Beyond fucking angry about our primary school

[Whattheactualhell123]

This article has just
appeared in our local paper about my kids primary school - I'm so upset for the kids and the remaining staff sticking it out.

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/former-teachers-slam-toxic-culture-27669063

Rumours have been circulating and heated debates launched on the school whattsapp from time to time about the new head.

In all honesty what power do we really have to make any changes for a better learning environment for our children and the teachers?

. Is it ever really possible for a head to be removed from their post because they have behaved so badly towards their staff?

What would you personally do if this was your kids school?

If you are a teacher or support staff (apparently the PA had an awful time too!) who has left this school due to this person I am so sorry that you have been so utterly failed in your profession. ❤️

Oh that is awful for the teachers and children. No wonder you are worried, I would be too. The kids must have had an awfully inconsistent year with so many staff leaving.

However one bright side I think, now that it’s been in the media, I’d expect some action to be taken. Have you as parents had any communication from the school about the issue?

I think as parents I’d be asking People in charge (is it a LA school/academy?) to explain what the plan was to make improvements and manage retention of teachers and improvement in the culture at the school. I’d want to be hearing/seeing some real actions being taken (eg removal of current management.

Contact the Regional Schools Commissioner?

I used to work at a school where this exact thing happened. Literally all the teachers left at the end of the year, bar one.

It was chronic, I almost left teaching completely because of it. I'm sorry you're in this position OP - I think it's more common than you'd think.

Hopefully it will reach a critical point very soon and things can begin to change - I know it did at my old school. The head literally ran away one day, never to be seen again!

I know of one school where the Head was removed from office and another where the crazy, micromanaging Head disappeared after a bad Ofsted.

If you look on the school website, there should be a formal complaints procedure. Following this article, I would be requesting a response from the headteacher and the Board of Governors. The emotional impact on pupils would be my main concern, as pupils are completely sensitive the dynamics of adult relationships in school. If you feel uncomfortable doing this independently, perhaps you could ask your PTFA or form a group of parents.

I was once a whistleblower and it really helped me to seek co-signatories so that we were in it together. Sometimes, people just need someone to stick their head above the parapet. I assume many parents are as concerned as you are.

Reading between the lines on the council statement, there appears to have been a bullying culture over several years.

So I read this as there may have been an old guard clique who have left as new leadership has been introduced to specifically improve culture (and may well been part of a group creating an unhealthy culture). They have then gone to the papers?

I've no knowledge about this particular school but.....

What can you do as parents - complain to Chair of Governors. They should be able to do something - but may be a bit of a puppet under the head?

Complain to OFSTED. this may/may not initiate an inspection. But they aren't always thorough/the head may manage to hide things.

Complain the the LA if its state school or local chief it its an academy.

Sometimes the school is a toxic work environment under the old system, new head arrives and it's toxic for other reasons as they sort the mess out.

As a teacher - get the unions in. They'll try to help but may find the problems insurmountable. I left. Found a happier place to work in.

Sometimes - rarely - the head will leave. Problems may/may not be their fault but they aren't the right person at the right time.

There have been rare cases in which the staff have gone on strike.

It seems to me that a lot of people that make up “senior leadership teams” in schools are inadequate or bat shit crazy. I wonder why this is.

Quick look at its latest Ofsted report says it's a Maintained Community school. Last inspected in summer 2022. It's easily accessible.

This is more common than you think.

Schools are pressure cookers.

Surely you would recognise the issue if your dc attend? High turnover and negativity would be obvious,

My old school was in the news recently as the headmaster was found doing dodgy things with finances - he "left" and if you google, there are loads of stories about bullying and a really unpleasant atmosphere for the teachers.

Sadly, I think it's pretty common.

I wouldn’t personally make assumptions about why lots of staff have left because of a new head based on an article written by a newspaper who has spoken to one side. What you can do is write to the chair of of governors for them to investigate any allegations of bullying which is what the complains procedure would probably say. Do you have concerns about the school?

It's not the only school in Cambridge with a lot of 'bullying culture' and 'SLT failure' problems, unfortunately, which is why I'm not surprised.

The minutes of the Governing Body meetings will be online.

Unfortunately, none of this surprises me.

Many schools are like this. I've been a teacher for ten years and currently off sick looking for my exit route.

It does read as @Spudinafuckit says. That there may have been lots of entrenched staff who were running things their way with an unhealthy dose of bullying who have then been pulled apart by a new head and so they've left.

This is how I read the article, however that’s only one side of the story, the teachers tell a very different side m, so the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

It is much more likely that the new head has come in and decided that they want various older members of the staff out and have bullied them in to leaving.
Councils are useless at dealing with bullying heads and often the incoming/new head will have the full support of the governors.

Not necessarily. The bullying only started when we got a new Head at my school.

Exactly. I hadn't read your post when I posted myself.

Something similar happened at my youngest's school, the teachers went on strike and eventually Ofsted came in and graded it inadequate and appointed an IEB.

From the report: "Expectations for children's behaviour and learning have increased and the focus has been put on improving teaching to improve behaviour but again, some staff found this a challenge"

Not being there I couldn't say, but it's hard not to wonder if this means the place had been coasting along lazily until a new Head arrived and expected better, leading to resentment among some staff who quite liked their own way of doing things

By all means ask for this to be looked into, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to a one-sided hatchet job on social media

This is more common than it seems. Any school that gets new leadership followed by a mass exodus of staff (dressed up in newsletters as retirement, seeking a new challenge, having a baby, focusing on family life) is almost always a result of a toxic culture.

One school I worked at years ago lost 18 staff (out of a staff group of 25) in 6 months as a result of a toxic bullying executive head. The school was in chaos for 5 years after and was staffed almost entirely by day to day supply teachers. The teachers who were left were on work visas and had to find a new sponsor for thier visa or were newly qualified and part way through their qualifying year.

Headteachers are in such short supply that getting a toxic head out is very hard.