Teacher leaving due to bullying SLT

I understand OP, left teaching earlier this year, weak HT, poor SLT. A few changes at the top resulted in a totally different school to the one that I loved previously. I think though that you should flag it with union, because you won’t be the only one subjected to this. Enough teachers flagging this up going forward means the unions will listen. One TA who was treated appallingly went to Chair of Governor with his grievance, which did the trick.

It's not "SLT" that are the problem. It's the people on SLT.
I am a union rep and I have my eye on a specific SLT member because I think we'll be dealing with them pretty soon. But I can't do anything until a member talks to me about it.

What makes SLT like this. I don’t understand. Ours are wonderful.

So sorry this has happened to you 🩷

This is awful for you, feeling so alone and defeated. I am really sorry and would never say that you shouldn't leave in such a situation. However there is point in talking to your union and I would urge you to do so.

You can tell it exactly as you've written it here, including that you feel hopeless because they gang up and back each other, which leaves you feeling you can't win and wouldn't be believed.

That's not fact - it's a reflection of how you feel. Anyone can understand and recognise that sort of scenario and especially so as a trade union representative - it is a very common pattern when there is conflict or bullying in the workplace.

I am glad you have come here to at least tell someone and hope it will change how you feel, enough for you to be able to go and talk to your union - don't be afraid. It will help in ways you haven't considered and you need to know what options you might have to challenge what has been done or to navigate this situation in the best way for you. You will feel better once you've done it.

Yes.

I was being bullied by my HT. My union advised me to go sick before taking early retirement. (The usual drill is to hold out until the end of the summer holidays and and then get signed off for 3 months.)

Idiotically, I was too proud to go off sick. If I had, I would have been a bit financially better off when I took my retirement. (It would have meant not being able to do supply in my LA, but that wouldn't have been a huge sacrifice.)

The one good thing about refusing to go off sick was that I did a teeny bit of supply in my old school the following year and was there the day the HT was escorted from the building.

Sorry to hear this but as others have said, unfortunately very common. My wife was also bullied out of her last school for daring to challenge the inept, incompetent SLT staff who had been promoted way beyond their capabilities, when they tried to blame her department for their own failures. She is now having issues again at her current school. Thankfully she'll be going on maternity leave soon and is planning to leave shortly after. It's sad that this is so common in schools.

What about them? You don't know what else the union already knows, and they can't do anything without you talking to them.

Just take sick leave as soon as you can. The stress of my problems in teaching caused my blood pressure to soar and I didn't take the doctor's advice to sign off. Consequently I suffered a small stroke or a broken blood vessel behind my eye and I am nearly blind in that eye now, after several years of deteriorating vision.

If you feel up to it, speak to, or email your union with your version of events. If nothing else, it will make you feel better and perhaps the local authority will send an advisor to look into the situation and cause them some stress when they have to explain themselves. It's dreadful that people behave like this.

Help negogiate a good reference.

Or do what I did become a supply teacher, especially if you live in a big city everyone is so grateful you just turn up. SLT makes you coffees

Look at special schools, I've never worked with such lovely SLT. They have to be because the kids are so complex and trying!

Don’t make any decisions until you’ve been on sick leave and taken union advice.

Is there anyone else that they’ve been treating badly?

I don’t know what your union can do, but if you don’t ask them, you’ll never know. I bet they hear lots of stories like yours (which in itself is awful).

Please look after yourself though 🌷

Your union may support you in going for Constructive Dismissal. That can be when you resign because of your employer bullying you or breaking their contract with you. You would end up being compensated if the case is won. Please write down what has happened to you clearly and contact your union.

Too common in teaching, I wouldn't go back to it in a school setting. Could you set up tutoring business?

Of course it can. It is absolutely unacceptable for you to be shouted out by SLT. But the union can't help unless you ask.

My sister did the same she had 25 years experience as a teacher and was treated terribly but as I said has found a role in the council as early help ,you might not think it now but you will have loads of transferable skill, s to use in a different role 0

Don't go leaving straight away - go sick with work related stress as your reason - take some time to gather your thoughts before you leave

This was me a year ago. And my friend the year before they. And two other colleagues this year.

It's very common.

Get out. I'm so glad I did.

Please speak to your union anyway.