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.

Shouting doesn't make you right MeAndMySpoon.

"...and making the entire school look bad." Oh get over yourself!

Speaking both as a parent and as a Literacy leader in a primary school, I don't think she does need to get over herself actually. Spelling, grammar and the creation of pupils who can string a coherent sentence together and write a decent application for a job is very much a school wide issue. Both the head and the deputy have to be exemplary as lead practitioners - that's a fact.

*are very much school-wide issues.

I expect my phone to self-destruct due to irony overload any second now.

....and the creation of pupils !?

Bit beyond your brief I'd have thought.

Remind us of your job again Feenie.

Oh yes, something to do with coherent sentences...

"Remind us of your job again" should have a ? at the end of that sentence, surely?

Unless, of course, you're issuing an instruction?

Indeed! I would never write letters to parents without my glasses on a tiny phone though.

Creation of writers then. I am often incredulous at the poor standard of teaching applications we receive at school - prolific use of lower case 'i' as a pronoun, ridiculous spelling errors, etc. It matters!

I'm really surprised at the number of posters saying that it doesn't matter. Of course it matters. How can we expect our children to spell and use grammar correctly if those who are leading their school do not? Even if the Head's punctuation and grammar is weak it is no excuse for not having documents checked and proof-read for any errors before they go out.

I'm really surprised at the number of posters saying that it doesn't matter.

I must have read a different thread because no one has said it doesn't matter.

I would say that ideally the newsletter would be word perfect.

However....teachers are only human and some do have problems with spelling and grammar. My DH is a teacher and has dyslexia, he does get things proof read when he can and I help him out with spellings when marking the children's books, but he doesn't always know that he's spelling things incorrectly as it's not necessarily 'difficult' words that he struggles with. I would hate to think that having dyslexia means he shouldn't be a teacher as he loves it and is a brilliant teacher. There isn't always time for things to be checked or proof read even if they should be.

If it was an English teacher, then maybe things would be different but I'd sooner send my kids to a school with a good HT that can't spell than one who is rubbish that can.