Cheam School: why the sudden departure of Head and Co-Head-to-be?

[FloraCameron]

Can anyone (Cheam staff or parents) shed any light on why the Head (and his wife, Co-Head-to-be) have departed so suddenly from Cheam (seemingly overnight)? Word on the street is that the governors were not happy with him having promoted his wife to Co-Head. Yet this move (to make her Co-Head) was heavily publicised in the press earlier this year, so surely the governors must have approved it?

The fact that nobody (current parents or staff) has replied to this post is also (IMO) very odd. Have they all been placed under gagging orders? My investigation continues... 🔍🔍🔍

It's how it's done. Our head and his wife who had a house in the grounds were confined to barracks, eviction took place. The governors arrange all this. No members of staff were told why , the press never got hold of it.

They did the same thing a decade later to the replacement head, wife and family.

I suppose there's a script to follow in the private system.

I suspect no-one has replied because a relatively small number of people are involved, and a tiny number of people will actually be able to answer. Also there may be NDAs in place.

For what it's worth, it's not how it's normally done when private school heads leave, if it's amicable. There's usually a notice period, leaving dos etc. It happened when I was at school, during school holidays - parents just got a letter shortly before the beginning of the next term and when we turned up at school, the Deputy Head had taken over.

Fair enough, but there must be plenty of rumours circulating (and, even though rumours can be 'false', there's often more than a grain of truth behind them...).

Yes, but there must be a lot of questions and hypotheses circulating. Parents (usually an excellent source of information) won't have signed NDAs..

In my experience as a prep-school teacher, Heads do not just disappear 'overnight'. Yes, they have fallings-out with governors, but usually a dignified spin is applied ('positive' explanation for reason for departure, leaving do etc).

Btw - I've heard what allegedly happened to 'a certain person' based on chat in the IAPS (SMT) world. But the story that's circulating doesn't add up. So trying to get to the bottom of it. Why? A certain person (no names mentioned) may have made the lives of staff in a certain other school (no names mentioned) a bit of a misery, hence we're all living in the hope that what goes around, comes around.😀

Apparently the Head was quite lazy and ineffective hence the need to bring his wife on board to do the actual work required in running a school. Significant upset amongst the staff led to the swift departure. Probably a good thing for the school as it nipped the problem in the bud.

Thanks, Gert12, for your succinct and honest reply. Much appreciated (the cold wind whistling through Mumsnet was a bit disconcerting....). I'm impressed by the Head of Governors at Cheam, who ultimately took responsibility and made a decision that required both courage and conviction.

Good to know that 'a certain person' FINALLY got his comeuppance..

I am flabbergasted (despite having worked in the IAPS world for many years) at how many inefficient Heads are appointed in prep schools. It does seem that having a few impressive schools on the CV, having 'the gift of the gab' and riding on the back of an excellent inspection at a previous school is the key to the door - despite the fact that the Head-to-be in question may have played no part in the successful inspection: perhaps delegating everything while playing Candy Crush on their phone or watching the cricket!

Being white, heterosexual, preferably male and preferably privately educated does also seem to be a key factor in IAPS/ ISC world (Yawn!). Ie 'looks the part'. Come on IAPS/ISC - show me a black gay couple (preferably with a cat) who are co-Heads, and I will eat my hat! (I'd better buy an edible one, just in case..).

They do say that in all fields of industry, those who get to the top of the ladder either get there because they're exceptional 'people's people': kind and thoughtful souls who sincerely care about their staff, and thus the success of their tenure is down to a happy and therefore positive, loyal and efficient staff body; or ruthless, ego-maniacal shysters who have got there (and their 'results') at other people's expense, and with many a casualty on the way ( ie more gentle souls who've been pushed off the greasy pole and whose careers have thereafter been adversely affected). Speaking from direct experience here of CEOs//Heads in the fields of journalism and education.

In my years as a teacher (both prep and senior), I've only ever worked for one person whom I consider to be an exceptional Head. Kind, bright, witty and courageous (not a 'yes man' to the parents and Governors - a rare thing today), his motto is 'staff first', which would be unheard of, I fear, in today's world in which independent schools are run like businesses (sad this, as his 'reign' only ended nine years ago...).

This particular Head cared deeply about the wellbeing of his staff and had the intelligence to know that a school (and its wafer-thin reputation) is only as 'good' as its staff. He also realised that treating staff like sh*t , and/or like wheels on a machine is ridiculously shortsighted - and, ultimately, very expensive. (Oh dear! - another wheel's fallen off! Never mind - we can get another, cheaper one. Doesn't really matter, it's just an old wheel...).

Given the new Government's abolition of VAT exemption in independent schools, soon to kick in and take its toll, these next few months and years will be crucial for all schools in the independent sector - and it's the small, less-thriving prep schools who are in the most danger. Having the right Head in place will be crucial.

I hope that a few Heads and Governors read this post, which is an honest opinion from someone who's worked in the independent sector for a long time. And who cares about the future of the nation's schools.