place, making sure that teachers can attain competency targets and there is just bullying people out.
The latter is a lot easier than the former.

Exactly this. Unless you or your family have been directly effected and know exactly what is happening, I’d not jump to conclusions. There’s obviously long term issues over standards and a new SLT are trying to turn the school around and perhaps some of the staff have left because they can’t meet the new expectations. Maybe try to be supportive rather than jumping to conclusions from a one sided newspaper article.

Yes the head who was such an unmitigated disaster for my children's primary school was like this - inexperienced and fast tracked. The chair and deputy chair of governors decided on her and not the vastly more experienced and much loved deputy head who had been at the school for years. He left of course. And then, when it all went spectacularly tits up after just one year, the chair and deputy chair resigned, with the deputy chair removing her kids from the school and sending them to the local private one.

I became a governor to attempt to moderate some of her batshit ideas and I can remember very vividly in one meeting saying to her "so it is SATS results at the expense of everything else?" and she said yes.

I think you are getting massively overinvested OP.

It’s weird because my DD’s primary school went into special measures and there was a massive hoo haa over it. The secondary has been partially closed because of RAAC and people seem less concerned. Just because it says ‘good’ in some old government document.

Cambridgeshire primaries are some of the worst funded in the country, it isn't surprising that attainment follows.

I’m a school governor at a maintained primary in Cambridgeshire. The LA is completely toxic and has hounded several excellent heads out.

Cambridgeshire primaries are some of the poorest attaining in the country. Most of them are LA controlled.

The school has recently had a downgrade so this often happens but it does seem that the new leadership may be particularly harsh. The pressure to get them back to good will be immense and that often means getting rid of a fair few staff.

this exactly. and I'm always sceptical of press stories. trust your own experience not stories

Start your complaints to the school governors

I experienced the exact same thing as a teacher. Sometimes headteachers will use bullying and divisive tactics because they want to get rid of the experienced teachers who have an opinion and replace with cheaper newer/younger teachers who do as they’re told. Only explanation I can think of other than serious personality disorder. Majority of staff left the same or following year the head started, including me. It’s an incredibly difficult decision to make because as a teacher you care deeply about the children and your colleagues and the school as a whole, but at the end of the day you’re powerless and the majority can’t afford to risk their career and/or income by trying to stand up to a bullying head.

If this was my child’s school I would seriously consider moving my child elsewhere, and I would make sure that the head’s boss knew why. I would also speak up on behalf of the teachers involved. I think it’s appallingly hypocritical of staff at any level to expect the children to treat each other with care and respect but can’t model the same behaviour themselves.

I’ve just left my job as a member of the office staff at a school that sounds very similar. One thing I wouldn’t do however, is publicly start slating the school because of just how you feel now. Your children are your world, and the thought that they are going anywhere that isn’t perfect is awful. The school I was at had lots of staff leave this year and is moving to academy status, so I’m hopeful the leadership will change. My own children went to the school and I would love for it be back to how it used be.

Unfortunately you need a board of governors that isn't in the pocket of the headteacher.

Most won't be as they won't admit to making a mistake in appointing them in the first place.

Board of Governors would be first stop to escalate to.

They can be removed but have to go through a long process, need parents support with this as many teachers hands are tied. Parents don’t realise that schools are very toxic environments and it’s not the teachers it’s usually the management team causing it.
You need governers, union and parents to help fight this. Even Ofsted, HR and legal bodies are required.

Like most of the positions in schools, Headteachers (and SLT) are in short supply, it means that people are often put in positions that they are not suitable for.

Because they’re young, inexperienced and cheap. They’re being fast tracked to senior management positions when they have little to no experience in the classroom. Add to that the fact that lots of schools have become academies and the culture of them has changed as a result with the likes of Wilshaw holding up bullying staff as a shining example of how schools should be run (yes, I have personal experience of him). The result is miserable teachers and a mass exodus from the profession.