I moved to work in the pastoral team in a large secondary at the beginning of this year. I can honestly say I have never had a job like this. I do generally get to work with the difficult kids so I get to see the worst. My days are utterly full on. I get no lunch or break. I'm lucky to get to the loo. It's constant and the level of need from the student's and their families is very high. It feels like nothing is ever done properly because everything is so reactive.
The school itself also looks shabby despite being painted over the summer. It floods in parts in heavy rain, including my office which now stinks and everything is damp. There's no money to change things to make it better and nothing looks well kept.
I am also a school governor at a different large secondary and the feel there is different. I know the school is telling Governors what they want them to hear but there does seem to be more process. I just wondered if actually all schools are like my workplace or is it just a result of historical poor management?