Pros
A lot of investment in classroom facilities
a strong family based culture
well maintained schools
Cons
Strong knowledge of Brethren beliefs is extremely necessary. Leave your beliefs at the gate and fully absorb theirs regardless of how well they practice them.
The schools are all ran as business entities by successful businessmen. They believe their common-sense approach is enough to run a school. They have very little technical knowledge and have little depth of understanding about a 'culture' of a modern school and developing people past paying for CPD.
Women play a subservient role and most female teachers have difficulty with this.
Student led decisions on school strategies (fickle children = very vulnerable teachers) - Parents on board of Governors and heavy external influence from parents. This would be great if their community was up to date with world’s developing ideas, like equality.
Heavy restrictions on creativity due to Brethren belief structure. This would be indifferent if the beliefs were actively practiced from most of the community; the hypocrisy is significant.
There is a very sensitive, well-practiced 'closing rank' system if students get upset with teachers. Everything runs well until a student from a wealthier family makes a poor choice and is held accountable for it. They tend not to accept decisions going against them and they will immediately reference the school’s best code of practice to insight a ‘riot’ from every class mate. Despite being a popular teacher everything could change very quickly should the ‘wrong’ student be upset. Whilst I am confident in my 10 years of experience teaching I was frequently questioned at the whim and interpretation of children talking through their parents. Whilst this is a common hazard of teaching there is little support to deal with it at a Brethren School.
There is a significant amount of abusive, confused children. The Brethren have a Victorian like approach to disciplining their children. This creates some very well-behaved pupils but also some very aggressive, rebellious people. Their schools have just as complicated issues as inner-city schools but you'll not have encountered them before. They have a high proportion of students with particular requirements for a single community but little knowledge on how to nurture them. Don't believe their marketing about changing it as their focus changes constantly. There's no switch they can flip to change their underpinning values so quickly.
Children are frequently referred to as ‘packs of dogs’ in the playground (staff room). In this hierarchical nature bullying is common place and accepted in the community. From the top, the wealthiest families have social/ community control and the poorer families are frequently ridiculed. Socially, all families are mixed and everyone knows everyone's personal affairs but there is less opportunity for poorer families. Wealthier families pay more into the Brethren 'Pot'
Non Brethren Life is enormously different to Brethren with regards to equality and this contrast became increasingly difficult.
Very high turnover of staff and head's
Sport is well followed by Brethren and played passionately. This is student's 'release' and practice is primal leading to uncontrolled outbursts and potentially unsafe situations.
Brethren rules are frequently broken at the discretion of parents and children leading to a lot of internal conflict when trying to teach.
A massive issue is that strategy is imposed from Australia and rolled out across the world. They are contantly trying to find a '1 size to fit all'. This imposes constant fundamental changes to management and the classroom that are hard to adhere to knowing that they will only be changed again soon.
There are many horror stories of teachers experiences you hear whispers about during your time under Focus employment but you must keep your head down and ignore them. There are constant bulletins from Governors warning we mustn’t talk to press because of things that happen at your school or somewhere else. Focus Learning Trust have never been held accountable to constant allegations on a wide variety of infringements as they have all legalities ‘locked-down’. They are quite like a cartel in this sense; nothing ever sticks but the complaints keep coming. It’s incredible! During my grievance procedure the NUT legal rep researched them, simply advised to take the payout and run. So, I did! They were useless by the way.
In brief, if you want to try it just keep your head down, do as you are told and tell them what they want to here. Be like cattle, that's all we are to them...