DH facing capability measures - your advice and support needed please.

[Crimebusterofthesea]

So, DH has come home and has said that following an inadequate lesson observation, he is being placed on formal capability measures. He feels like this is a bolt from the blue as his last lesson observation was rated 'Good'. The school is renowned in the area for being an impossible place to work and since DH has been there, so many teachers have left because the pressure is beyond ridiculous and expectations are just beyond what seem fair, reasonable and achievable (I'm aware that this is the case across most schools, but his school has a reputation IYSWIM).

I am so scared for him, for us, for our family. He is broken. They have beaten him down to a point where he feels worthless and truly inadequate in every way. I need help to understand the process and whether the reasons behind doing this are fair and reasonable. His last scrutiny of work was 'Good', his last observation before this one was 'Good'. I know that they have told him that he isn't meeting the targets with regards to pupil progress, but they just get more and more impossible and harder to achieve.

He is far from being a lazy, coasting teacher (70 hours a week normal) and he takes such pride and care in his work. Last week he was up until 11 every night doing his topic books. He just feels that the strive for outstanding means that the school don't want him there as ATM he isn't an outstanding teacher and he is the first to admit that he probably never will be.

He was off sick a couple of weeks ago and I keep looking at the card his class made for him upon his return - 'Hooray!! So glad you are back!' it says. I'm being overly sentimental I know, but my goodness, this is hard.

So, if you have read this far, thankyou. What will happen next? He has a meeting planned for the last day of term which will either result in a formal notice to improve, or things can apparently return to normal. I may have got this wrong though. What are the chances of him finding another teaching job? Are unions any good when it comes to this sort of thing?

I'm just rambling now but any words of support and encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou.

Someone at our school that was rated outstanding from OFSTED then 8 weeks later was rated as inadequate by the head and told that they were being put onto capability. I am sorry but nobody in teaching will believe that a consistently good or outstanding teacher for 10 years, can suddenly become inadequate in the space of 8 weeks! The head simply wanted rid of the older, more expensive teacher and made their life hell to get rid of them. Complain to who?? Complain to the head who is doing all this? Complain to the chair of governors, the best friend of the head? Complain to the LA who back the head all the way?? Unions no longer have powers now so there is nobody to complain to. This kind of treatment is happening all the time and the only thing to do, if you are unlucky enough to be singled out, is to get out if you possibly can and hope you find a reasonable head teacher in future.
Well done again to the OP's DH and best wishes for the future!

I have worked in an environment (not teaching) where if the boss wants you out, there is no point fighting it, and I suspect this is the case everywhere. There are a myriad ways a person can be undermined so that they dread going to work, and we all know that in teaching you have to be in a good positive mind-set to go in front of 30 children and ensure their progress. Sadly the best outcome in this situation is the one the OP's DH has managed to obtain - good for him and the union rep who supported him, and the OP who has been holding it all together.

Oh my goodness. I know it's ages since you wrote your post , but in my desperate efforts to research others in the same situation as me, I stumbled upon your story. My DH is about to become a casualty of a bullying head teacher who has been on my DHs case for about two years now. For over 15 years, he has been a caring, fabulous teacher and the last OFSTED the school had, he got an outstanding. Then, a new head was appointed and took an instant dislike to my DH. To cut a very long and arduous story short, the HT has been gunning for him since and put him on formal capability. He has worked relentlessly over the last few months and has been observed weekly. The outcomes of these observations have been highly inconsistent and in my opinion orchestrated by the SLT under the instruction of the head of course - a 'good' one week and 'requires improvement' another week followed by a'good' again the week after and so on. He is now on a final warning. This outcome was a given, the union seem utterly powerless to do anything. Our family life has suffered completely and it's all for nothing. I hope your story has worked out better than mine over the last couple of months. My DH is about to give up teaching for good...another great teacher ditching the profession. Check out Secret Teacher on the Independent website. You soon realise how virulent the capability process is amongst power hungry head teachers. It's a travesty. Good luck!

Many experienced good/outstanding teachers on UPS are being threatened with capability procedures, the problem is rife.
Unions are rubbish and they're funded by the local authorities.
Board of Governors are personal friends of the Head and SLT.
This is what you need to do:

Fight against the bullying.
Contact Lord Nash
Contact Michael Gove
Contact the press especially the daily Telegraph
Build evidence
Don't back into a corner.

Contact ofsted to observe your lesson.
Go to a tribunal

Fight them if you genuinely know you are a good teacher.

Don't trust your colleagues- be mute and think smart.

Good luck.

Hi ,I fully understand where your husband is coming from having
experienced similar. It is what the government are trying to do by cutting and saving money! They have found a loop hole to do this by condemning teachers in the observational process. Its all bollocks. !!Anyway I have come out the other side! I joined lots of teaching agencies before position come to an end,and they became my eyes to get work. I have only been out of work two weeks since 2013 doing supply. I acquired my confidence back. The turnover for capability process for pushing teachers out is high nationally , I'm sorry to tell you. The union will tell you this! So I would advise your husband to get a back up plan in
place. Going supply revamped my teaching ad boosted my confidence.
It pays to be a member of the union too. Use them and get the agreed references. you can have two, my union naswt informed me! don't rely on the heads reference totally. It is called an agreed reference and your union will help.Do it now before the current job finishes maybe!

Do it now before the current job finishes maybe!

Well, it was 4 years ago!