Grievance against Head

[Noneofyouhasseenadeaddonkey]

Has anyone got any experience or advice about this? This is what my union are pushing for but I am shitting a brick about any consequences. The stress is really getting to me.

I don't want to provide any details , other than it is longstanding bullying and concerted bullying by SLT (not just the head but previous head and other SLT which complicates things).

I feel a grievance could be risky and don't actually understand the procedure.

Posted here other than employment in the hope someone has advice specific to teaching.

I teach in a large secondary, have a post of responsibility and we have no HR.

You need to be very clear on what you hope to achieve. I've just been around one where a claim of bullying against the head was made and the staff member had come out of it very badly. Even if she'd won its unclear what she wanted. Have you been through the informal process first, our staff member's case was dismissed because she'd turned down several attempts by the head to resolve things informally

It seems strange that lots of different people have been bullying the same person, are you aware of what has led to this?

I don't know what I hope to achieve. Making them all stop being so mean to me?

I don't actually think it is all that strange for members of an SLT to create a myth surrounding one person and almost engage in groupthink, as it were? I know that I have been discussed at SLT and that a few years ago there was a veritable bout of blind copying to each other any emails sent to me. As I said, I don't want to go into exact details on MN but it is definitely a campaign of - at best - isolation and criticism; at worst, outright bullying.

I have turned to MN because the union have asked me what I want to do : whereas I want the union to tell me what would be the advised course of action.

I think if one raises a grievance against a head one raises it with the CoG? he isn't exactly a charmer !

I have always heard this is a situation with 'no winners' so am a bit stymied as to what else to do.

Thanks for replying btw!

Yes, but you'd raise the grievance with the CoG bit you do need to show that you've tried to resolve it amicably first. The process is very clear, and check your policy.

I've seen two of these recently and imo both staff members got very poor advice from their union

I’m not in teaching but in many ways the advice doesn’t differ. Have your Union told you the likely outcomes of a grievance and probability of success of any claim? Are they suggesting you go for unfair dismissal? They should advise but can’t decide for you. They should describe the process. Although your school doesn’t have HR your Education Department either local authority or private should. It’s a big step but only you know if you are up for the challenge that it will be. Good luck with it all.

Is there anyone in SLT you can speak to? Line manager?

I haven't read the full thread, but the OP's first post sounded desperate so I didn't want to read and run. I would say make sure you follow the grievance procedure to the letter (ask for a written copy, if one isn't available to you already), and keep records of everything.

What are your school's governors like?

And, what are you hoping to achieve?

Good luck, OP. I hope you are treated fairly and achieve the outcome you're striving for.

Just be careful OP. Look at it from the other end. Even if you knew you and your mates were being wankers, would you feel warmer or colder towards them if they raised a grievance?

No fallen : my so called Line Manager is the previous head (long story) who hasn't bothered to make sure I have a job description or appraised me for this year! And generally ignores me.

I have no idea what I am hoping to achieve : I think that's the problem . I take your point tripping.

The union don't have all the facts yet but do seem to be looking at things from the head's pov rather more than I would like.

This ahs been going on for many years. I have tried to get other jobs but have been unsuccessful.

I am not a fan of grievance processes so I guess I just suck it up. I don't see an alternative?

What I really want someone to do is shout at the nasty man but I know that won't happen!

I would say that I have tried to solve things previously reading by putting my case, replying to emails and so on. These replies are usually blanked. The idea of going to see the man gives me panic attacks.

I think grievances are a valuable tool at times. Especially in large organisations where you can be given a new manager or move to different premises. If you don't have those options, a grievance could break down relations even further and lead you to being more isolated

Yes, I think this too. So I am not sure how to stop them

Sometimes it's just time to move on, recruiting teachers is so difficult surely you'd find another post easily? You can't be enjoying work and whilst it may seem like they've won if you leave, won't that be best for you too?

