When the third primary headteacher takes their own life in
the space of four years it has to be time to do something to reduce the
pressure on colleagues. Sir Michael Wilshaw and his political masters should be
ashamed that the system they have created is killing decent, caring people
whose only mistake has been to care too much for the children they served and
the schools they led.
Is it any wonder that there is a shortage of candidates for
senior posts in schools? Is it any wonder that something over 50% of new
teachers are now deserting the profession within five years of qualification?
Yet political rhetoric would have us believe that the battle
against ‘mediocrity’ is being won and that there are national leaders of
education who will show us how to run schools properly. These are not exactly lies, but they are
optimistic half-truths. There are some excellent schools that have upped their
game to meet the challenges of education in the second decade of the millennium.
But the figures clearly show us that it’s not academisation or Trusts with their £250K salaried CEOs that
are the solution – they are as mixed a success story as are any schools. There
are some highly effective school leaders who are righty recognised and valued.
But there are also the bully-boys, the Johnny-come-latelies who are all puff
and little substance who talk in mantras but lack integrity. We’ve got a lot to learn about looking after
our people - there is plenty of evidence from plenty of sources that confirms
the importance of school ethos in the drive to raise standards and time will
doubtless prove that those schools where staff sign up to the mission because
they sig up to the vision will be more successful than those where teachers are
bullied into submission, irrespective of short term improvements.
But it’s also our school leaders whom we need to protect,
not just from the punitive culture promoted by Wilshaw and Morgan but from the
local authorities and academy trusts who lack the respect they should show for
their headteachers and think that, by putting them under pressure, they are
somehow fighting mediocrity. This is morally wrong, philosophically bankrupt
and educationally dangerous. Three headteacher suicides is surely enough. But
whether or not the Secretary of State and her Chief Inspector really care has
to be doubted.
