To think it’s unacceptable for a headteacher….

hnwis · 2025-10-20T21:27:46+00:00

On a school trip, to remark on a couple of scantily clad young women walking past, to the sixth formers he’s with.

BeachLife2 · 21/10/2025 22:14

It’s a throwaway comment that is strange for a headteacher to say in this day and age, but ultimately quite minor.

Unfortunately though, the offence Olympic brigade will deem it a resignation offence nowadays.

I would say I don’t believe there would be the same reaction to a female teacher saying similar to female students about a topless man walking past.

Original poster

hnwis · 21/10/2025 22:06

Oh bloody hell, all the analysis!!
The attire was short skirts & low cut tops.
On parents evenings. He’s just frankly a bit of a d**k.. nothing specific or horrific!

OP posts:

NellieElephantine · 21/10/2025 21:56

What exactly were these from your sons description to you deciding they were 'scantily clad'?
Context re location, season of course!

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 21:56

No, you said "my experience of the HT in question I can imagine it happened"..
How on earth is he behaving at parents evenings if he gives you this level of concern?
What is he doing?
This whole thing is very odd.

Original poster

hnwis · 21/10/2025 21:50

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 21:34

So you have experience of this HT acting inappropriately and you haven't reported him? Either he's done wrong or he hasn't.
You say "it's not your place" to report, so it's not going to happen.
I don't know what more there is to be said.

I didnt say I have experience of him acting inappropriately.. I judge his character to be capable of what is being reported from seeing him at parent meetings.. he’s a bit of a try hard so can imagine this aspect of his personality extending out on a school trip with sixth formers. But yeah I am
not comfortable with reporting someone on heresay so you’re right, probably nothing more to see here!

OP posts:

Original poster

hnwis · 21/10/2025 21:40

NellieElephantine · 21/10/2025 21:35

@hnwis did your son describe them as 'scantily clad'?

Ha, no! They are my words.

OP posts:

NellieElephantine · 21/10/2025 21:35

@hnwis did your son describe them as 'scantily clad'?

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 21:34

So you have experience of this HT acting inappropriately and you haven't reported him? Either he's done wrong or he hasn't.
You say "it's not your place" to report, so it's not going to happen.
I don't know what more there is to be said.

Original poster

hnwis · 21/10/2025 21:31

I’ve said it’s not my place to report - I was just coming on here to sense check my immediate reaction which was ‘ugh, that’s not on’ - I agree with pp that it probably was a clumsy attempt at male bonding/ relaxing out of professionalism on a school trip as that is my experience of this HT’s character.

OP posts:

MackenCheese · 21/10/2025 21:31

AppropriateAdult · 21/10/2025 21:19

Wow, people are really tying themselves in knots trying to disprove this, aren’t they? You’d think the idea of a man making a throwaway misogynistic comment was unprecedented. I can completely believe this would happen, OP, especially if there were no other adults around and the two kids he said it to didn’t seem like the type to go shouting about it afterwards. Probably a clumsy attempt at male bonding. Ugh.

This. I couldn't get worked up about it.

Kibble19 · 21/10/2025 21:27

I wouldn’t be jeopardising someone’s reputation and career over something that I was told by someone who was told it by another person.

If this did happen, any report would be far more appropriate to come from the geeky kids parents.

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 21:27

Why didn't you report it when you first heard about it?

arlequin · 21/10/2025 21:25

Yes you can report it. To the chair of governors. I would.

Praying4Peace · 21/10/2025 21:25

NellieElephantine · 20/10/2025 22:57

Reporting as hearsay or fact?

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This
I would leave it OP

ChilliMochaCoco · 21/10/2025 21:23

I find that on school trips abroad, some teaching staff, particularly around older pupils, do loosen up and you see their true side. And it isn't professional or pleasant.

MummytoE · 21/10/2025 21:22

I'm not sure you can report something you have heard 3rd hand.

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 21:20

Also, what is your "experience of the HT in question"? Are there rumours, do you not like this person?

AppropriateAdult · 21/10/2025 21:19

Wow, people are really tying themselves in knots trying to disprove this, aren’t they? You’d think the idea of a man making a throwaway misogynistic comment was unprecedented. I can completely believe this would happen, OP, especially if there were no other adults around and the two kids he said it to didn’t seem like the type to go shouting about it afterwards. Probably a clumsy attempt at male bonding. Ugh.

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 21:18

It's not about "reputation". It's about whether this HT has acted inappropriately, with young people in their care, using sexist/misogynistic terms and not followed basic procedures as outlined above. If this happened as you claim it did, then you have to report this HT.
They have, at the very least, not adhered to Teaching Standards.

Jellycatspyjamas · 21/10/2025 21:15

MimiGC · 21/10/2025 09:22

If you’re in the UK, the young women were unlikely to have been scantily clad yesterday, as it’s been cold and chucking it down with rain all day nearly everywhere. So, if it happened a while ago, I wouldn’t bother reporting it now…I would just bank it and maybe just be alert for any other signs of inappropriate conversation.

It was pouring down yesterday here and there were girls in my son’s school with no coat or blazer, short short skirts and ankle socks - definitely not dressing for the weather.

Original poster

hnwis · 21/10/2025 20:19

So, on a school trip to another country, last week. 2 young women wearing revealing clothes walked past HT & 2 6th formers. HT remarked as per original post. 2 boys are known for being particularly ‘geeky’ & quite innocent for their age according to my YP who was not there to hear the exchange personally but was told about it by the boys who cringed with embarrassment! Of course there could be space for exaggeration in the story but from my experience of the HT in question I can imagine it happened. And if it didn’t happen/ has been exaggerated then if word gets round amongst students (as it will) that this scenario happened, that’s not great for head’s general
reputation anyway is it?

OP posts:

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 18:30

Are you going to be able to provide us with any more details? When and where, what exactly was said, any other staff or student witnesses?

Original poster

hnwis · 21/10/2025 18:07

Hallamlass · 21/10/2025 09:55

Is this an independent school, by any chance, @hnwis ?

Nope

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Yellowe · 21/10/2025 10:47

Beedeeoh · 21/10/2025 09:52

But presumably this was a throwaway comment made up on the hop, so it's very possible he hadn't given it that depth of thought? I don't get the laser focus on semantics here.

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It’s nothing like a ‘laser focus on semantics’ to point out that no male teacher of teenagers is going to be labouring under the delusion that appreciating scantily-clad women is something that’s still in the future for 17 and 18 year olds.

Meaning it’s highly unlikely that the Head said those exact words, meaning it’s therefore possible the entire utterance was misheard/misunderstood.

saraclara · 21/10/2025 10:22

It sounds like a comment made in relation to something critical that went before. Did the sixth formers say something about the women first?