School going to pot?

[hellymelly]

Several teaching staff have left my dcs school rather suddenly, and it also seems that a group of parents have grave concerns about the atmosphere in the school and the teaching generally as they have sent a joint letter to the governers. The head is fairly new (two years) and from some staff and parents it seems that she is considered the problem. Certainly I have found her tricky to deal with. What happens now? I can't imagine she will resign, and there don't seem to be grounds for dismissal, but a teacher who is much liked and well thought of has just resigned, so parents are getting anxious. What happens when the leadership goes wrong? It is a state primary. We are taking a wait and see approach, I don't want my dds to have to change schools, but nor do I want them in a school where the staff turnover is really high .We live in a rural area where I imagine the school could quickly get a bad rep and may then be unable to get really good staff.

First
How many is "several"
Second
Suddenly to you will be at least half a term to the school (probably longer) as that is the minimum that that school accepts.
third
You have no idea why the teachers have left.
Fourth
"A group of parents" what group a cliche at the gates, the PTA, a group whose children are entering/leaving/ in the class of the teacher that is "well though of and liked"
Fifth
Where the group of parents in with the old head, why did the old head leave?
sixth
Are the teachers actually saying these things or is it just hearsay?
Finally
You don't say whether you feel that the head is doing anything wrong.

1. Four (two teachers, two TAs)- Small school.
2. I do know for certain in two cases, as the teacher told DH in one case, and in another the staff member told a good friend of mine. In another case the teacher hinted that all wasn't great but wasn't specific.
3. They aren't a fixed group, they are just parents who grouped together to write a joint letter, about a fifth of the total parents. Not a particular clique at all, quite different sections of parents from what I know. includes some of the PTA. I don't know who all the parents were as we weren't aware of it until all parents had a response letter from the head (the concerned parents had asked for their names to be kept private from the Head).

5.Everyone liked the old head, he retired, but is really well thought of locally and by parents.

1. Not just hearsay, sadly.
2. We had major problems dealing with the head when our dcs started at the school but haven't had to meet up with her for a while. Does worry me that others seem to feel the same, as I'd hoped it was partly a personality clash.

My big concern is that as the parents said to the governers, the atmosphere in the school is terrible. Very tense, and the staff seem on tenterhooks and stressed. Quite small things seem to be big problems. One of my dcs has picked up on this and as a result has been less happy than is ideal. The other is aware of it but is happy in her class. Both had really nice teachers last year who we were happy with. It is a small rural school with a really good reputation, the children are a lovely bunch and although I am not local the parents have all been welcoming and friendly. Really don't want the quality of staff to deteriorate, but this is a close area and if the Head isn't capable, then we won't get new staff very easily.

"the atmosphere in the school is terrible. Very tense, and the staff seem on tenterhooks and stressed."

Has the new head had to put into place new policies that fit in with the new Ofsted framework? Are Ofsted due to visit?

Often a new head will go in with new eyes and will see that there are areas which are not working/need improvement etc and as staff have been used to working one way a change is often not seen to be a positive. There could be many reasons behind the atmosphere

four isn't really alot although in a small school it may seem so.

I would be more worried about the teachers professionalism especially as they have told parents whilst leaving (if I have that right), it may just be that they don't like the new heads regime and are taking a parting shot.

That the parents are spread across different areas is more worrying but they may have pupils of similar age groups with similar issues.

If the head has sorted any issues that you had out then she must be doing something right.

As cricketballs said the tension and atmosphere could be down to the new ofsted regs, or monitoring regs. it is hard to say.

No she didn't sort out our issues, partly she was over-ruled by a higher authority, we had to be really insistant about some (very minor) help that my dd needed. It was very difficult to deal with her and she made some highly insensitive and unprofessional comments to us. We don't fall within ofsted (not in England), I don't think a report is due quite yet, the tensions in the school seem to be a direct result of staff not getting on well with the head. The deputy head is one of the teachers who has left. (she was new to the post at the same time as the head, so hadn't worked under the old head). I don't think the tensions are to do with the normal shift you would expect with a new head. We thought a year ago that might be the case but now it really seems as if the staff are generally unhappy and either keep their heads down or are leaving. I am worried as the parents who complained are in general the core supporters of the school, and are a quiet and non-confrontational bunch, as far as I can tell from the ones I know of. So if they are really worried then I think there must be a big issue. They spanned all ages, although the parents of the class the head teaches featured highly, which again is a real worry, as my children will be in that class in the future.

"the tensions in the school seem to be a direct result of staff not getting on well with the head"

This may be the key to it. The truth is that you may have to hold off and see how things develop. Not ideal but you may find that the teachers leaving are replaced by better teachers and that those who have children in teh heads class may be over reacting.

Sorry not much help.

I really hope we get good new staff. I'm worried, and other parents are worried too, that the school will get a reputation and won't find it easy to get decent applicants for jobs, and/or that staff turnover will remain high. It isn't an English speaking school so the pool of teachers is small, and word gets around here really quickly, as everyone is interconnected. We thought our problems with the head might be partly to do with us being "outsiders" in that we didn't grow up in this village, but now it seems that many other parents have worries too, so instead of feeling like it was just a clash between us and the head, now it looks as though she really may not be coping well with the post. I am not sure if it is her first headship, possibly.
We were all sent a questionaire to assess how happy we are with the school, but as it wasn't annonymous I didn't feel I could fill it in with honesty. There is a lot of anger and bad feeling that now the Deputy Head has left. My dcs have not been at the school for very long, but some children have had the deputy head teaching them for the past two years, so parents had got close to her and were very sad to see her go. She told a parent that she didn't want to go but that the stress of it was affecting her health, so she didn't feel she could stay any longer, which is very sad. How much of this would have to happen before the Head got fired? Or do heads never get fired unless they do something heinous?