To think schools are toxic to work in

[Anon331]

Overreaction or accurate description?

I’m a teacher btw. Senior managers are bullies. Talk to you like you’re beneath them. Belittle you infront of kids and other staff. But if you dare raise this then you’re being unreasonable and causing problems!

Never worked anywhere that wasn’t in education. Been in schools for more years than I care to mention.

'Be kind ' is shouted from the rooftops when it's about mental health or a celebrity sadly dies from bullying or whatever else causes these type of ' hashtags' .
It seems it hasn't reached many employees in schools , most of whom have never really left education or the school playground in terms of being bullies!

So true

I’m quite surprised with how overwhelmingly people are agreeing that schools are like this. I’m a primary TA and my school couldn’t be a more wonderful place to work, were all supportive of each other and there is a real sense of being part of a team, even though we all acknowledge that too much is asked of us.

Interesting to read the post from you @LyndaSnellsSniff, and now I’m wondering if our lunchtime controllers might feel the same as they wouldn’t usually be invited to staff things or school events, but a couple of them are parents. I suppose it’s possible that two people can have very different perspectives and opinions on whether the same school is a nice place to work.

I worked in a school like that, it nearly destroyed me. In a much better one now

I am a lunchtime supervisor and the school I work for is nice and so are the staff. They are supportive and welcoming however I have to admit to feeling left out of things sometimes which I'm sure they would feel bad about if they knew how I felt.

I recently left teaching after 25 years, primary.

The staff at the 3 schools I worked at during this time, including SLT, were in the main, friendly, supportive and great to be around.

What was toxic for me was how teaching in a school has changed beyond recognition.

The pressures on the teaching staff and on the children to reach, often unobtainable, goals has meant that there is no time to get to know your class.
No time to give your class the chance to reinforce concepts.
No time to explore and extend learning when your class gets inspired by a subject.
No time to enjoy your beloved profession.

I am now a home tutor. I get to teach on my terms and I'm absolutely loving it.

I think the main problem is that heads/slt have so much power! If you get a good group in charge, they can make work a joy; if not, it can be horrible.
I'm back in the public sector again, and no individual manager ever has that much power- we are all held properly accountable. SLT appear to be completely untouchable and properly teflon. An individual can make decisions which screw up loads of people and has pretty much no one to answer to. My last school also had an awesome head, but big school and one deputy who was loathed for whimsical edicts.

Support staff get a raw deal.

Teachers are super stressed as well, and treated pretty badly too. SLT are shocking. Bunch of narcissistic wankers who couldn't run a bath let alone a school. Teachers are leaving in their droves (really good ones too) and they don't care.

There are some really lovely staff, who are there purely for the students. That's why they put up with all the shit.

Judging by my friend's experience of working in a school office - then yes, it can be an absolutely toxic environment to work in. It caused my friend to end up on the brink of a nervous breakdown and she had to resign. She was treated appallingly by her manager and the head. The governors weren't much better.

Yes lots of schools like this. I just kept my head down for an easy life, it can be very cliquey

I've worked in both toxic and not. Awful in the toxins school, led by a HT with little leadership or relationship skills. I've led very definitely non toxic schools.

In maintained schools HT's are accountable to their board of governors and to the LA. I'm busy managing the poor performance of a HT just now...six week plan, a review and a possible end of career if not enough progress has been made against targets.

Not so accountable in an academy.

I must be very lucky as I have not experienced this. I’ve worked at the same school since qualifying over a decade ago but have seen different incarnations of SLT and all have been supportive and willing to discuss things you don’t agree with. I’ve been a head of department for a number of years too and I love my team, we are very supportive of each other. There is of course the odd toxic individual around the school but surely that’s the case in any work place.

Me again Anon...it doesn't sound like your SLT are interested in a positive response. You can either suck it up develop the hide of a rhino, swap schools maybe get lucky, you can definitely get out of teaching and have a successful career...you got skills girl...

I think it’s a problem in a lot of schools. I was bullied (not a term I’d ever use lightly) by the deputy head in one school. When I went to the head to report it, she told me that it was just ‘my turn’. Talking to friends in other schools, it didn’t seem to be an uncommon scenario.

Whoops...meant to say I am doing admin/PA while developing my reflexology business. I wake up happy, keep regular hours, enjoy what I do, have time for family...I was an 'outstanding' teacher even said thru clenched teeth I loved it and I loved the kids....it ruined me, my confidence, my faith in humanity...a lot of my core structures..,and I am not a weak person.

...even said thru clenched teeth by one Head....it was so hard for her to admit that. Sorry just finishing off the last of the Summer mojito leftovers....

I taught in one place for far too long. There were red flags when I started but I ignored them as it was hard to get a permanent post where I lived at that time and we were trying to get a mortgage.

Long story short, I knew I had to leave when I seriously considered driving my car into a tree rather than go in to face another day of nasty behaviour.

My experience there took a terrible toll on my my mental health and I decided to leave as I was terrified I was going to kill myself otherwise. It was a tag team of slt that seemed to thrive on making people's lives a misery.

When I left I felt such an enormous sense of relief. I took time off and then started supply teaching where I got excellent feedback and it renewed my passion. For my job. I've since seen that nice schools do exist!

You are definitely not being unreasonable. I now absolutely hate my job. The workload is insane, the expectations are crazy and what we are expected to put up with, with little/no support is completely ridiculous.

Unfortunately I can’t afford to take a pay cut so I feel trapped. I want to leave but I know it could be worse elsewhere. I hate that you never truly know what a school is like until you’re in it!

I was bullied out of a job at 17 and it knocked my esteem for years.
It can destroy people.

I've worked in a toxic school. Backbiting, SLT you wouldn't trust as far as you could chuck them. Awful.

Today? Today I had no lunch scheduled in my timetable...no staff to cover me as there's 4 of us with no lunch.....and the headteacher covered my class for half an hour so I could have lunch. There's not one person on my SLT I don't feel is a thoroughly nice person.

I bloody love my SLT.

YABVU to state this as if it is fact for all schools.

I have no doubt it goes on in some schools.
It concerns me that since the introduction of academies and the fact they can make up their own T&Cs then the number of these poorly managed places has risen, and will continue to rise.

I'm sorry if this is your experience.
But it is unfair and also libelous to state
Schools are toxic to work in
Senior managers are bullies
Senior managers belittle you in front of kids

etc etc,
YABU

I'd say 80% of schools have SMT like this.
The nice ones are the rarer 20%

BackforGood is SMT! !
Hello and stop policing people's private lives.
Insert expletives here.

😂😂

But they've created a system whereby you can have no scheduled lunch?