Mossbourne Academies: investigations into alleged emotional harm and abuse. Why are needlessly strict academies unaccountable?

[ParentOfOne]

The Guardian has published a story https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/dec/07/london-academies-emotional-harm-mossbourne-schools-observer-investigation

about allegation of emotional harm and other forms of mistreatment at "one of the country's leading academy trusts", which runs the following schools in Hackney, North London: https://www.mossbourne.org/our-schools/

It is a follow up to a similar story, on the same topic, published a couple of weeks ago: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/nov/23/teachers-at-mossbourne-academy-in-hackney-screamed-at-and-humiliated-pupils-say-angry-parents

The previous story was based on testimonials from 30 parents, but now 70 parents, more than 30 former students and eight former teachers have come forward

"A dossier of allegations, shared with the Observer and sent to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, included Mossbourne teachers being trained in “healthy fear” and “screaming” sometimes “centimetres apart” from children’s faces, several reports of children fainting in line-ups while being shouted at, and children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) being punished unfairly and “pushed out” to other schools. Many former students said they had suffered mental health issues due to being afraid in school which had lasted long after they left."

Here there were some discussions about how notoriously strict these schools were https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5019841-mossbourne-community-academy-any-experiences but no one mentioned this kind of emotional abuse.

My opinion remains that:

• I hate how so many schools have become academies. That's a backdoor privatisation, with teachers being paid less, while the CEOs of these academy trusts earn more than many University vice-chancellors
• I hate that academies are de facto unaccountable to anyone
• It is false that academies do a better job. Some work well, some don't, but lack of transparency and accountability remain big issues. E.g. see academic research by the LSE https://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/Assets/Documents/PDF/Research-reports/Academies-Vision-Report.pdf .
• Academies are simply good at showing Ofsted what they want. If this kind of s* happens in a school rated Outstanding, it means ratings are useless
• I am all for strict discipline, and I will absolutely stand by the school if they punish my child for misbehaving. But I absolutely dread needlessly draconian rules, put together by sexually repressed headteachers who didn't get enough love from their mums, and who get off on exercising this kind of authority to crush their students' spirit. I had made some examples here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5168466-how-common-are-detentions-at-secondary?page=9&reply=138524258 where I also talked about a secondary school in London banning bicycles and giving detentions to students caught cycling to school

https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2024/dec/22/observer-letters-schools-change-lives-for-better

To every single signatory of this letter, I am glad that what my DC experienced at MCA didn't happen to your DC(s). What happened to my DC was highly disproportionate and not reasonable, and it shares a pattern with other accounts. I've explained this in earlier posts.

To the signatories, please can you show me your research / statistics / measures for your assertion "the vast majority of the children are well adjusted, happy and well cared for", What percentage is this? What percentage is punished when traumatised? and in need of pastoral care? And what is your tolerance level for disproportionate punishment? Is it OK as long as it doesn't happen to your DC?

I find the Senior Leadership Team's attempts at "rallying the troops" unsurprising, but I don't understand the mindset of parents who defensively rush to sign a letter which effectively says "it didn't happen to my kids"

This article mentions a looming crisis, in relation to the covid generation of primary school children. I think it's timely to review what their needs in secondary school are going to be, as I think "zero tolerance" disproportionate punishment in Academies is likely to be counter productive.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/23/the-worst-its-ever-been-teachers-decry-send-crisis-in-englands-schools

Boldy, when I read the first Observer article I felt hopeful that our valid concerns will finally be heard, and improvements made.

Let's leave the CHSCP to investigate now.

I was conducting a little thought experiment on this yesterday. Imagine (if you can) a person / institution famous for doing good work, part of the establishment, and perhaps a bit untouchable because of that. One day a handful of people start to make accusations of some form of abuse - possibly through the media if nobody else had listened. (You might have examples in your head - I’ll leave it to you to decide how valid they are).

In these examples, if thousands of other people had encountered the person / institution over the years and come away thinking they were great, did all of that also have to be reported? Even if all of those positive experiences were genuine and valid, was it still OK just to focus on getting to the bottom of the alleged abuse at that point?

One thing from the letter I wondered about - when did the school say this? If the DfE has already investigated the allegations and found nothing, why hasn’t it said so itself? That would put the matter to bed surely?

“To give just one example, the Department for Education has (we understand from the school) already investigated a series of allegations and found no evidence to support the concerns about safeguarding practices.”

Your 'thought experiment ' is nothing more than 'if an organisation or person has done good things, should they get a free pass for the bad things they have done?' Which is the argument made by Mossbourne apologists. And the answer is no. As they say on the Relationships board, the only acceptable amount of abuse is none.

Apparently the school has appointed its own KC to investigate - again, why do this if the DfE has already investigated the allegations?

www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2024/12/24/hundreds-parents-back-mossbourne-leadership-welcome-chance-suggest-changes/

These schools always mark their own homework. The school's own policy states that the DfE has no powers to make it change things, so why would you assume all is well? This needs external scrutiny and accountability. If the school has done no wrong, what are they afraid of?

