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

@ParentOfOne

No school or teacher will refuse to let a student remove their blazer in a hot classroom.

My son was at another Hackney comprehensive - the only one left that’s not an academy - and they had a fair number of MCA “refugees” join throughout the years. In most cases that DS relayed to me, they’d left because the kids (and parents) had had enough of being harshly punished for petty things like not having their eyes on the teacher at all times or not having their hands folded “correctly” on their desks. All seemed relieved to have escaped. That said, I acknowledge that this was secondhand information via young teenagers given to hyperbole, and I know people who sent their children there and are still happy with the decision. We considered it, but we’re put off by the unapproachable SENCO (literally; prospective parents were told not to try and contact them with questions…) so didn’t apply in the end.

They have a lot more Send at MCA than Michaela but they probably try and put parents off.

I’m glad your children have done well at this school, but there is really only one question that matters: did the conduct alleged by the former students and staff occur?

If it indeed occurred, it constitutes abuse, and at a fairly large scale given the sheer number of accusers with direct ties to the school. The fact that some or even a majority of students have not been affected doesn’t make it less so.

Having read the report in the OP, I think posters claiming that it wouldn’t be a problem for their child because they are well-behaved are missing the point. Plenty of the punishments being handed out aren’t for bad or disruptive behaviour; they are for not following extremely prescriptive rules that most children won’t have had any experience of in a regular state primary. Which I imagine is more distressing for a well-behaved, conscientious child than one who is used to getting into trouble; my DD - who is a naturally rule-following, hard-working “teacher’s pet” of a child - would be devastated to be shouted at or given detention for glancing at the classroom clock during a lesson. The line from the report about the boy getting up multiple times in the night to check he had the correct pens in his bag was heartbreaking.

YANBU, OP. Academisation has absolutely ruined secondary school education and accountability to parents. And schools have no money apparently while academy chain heads are paid ludicrous salaries. The state education system needs a complete overhaul.

Yes they do. All the time.

Exactly this. My DC's school tried to implement a similar approach and it was highly anxious children like my autistic DD, who never misbehaves but does have executive function difficulties, who lived in fear of forgetting a pen or piece of equipment. I feel this approach contributed enormously to her school avoidance issues. Luckily they have taken a slightly less rigid approach now.

There have also always been some teachers who have tried to be kind and helpful. My daughter once got distressed because she forgot her PE trainers and the teacher found her a pair of shoes rather than punishing her.

OCD can be externally triggered - we had cases in primary school triggered by Covid. So schools should not be implementing military style policies on children. They are not adult soldiers doing drills.

These schools should do CCF with the kids who need it and plenty of PE with funding provided by the state rather than play death by colour pen and ruler instead.

I don’t agree. Not every school is going to suit every DC. This school delivers life-changing outcomes for the vast majority.

👏

This.

😂you can't be serious? This rule exists in most secondary schools. They will absolutely not let students remove their blazer in a hot classroom.

That is exactly how secondary schools work. It stops children learning when they are too cold or too hot and sweaty.

All hell would break loose if an employer tried that in a normal workplace. My child who goes to army cadets has more autonomy over what layers he wears than most secondary pupils.

However as a school, it doesn’t appear to be full.

Sure. But people were intimating earlier that this was due to their methods, and that the school was less popular than claimed. Whereas in fact it's because the sixth form has very high entry requirements, and has only been running for 4 years.

So it's all right for a school to cause unfair, unnecessary and undeserved suffering to some of its pupils, as long as those pupils are in the minority?

AmeliaEarhart you've reminded me as my DS's school hoovered up a fair few Mossbourne refugees too. It became quite a thing when he was in year 7 and 8 as so many kids transferred in. The stats of how many leave would be illuminating. Another local anecdote, but a few children from my son's primary went there. One girl was the sweetest, shyest girl. Incredibly bright and wouldn't say boo to a goose. She was yelled at on the transition day for turning her head as they lined up, then yelled at again when she started to cry. A boy from her primary school tried to comfort her, so he get yelled at too, then made to stand somewhere for ages in isolation. His parents tried to complain and were just told that's how it is here, if you don't like it don't come. Reading that Observer piece shows things haven't changed. It's not just a blip, it's how they run things there. Why would anyone want their child to be taught in that environment?

