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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Headteacher can't spell

85 replies

bonmot · 19/02/2015 22:15

The newish head teacher of our (very good) primary school speaks in a way that is grammatically incorrect and his written communication is littered with spelling and grammatical errors. Could he be an effective head teacher regardless or do others think that he needs to be able to speak and write correctly to fulfil his role? I have been tempted to highlight the errors in his newsletter and return it to him but marking his written work feels underhanded, how else could I raise my concern? Any opinions and advice gratefully received.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

changeychangechangeychange · 19/02/2015 23:29

headteacher or head teacher ?

use of the comma, colon and semi-colon?

People in glass houses etc.

CocktailQueen · 19/02/2015 23:31

Could you give examples? Are you sure he is wrong?

(Changey; head teacher is traditional; headteacher is current but looks wrong to a lot of people - what is your point?)

RandomHouseRules · 19/02/2015 23:37

Are you sure he is writing the letters? He may be dictating them and not be doing a good job of checking before things go out.

dollyplumislotsoffun · 19/02/2015 23:39

Wtf, really? Get a grip.

LineRunner · 19/02/2015 23:42

Well, how bad is it?

changeychangechangeychange · 19/02/2015 23:46

The point is that the OP uses both headteacher and head teacher in 1 post.

Cooki3Monst3r · 19/02/2015 23:49

Changey OP isn't a head teacher!!!!

Yes, I do think a bloody head teacher should be able to correctly write and spell. Otherwise it's a bit like the blind leading the blind!

Not sure what you can do about it though. He's not going to suddenly accept his short-comings and work to improve his writing because you complain.

Although, I would be tempted to anonymously return his work marked in red though!! .

Is it serious enough to complain to the board of governors?

changeychangechangeychange · 19/02/2015 23:52

The OP criticised the headteacher- giving no examples. Their own post has a number of errors in it. On what basis do they think they are well placed to judge.

1st rule of posting about grammar and spelling- get it right yourself.

Cooki3Monst3r · 19/02/2015 23:57

except when you're posting on MN late at night - in which case it really doesn't matter!!

changeychangechangeychange · 19/02/2015 23:57

Or better still don't criticise the grammar and spelling in the 1st place. I don't think that posts should be perfect (and mine are not) EXCEPT those of OPs who comment on grammar and spelling and claim to be able to do better.

MoreCrackThanHarlem · 19/02/2015 23:59

I very much doubt that the Head writes his own newsletter.

ravenAK · 20/02/2015 00:03

Yup, it's fairly basic not to lambast someone else's SPaG without being secure in one's own!

No OP, you won't achieve much by chuntering about this. Some mythical overseeing body is going to fire him for inaccurate spelling? Absolutely not happening, if the kids achieve on his watch.

Oh & that pool of fabulous potential primary HTs? It no longer exists. The job's a horror that no-one in their right mind would undertake.

So complain away - or get your head around the fact that teaching is a toxic profession nowadays. we are in crisis: we can't recruit, & if your HT can run a school efficiently, there honestly isn't someone else out there desperate for his job who can do it as well AND spell.

rinabean · 20/02/2015 00:03

It's okay to have mistakes in the OP. This is why we send kids to school mostly, because we expect the school to do a better job. Because they went to like teacher school you know whereas none of that is a requirement for either posting on MN or being a parent

coolaschmoola · 20/02/2015 00:13

I work with two fantastic teachers who happen to be dyslexic. Their written English is not always correct, but in comparison to the effectiveness of their teaching it is tiny.

Being a good teacher is about far more than written English. You could have perfect written English and be a useless teacher. If you are going to judge him then judge his effectiveness not his grammar.

I doubt he types up the newsletter btw. .

Justwhy · 20/02/2015 00:18

I don't believe you.

Killasandra · 20/02/2015 02:16

The HT doesn't teach (unless it's a very small school) or mark.

So it doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

Original poster

bonmot · 20/02/2015 08:22

Wow! That was the first time I have ever asked for advice about school on here, what a nasty surprise. I didn't check my own spelling and grammar as I don't believe it matters in this context. I do think it matters when a head teacher uses was instead or were and apostrophes for plurals in a newsletter that I know he writes himself. I am not sure how much it matters though which is why I sought the opinion of others. Thanks to those who gave helpful insight into teaching, a profession I know v little about. Oops, is it ok to use v in a post I wonder.....

OP posts:

CocktailQueen · 20/02/2015 08:43

That's why I asked for examples, OP...

Cooki3Monst3r · 20/02/2015 10:05

I think it does matter, actually. Regardless of whether the head teaches, or whether he is typing up the newsletter himself, or not.

The head is supposed to be the leader of a school. IMO a head who doesn't care if the newsletter goes out full of spelling and grammatical errors, doesn't care about setting high standards for his school. If he can't ensure that simple task is taken care of, what else is slipping? It takes 5 minutes to proof-read a school newsletter.

What does this teach the children? That spelling, grammar, standards don't matter? That when they go forth in to the adult world, as long as they get the bare minimum of target hitting achieved there's no need to worry about the finer details like correct spelling and grammar?!

ravenAK · 20/02/2015 19:21

Oh, I completely agree that if I were that HT, I'd be getting someone to proofread the bulletin if my written English wasn't a strength! Daft of him not to.

But it doesn't make him an ineffective HT, nor will complaining about it suddenly make him fantastic at spelling/no longer the HT.

If the OP had been 'would it be rude of me to point out to our otherwise excellent HT that he really ought to get the bulletin proofread as he makes lots of errors?' then I'd probably have been less snippy.

Sorry OP - you just caught me at a grumpy moment...it's been a long half term of GCSE Mock marking!

insanityscratching · 20/02/2015 19:35

The HT of dd's Primary was really poor at spellings. His letters were littered with errors, he was , though, a fantastic HT and so once you realised he was pretty good at everything else the errors in the letters didn't seem to matter so much tbh.
I always wondered why the staff in the office didn't proofread and correct before they printed and distributed the letters though

temporarilyjerry · 21/02/2015 07:47

Whether or not the headteacher is writing his own letters, no communications should be going out of a school with errors like the ones the OP mentioned.

I thought twice about sending my child to a school which used 'practise' instead of 'practice' on its website.

Bitlost · 21/02/2015 08:35

I would send him an email, OP. It is not acceptable.

Stealthpolarbear · 21/02/2015 08:41

changey presumably you go to the gp and expect him or her to diagnose and treat you better than you yourself could?

ChocolateCherry · 21/02/2015 08:51

Agree with Cooki3. Unacceptable.

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