Mossbourne have just taken over 3 schools in Essex and the experiences already sound similar to Hackney - some very emotional parents at this meeting: thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/packed-meeting-hears-parents-grievances-about-new-edication-trust-and-council-leaders-pledge-to-act-on-their-behalf-248940

@tigger29 but what can the council do? The whole academy model is based on total lack of accountability. Not even the Department of Education can change an academy's decision!!

Surely even the bootlickers who agree with Mossbourne's methods should agree that this lack of accountability is unacceptable?

It seems to me the only thing parents can do is withdraw their children and complaint to Ofsted, hoping that a poor inspection by Ofsted is the only thing that might get them to change their ways. But I wouldn't keep my hopes up. Ofsted is useless and these schools know how to game it. Both the Holland Park School and Mossbourne had been rated outstanding, which to me proves how useless Ofsted is.

I suppose the council in Thurrock could do the same as in Hackney? If enough parents show evidence of harm, perhaps it would be enough for the council to do a safeguarding review? But they only have a few months of Mossbourne rather than 2 decades in Hackney, so probably not enough. But I agree, apart from this, despite a hall full of angry parents and widespread agreement that it's not right, there's little hope of change.

That is all the council can do and I’d doubt there is enough evidence for that. The lack of oversight at a genuinely local level is awful. The regional schools commissioner made some very serious statements and decisions about my school a few years back. She has never been to see the school herself. Apparently it ‘wasn’t necessary’.

The problem is that this level of school independence only works where parents have a meaningful choice and where the education is being paid for by them.

It's a bit like privatisations: anything with limited oversight and accountability can work only if market and competition keep it in check.

That's why privatising natural monopolies like water is a very silly idea, because customers cannot choose not to use the service, and cannot choose to buy it elsewhere.

With schools it's similar: options for most people are limited to non-existent. Most people cannot go private or cannot move to a completely different part of town. And most secondaries are academies now anyway (the % is 100% in certain boroughs).

I don't particularly care whether oversight is exercised by the local council or by some other entity, but there must be some oversight by an independent body. Otherwise it's a recipe for disaster.

It is ironic - and tragic - that there has been this ideological push to strip councils of powers over education, because councils were too ideological inefficient and unaccountable, so we gave all power to... the schools themselves, which are still ideological and are paradoxically even less accountable than councils, because voters vote for councillors but have no say over the school bodies.

And no, you can't just say that if you don't like it you should go elsewhere, because we don't have the option not to fund these schools with our tax money. Demanding a modicum of accountability on how our tax money is spent is at the very core of democracy.

It’s no surprise to see an ‘independent socialist’ councillor behind this latest anti-Mossbourne campaign. The schools taken over by Mossbourne were failing with very low standards of behaviour, teaching and attainment.

In my view it is disgraceful that political activists are trying to ruin the education of these DC for ideological reasons.

Personally I think parents in the area should be given a choice or the education they want for their child- a calm and safe environment with great outcomes at Mossbourne or chaos elsewhere with students running around corridors, disrupting lessons and assaulting each other.

@TreeSquirrel it is clear that you agree with Mossbourne's methods, and that you refuse to acknowledge that chaos and anarchy aren't the only alternative to their methods.

But do you also agree with the complete lack of accountability for a fundamental service completely funded by taxpayers?

Would you be OK if the complaint process of your GP or local hospital were such that they are not accountable to any independent body and not even the Health Secretary could get them to change their decisions???

Note that this question is relevant regardless of the methods you support.

One of the reasons that independent schools can be so successful (apart from obviously being better funded) is because they are more free from government interference and can develop their own curriculum and ideas to suit their students.

I feel like someone thought, I know what we will do to make state schools better. We'll make them more like independent schools and this will improve them without the bother of stuff like having to spend more money.

They conveniently forgot that most parents (aside from those on bursaries) pay £££ for independent schools and this effectively makes the schools much more accountable to parents. Becuase they would end up with no students if they behaved as some academies do in response to parental enquiries and complaints.

Exactly. This is why it's so infuriating when the neoliberal ethos ("let the free market decide! competition improves choice and performance!") is applied to a non-market arena such as services.

It's all part and parcel of an ideology that sees individuals as essentially consumers – so, parents are choosing an education for their child to consume. (Even the language makes it sound wrong!) When in fact it's the other way around: the state is providing a service to parents and pupils.

Thanks for the link Tigger29, very interesting – that all sounds like an absolute shitshow

The CEO was speaking on BBC Essex yesterday - https://x.com/bbcessex/status/1877174856942338372?s=46&t=6godOkQdEnF2WXu_XqqUCA

I was struck by his concern that “being half a grade behind the national average means the kids are not OK, and this failure is being covered up by people wrapping them in a cloak of what some are calling happiness”. Or something very like that. Also - “Kids are kids are kids wherever you go”… like they are some kind of mechanical product.

This should come with a trigger warning for those of us that have experienced the detrimental effect of some of Mossbourne's methods first hand. The level of hypocrisy does not surprise me unfortunately.

I look forward to the Mossbourne review getting under way.

I would reiterate that many commentators on this thread do not know the detail of our accounts, as most aren't detailed in media reports.