Would the head know your dcs if he walked past them in the street?

[AntiJamDidi]

My dd (14yo, yr9) and I walked past her head the other day and he stopped to speak to her, knew her name and spoke about something specific she'd done the previous week. I was quite surprised by that, seeing as there are almost 2000 pupils at her school and he can't possibly know all of them.

So do you think they head of your dc's school would know them well enough to stop and chat in the street?

I think it is probably one of the unofficial markers of a good school - just how much part of the day to day running of the school is the head?

My DCs' school is very under-performing. Much of this is down to the incompetence of the SLT.

Not a chance. The current principal barely knows all the teachers. Previous one made it her business to get to know as many people as she possibly could in a school with 3500 students. She is missed. Many of the teachers say Hi to me when we bump into each other out and about. All of them have managed to keep track of the older DCs who have gone through the school and on with their lives, and ask about them and how they're doing.

Elementary school principal (480 students) knows everyone and even many of the grandparents and other relatives, and the pets.

My old head of my primary school, now retired, still recognises me. I'm 33. There were small year groups though, I think 9 in my year.

Bit of a shock when I went to secondary school with 280-310 per year. I don't remember the head's name & don't think he would have recognised me even at the time.

Our secondary school has 1600 pupils....

my eldest DD (13) yes - she is a child who "shines", has had personal letters written to go on her file for projects she has taken on at school over and above etc.... (school magazine, house music etc...)

my youngest DD(11) no - she is a "blend into the white noise" type, behaves well, academically middle of top set, who everybody loves but no, they do not remember her name.. which saddens me a little....

Yes, not just the Head, but also the senior leadership team, & the main receptionist. This in a school of 1000.
Plus the sixth form secretary not only knew what my older DC wanted to study at University, but also where they had applied to!

Yes, but only because the Head teaches DD1's English set on a job share to keep her hand in on the shop floor. She's pretty inspirational though and works her socks off so even in a big school like DD's I would expect her to know a lot of the pupils.