@TreeSquirrel @Boldly

I'm going to say this again. The situation my DC faced at Mossbourne is not a trivial matter.

And still I maintain that no-one is trying to condemn Mossbourne Federation. I think it's best for the leadership team to take a non-defensive stance and listen to what we're trying to say.

The Academy experiment has now had 20 years to run, and many of Mossbourne's students are now adults, with minds and experiences of their own. Let's hear what they have to say [I don't mean here of course. I mean using the right channels].

So it's all right for a school to cause unfair, unnecessary and undeserved suffering to some of its pupils, as long as those pupils are in the minority?

IKR?! And for what? What’s the point of a few hard-nosed individuals succeeding if the whole system these schools create is about rewarding the toughest and most ambitious, at the expense of everything else? It’s a strange way to educate young people. Workplaces don’t want compliant robots—they want go-getters, creative thinkers, socially skilled, entrepreneurial people who can lead and take risks. To succeed, you have to be willing to fail. Innovation requires risk, and if you're scared of failure or harsh judgement, or if you've been made to feel ashamed throughout your education, you won’t be much use in today’s workplaces. We can get compliance and robotic output from machines these days. Did you know that Chines companies come to Europe, mainly Scandinavia, for creative expertise and input? That’s because in China, students aren’t encouraged to think critically or be creative. Success comes from nurturing curiosity, resilience, and creativity, not just the ability to survive a pressure cooker environment.

Nicely said, Proportionate.

Except it’s not just a “few hard-nosed individuals” that succeed. Mossbourne has one of the best Progress 8 scores in the country, meaning that the average student gets nearly 2 grades batter than expected per GCSE.

That is absolutely transformational for the life chances of disadvantaged DC. The school culture will not be right for every DC, but equally a school where there is no discipline, disrupted lessons and bullying won’t be right for many either.

These questions are all quite complicated to answer.

If you look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs you need to meet the bottom few first until you get to the top one. If you are talking about deprived communities it can well be the case that offering safety and security and hierarchy arguably is more important for children coming from chaotic homes. At least that is what I seemed to understand from Michaela School YouTube’s.

When you get to the more prosperous, liberal pupils that is when the self actualisation comes in. All the chat in the private and top grammar school sector is now about Jonathan Haidt “the anxious generation” and the Harvard Human Flourishing programme.
Unfortunately children from different homes do actually have completely different needs, on a population level.

So how to implement Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at the same time? For all pupils in a school? Is it possible? Ideally every individual pupil will have their own set educational programme. That is where the AI will come in. Starmer’s Alma mater Reigate Grammar has apparently introduced and AI tutor for every student.

@RicottaAndHoneyCake Your post reminded me of the book "Black Box Thinking: Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance" by Matthew Syed.

For anyone who is interested in critical thinking and what can go wrong when curiosity and open-mindedness is discouraged, I recommend this book.

To quote, "It is about creating systems and cultures that enable organisations to learn from errors, rather than being threatened by them."

Academies that are overly strict, shame-based, and punitive are ill-suited to preparing students for the job market. Industries now value innovation, adaptability, leadership skills, and emotional intelligence. Employers need individuals who can work collaboratively in diverse, global workplaces. Exam-focused “factory” schools that prioritise rote learning and compliance over creativity, self-regulation, and critical thinking fail to equip students for lifelong learning. These skills are essential for problem-solving, workplace resilience, and leadership. The workforce requires people who can think critically, collaborate effectively, and lead with empathy, abilities that are undermined by fear-based environments.

@TreeSquirrel
That is absolutely transformational for the life chances of disadvantaged DC. The school culture will not be right for every DC, but equally a school where there is no discipline, disrupted lessons and bullying won’t be right for many either.

This school actively promotes bullying. A teacher shouting in anyone's face, colleague or student is being aggressive and pathetic.

Discipline can be achieved without breaking young minds. But if you prefer a punitive approach to your children's education, that’s your choice. However, suggesting that the children from disadvantaged backgrounds require a heavy-handed approach is appalling and quite Victorian.