Headteacher can't spell

[bonmot]

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.

I think it matters a great deal that written communications from educational establishments are grammatically correct. How can anyone expect the children to learn to write correctly if those in charge don't?

If the HT (or anyone else responsible for written communications) knows that they are weak in this area they should ensure that someone else proof reads letters etc before they go out. I used to work in a school office and we did this. Unfortunately some things did get sent out without going through the office but at least the regular newsletters were correct.

I would call in to the school office and have a word with the secretary - perhaps they could put in place a system for checking.

It's not acceptable.

It could be that the newsletter is not proofread because the HT is not even aware of the problem. Which is, of course, worse.

TBH I don't understand how people who can't spell manage to pass teacher training courses!

How was 'practise' used?

It is the correct spelling in the right context.

Other schools are available!

Do you really spend time poring over the newsletter looking for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?

Does the Head lead the school well? Do the children like and respect him? Do his staff respect him? Are the children making better than average progress? Is he as concerned about the progress of SEND children as he is about that of high attainers? Is the school a fun, inspirational learning environment?

Hopefully the answer to these is yes. Great SPaG is a bonus!

Just think yourself lucky that you have a headteacher at all.

id class spelling and grammar as a basic not a bonus
i realise mine appears to leave a lot to be desired at the momemt

*How was 'practise' used?

It is the correct spelling in the right context.*

Used as a noun, spelled like a verb.

Bold malfunction

Oh good, it seems that it wasn't such an outrageous thing to be concerned about after all. No, of course I don't pour over the newsletter looking for mistakes but I have noticed them on several occasions and it has bothered me. It hasn't bothered me enough to think that the man ought to lose his job or to consider moving my children to another school but enough to ask other people what they think. I don't know if the staff respect him, how would I? I don't feel qualified to judge his overall effectiveness but my children are happy and making good progress which is, of course, the most important thing to me. However 'toxic' the teaching profession might be I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to have a head teacher in post at an outstanding school and for him or her to be both effective and able to use apostrophes appropriately.

Thanks for your input, I will think about how best to raise my concern in a diplomatic and measured manner.

I have to say it has been a real eye opener to me how some women communicate with strangers who ask for advice online. I read an article a while ago which referred to the angry, opinionated women who patrol Mumsnet with their rules and acronyms (or similar words). I know exactly what the author meant now. I will probably stick to asking advice from friends and colleagues in future!

I think you mean pore not "pour".

See how easy those mistakes are to make? Perhaps you should cut, your otherwise ideal sounding headteacher, some slack.

You've gone from stating that written communication from the head is "littered with spelling and grammatical errors" to noticing them "on several occasions". Hardly the same thing.

What an offensive final paragraph. The very fact that we are all strangers online means that we don't have to sugar coat our responses to take account of your delicate sensibilities. It is an open forum and as such, posts like yours will elicit a range of views and responses that will vary in terms of perceived politeness.

I agree, all teachers should be able to spell properly. I'm surprised some people think it is acceptable for them not to be able to spell. I wouldn't be impressed if this was my sons school!

Teachers are just the same as the rest of us you know. They are not infallible; they sometimes make mistakes. If he is doing an otherwise good job, be thankful.

Why not use the "littered with mistakes" newsletter as spelling practice for your child - you could get your child to circle all the errors in red (or green as it is more friendly)!

Or you can make yourself look like a too-much-time-on-their-hands pedant and send in a perfectly spelled letter of complaint!

My dd is very bright and very good at school and a very advanced reader, but often misspells even 3 letter words. My expectation of her is not that she will never have a job that involves putting written documents into the public/semi public domain, but rather that she knows that she has an issue with spelling and needs to make sure that she gets anything that she puts out double checked by someone else.
So, I don't think that it's important that the HM can't spell, but it is important that he doesn't seem to value it as a skill since he doesn't get someone to double check his newsletters. Personally I don't think I would want that person guiding my child's education.

Well put, Sofia

The occasional mistake - fine. Consistently making errors and not realising that you're making them, or not acknowledging that your spelling and grammar are crap, not getting someone to check your work and allowing a newsletter to go out with multiple errors - not fine.

Teachers/schools should be able to teach children to spell correctly - not just spell.