If you raise a grievance, there's every possibility local heads will hear about it, which won't help you in the long run. It might be different if you had a specific outcome you wanted but as you don't, I'm not sure what you have to gain by raising the grievance.

reading : I can't just accept any old job as I am on a large TLR. This is the hole I am stuck in.

It's hard to see a way out of this one really, without leaving (and I do get why that is hard). Presumably they are not trying to get rid of you or they would be considerably more proactive in appraisal. Can you do your job properly with this going on?

I know it's awful. I left a job because the Head and I could not work together. He reduced me to tears in public, and I am not that person. He was actually shocked when I resigned. He wasn't trying to force me out, and it would not occur to him that he was a bully. He was a great Head for some, and not for others. We could not work together. He was the Head. I was just an AHT. So I was the one who left.

That's an interesting story fallen and quite similar to the position I am in although my SLT have basically ganged up. I think there has been a history of them expecting me to magically leave and then every year they get disappointed around this time of year that I am still here!

I am genuinely not sure what the endgame is.

Why do you think they want you to go?
For me, it was a genuine personality clash. With a touch of different values thrown into the mix.

Yes, those things I guess, but also just years of thinking I have ideas above my station, having me down as a bit of a rebel, recent patterns of moving me around from responsibility post to responsibility post and then , once a year, telling me I am not doing my mystery job without job description properly. It is very hard to raise these issues when they are all the most senior people in the school.

It got worse when a DH who was a great mentor of mine left and then another SLT who would actually listen (sort of) also left.

I think it was obvious I was wanted out when my LM's opening gambit in an appraisal a couple of years ago was 'so, how is the jobhunt going?' !

Sounds like an unpleasant position to be in. Is a TLR worth the upset it causing you? Not on the same scale at all as only one DH not several but when the relationship broke down between me and my SLT line manager I made the difficult decision to stay in my school as just a classroom teacher. Best decision I ever made!! SLT completely leave me alone, I'd say my workload has almost halved and I leave at 330 most days. Okay I lose a few thousand pound a year but you can't put a price on mental health

In my case user it is, yes, because my TLR is approx. £10000... if they are trying to bully me out of part of the TLR rather than the whole job , I'd lose about £70000.

Certainly if they just let me get on with the HOD bit of the job things'd probably be fine but they can't just take the extra money off me, so they know the pickle they are in. They have tried tow sideways moves.

Goodness, I make myself sound incompetent!

A good union rep will not tell you what to do, but ask what you want to achieve from the grievance, so you need to be very clear about what success looks like to you, and then talk that through with your union rep about the achievability of your desired outcome.

You have also said that you think that the union is on the slt’s side (or words to that effect). A good union rep will look for flaws in your case and strengths in theirs. There is absolutely no point in telling a member what they want to hear if a grievance can then be absolutely picked apart and decimated by an investigation officer. So they are there to point out weaknesses in your case from the outset.

My advice

1. Work out what a successful outcome of this looks like.
2. Meet your union rep and discuss ways to achieve this.
3. Explore all avenues.
4. Be realistic
5. Be prepared, make sure that you have evidence written down, logged and in a linear and logical manner,
6. Try to take emotions out of it, this is about what you can prove.

Good luck

Also (and firstly) get your policy and follow it to the letter.

The school rep is definitely not on SLT's side! But they are very inexperienced in union role.

The regional people obviously only have access to hard facts rather than nuances and the whole narrative. I was slightly surprised by their reading of the main evidence since it as huge variance to the reading of anyone else who has seen it. But I can't go in to that here.

I do need a meeting with them and this has been suggested and then sort of unsuggested (by them) which is weird.

It's a bit like when you have a baby and the midwife won't tell you what to do and you just want instructions form someone not vague 'do what your instincts tell you to do' advice.

If I just let it lie, I feel sure there will be another incident and I don't know at what point I need to say 'this needs to stop now' since I can't seem to effect an exit form my workplace.

I think if the expert union rep is seeing flaws in your case it's maybe possible that you need a more objective look at it yourself?