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Original poster

Why would a head leave suddenly?

22 replies

curiousitykilledthechicken · 13/04/2018 20:59

The head at my daughter's all girls school has left suddenly. Rumours are she was marched off the premises. What would be bad enough to make her leave so suddenly? As far as I was aware she was hard but well respected. She has been there 15 years.

OP posts:

admission · 13/04/2018 21:54

There are all sorts of possible reasons and it is hopeless to speculate.I am sure that there will be an announcement quite quickly about what is going on but it may well be very bland and lacking information as there may well be further investigations going on.
It may also be no where near as bad as you think it might be!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 13/04/2018 21:59

The head at my all girls' school left rather suddenly, but this was (gulp) well over 40 years ago. She wasn't marched off the premises as far as I know, but there were plenty of other rumours about her departure.

The wife of another head of my acquaintance is said to have marched up to the head in the playground and served him with his divorce papers, after she found out he was having an affair with a teacher he'd just promoted. Allegedly.

AJPTaylor · 13/04/2018 22:02

Could be lots of things.
At dds school the govenors called a meeting and paid a relatively new HT off after 3 experienced teachers raised grievances

Original poster

curiousitykilledthechicken · 13/04/2018 22:06

There is an announcement about new head from September (current deputy) but no mention of head that's left. It just seems very odd and secretive!

OP posts:

bippityboppityboop · 13/04/2018 22:09

In terms of being marched off the premises, it will likely have been for security. At my old work people were 'marched off the premises' when fired which made it sound more dramatic than it was, it was just because they had to give in their security pass and be escorted to leave as part of procedure.

Elvisola · 13/04/2018 22:11

Our head left with a week or so notice as he was having an affair with a teacher and his wife had found out.

KickAssAngel · 13/04/2018 22:18

'Marched off the premises' could be 'had a colleague help carry their things to the car' or anything, really. Could be personal reasons (sick relative, emotional problems) or anything up to and including crime. IF a crime (such as child porn) it's more likely that the police would arrest them at home rather than something happening in school, so actually less likely to be truly awful as those kind of problems tend to get dealt with off site. (I'm a teacher, and have had a colleague arrested for child porn. Nothing happened at school, all at home)

achoocashew · 13/04/2018 22:19

Kickassangel, you should know there is no such thing as child porn. It is child abuse. That's it.

Mistydampandwet · 13/04/2018 22:19

Primary or secondary?

Original poster

curiousitykilledthechicken · 13/04/2018 22:23

Whole school - primary and secondary

OP posts:

MeanTangerine · 13/04/2018 22:23

Maybe they are being secretive because she has left for personal reasons which are no one else's business.

steppemum · 13/04/2018 22:25

well:

personal crisis in their life or a close relatives, so either chosing to leave to be with them, or else falling apart emotionally and not able to continue work
sudden illness, similar to 1. but not well enough to work
professional misconduct, financial, personal, and affair, allegation made about something etc
political ousting by the governors/LEA etc

pretty much all of those will not allow the staff remaining to tell the parents, as it would be a breach of confidentiality

doodlejump1980 · 13/04/2018 22:25

Maybe they found out she faked her teaching qualifications? happened up here about 6 years ago

Original poster

curiousitykilledthechicken · 13/04/2018 22:34

I totally agree personal reasons are no-one else's business but I would have expected a communication to say personal reasons rather than total silence.

OP posts:

elephantoverthehill · 13/04/2018 22:35

Alluding to another thread on here today, probably on cocaine due to the sheer stress of the job. Sorry I'm being crass but I do not understand how anyone could/would be a Head these days. One has to be accountable to students, students parents', the staff, governors and the LEA/ Academy. Oh and Ofsted.

steppemum · 13/04/2018 22:41

well, they coudl ahve communicated, but it will be meaningless.

We had "regret that Mrs XX is leaving due to personal reasons. Mrs Y will be acting head fomr Monday"

that came home on Friday, she was gone before most people read the letter.
I was a bit taken aback actually. A year later I was a governor, and discovered she had been told to leave by the academy, and she wasn't up to scratch, still not sure exactly how they did that, maybe she was on probabionary period? She lasted from sept to May/June.

But the 'personal reasons' was bollocks.

pupchewsleg · 13/04/2018 22:42

Head of F.E. college I worked for was escorted off the premises due to financial irregularities - I think they wanted to make sure she didn't remove any evidence. However she went on to be head of another f.e. college at the other end of the country.

Bekabeech · 14/04/2018 07:11

There are a wide range of possibilities.
And "being marched off the premises" could easily be a misinterpretation of "escorted to her car/taxi by concerned colleagues".

If the later there are all the il health (both mental and physical).

Scandal wise I have known: having an affair with a Governor and having a Lesbian affair with a parent. For humble teacher it was supposed to be "threw scissors at pupil". Plenty more just walked out and only returned to return books and keys.

OCSockOrphanage · 15/04/2018 22:15

My DC was at a school that went through three heads in six months; two went off sick, the third was catapulted into a job she never applied for

Charmatt · 16/04/2018 22:19

My Dad was a head of upper school in a comprehensive and was not at work. He was a very private man out of work and didn't want his reason for not being there revealed and the school respected that. He was off for a whole term and the school protected him from parents who demanded to know why he was off as, apparently, it was their right to know. Rumours circulated that were not nice but my Dad and the school were resolute. A month into the next term the school sent a letter to parents explaining that my Dad had died due to a short illness. Their respect for his wishes is something my Mum still talks about, many years later.
It may not be your business why they aren't there - the school may not even be able to tell you because of processes underway.

EvilTwins · 17/04/2018 19:17

The last school I taught in got through 6 heads in two years.

1st was forced to leave by the new academy trust retired.
2nd got a cushy job with the Dfe
3rd was just a babysitter and wasn't supposed to stay long
4th went off with stress within a couple of months and never came back
5th left suddenly when his wife became very poorly
6th was brought in from another local school and stayed until a "proper" head was appointed

The current one has been there since Christmas, so we'll see...

All of the above, other than the 3rd and the 6th, left with no warning - as much a surprise to the teaching staff as to the parents.

lanbury · 28/04/2018 12:02

Ours has walked out last term as apparently been offered a contract in Dubai to set up an independent prep school for loads of money.

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