I think it's very important for school documents to be correct in terms of SPaG. The odd typo is understandable, but not basic mistakes like apostrophes on plurals. As a KS2 teacher, I am constantly reminding children to check their work, whether by reading it back to themselves, to a friend or to me. If their work is going to be 'published' (in a 'Class book or on the school website for instance) we would expect it to be of a high standard.

I struggle to see how a head teacher can set high standards for his pupils, without also setting them for himself and his staff.

If we're as bad as you seem to think OP, then off you trot. Off you trot.

Don't be so silly. If a HT is incapable of spelling then he/she should let one of his/her colleagues check his work before sending out something which is substandard. Peer review is very common amongst professionals - I'm sure the school can come up with something pragmatic than telling parents to "trot off" if they don't like poor standards.

Spoke to my dear brother (Deputy HT of an outstanding primary - our mum is so proud!) about this yesterday. If a parent felt the need to send an email of complaint about his spelling and grammar he says that quite frankly they would get pretty short shrift.

He would reply, of course, after dealing with the case conferences about children at risk in his school; after dealing with the parent who felt it appropriate to swear at one of his senior teachers on the Friday before half term; after advising the SLT at a partner school - a school that doesn't have a head teacher at present; after taking ks2 assembly; after a team meeting on SATs; after a budget review with the F&R cttee; after reviewing the progress of children in receipt of Pupil Premium; after breakfast with the Stars of the Term.....

He also said he would be very happy to provide a reference to another school.

This is not about a culture of poor standards - the OP says that her children are achieving well and that she is very happy with the school. It is about the constant need to pick apart the work of our teachers and educators, to undermine them, to think that we know better and to score meaningless points.

Really? How odd that he would be so dismissive of parents who raised concerns about consistent poor spelling from him on documents which represent the school and the standards he expects from his pupils and staff. Hopefully any short shrift he or directions to another school thay he doled out would be met by a formal complaint to the LA (or whoever the appropriate body is). Being a professional means you behave professionally in all areas of your work, not just bits of it.

Yes really!

He is extremely professional. He is dedicated and sincere. He certainly isn't in the job for the money. Have you ever had to face an Ofsted inspection? His school were judged Outstanding under the new inspection protocols. His professionalism and that of the rest of the staff is exemplary.

More importantly, the children's outcomes are his and his colleagues' top priority. Forming effective partnerships with parents is a part of that. However if said parents wish to complain about his spelling on a newsletter, in a school that is otherwise excellent, that's their right.

It is his right as a human being to be pissed off about it!

Parts of your post make no sense Sir. My brother said he'd be happy to provide a reference to another school. No where find I state he would direct anyone to leave.

Excellent - and I'm sure that professionalism extends to ensuring that correspondence from him is not consistently full of grammatical and spelling errors. If his spelling and grammar is poor then hopefully he would ask a colleague to review it before it left his desk.
Have I ever faced an Ofsted review? No, I work in the NHS. We have another form of review.
I said directions to another school - which is presumably what he is inferring by offering to provide a reference for any parent who raised a concern about his consistently poor standard of written work. Or did I misunderstand the 'reference' part?

I think school communications should be correct as far as possible. Personally, SPaG are not my strong points and I hated sending any written communication home as I was always worried that someone would pull me up on something. I checked and rechecked but am sure some escaped!

I would be more forgiving to mistakes from a head that was good in other ways. When it is one of many issues it is very irritating.

notinaminute I find your brother's reply shocking. It sounds very far from professionalism, sorry. Would your mum be proud of the "short shrift", the veiled suggestion to leave the school, the uncalled for defensiveness? Anyway SirChenjin has replied better than I ever could.

Being able to spell and write correctly and being good at the rest of your job are not mutually exclusive, you know. A lot of people, including kids and students of English, manage to spell correctly. Others know they have to double-check their work - imagine if you knew you are bad at maths. Wouldn't you check your figures with a calculator before publishing them? And then there are other people who don't see the point of it all and clearly just can't be bothered. That's not a great message to convey to children in school.

I wouldn't be that proud of my son if he had an attitude like that deputy HT.

In management not every issue is enormous, but you need to deal with them professionally!