A headteacher who stepped down from an Oldham secondary school after historic tweets emerged containing derogatory comments has changed her name and landed a new job. Rachael Hallam left Oldham Academy North last year following a backlash over 'historic social media use'.
Ms Hallam, now going under the name Rachael Harris but who has also used Martin recently, has now been named as principal at Camborne Science and International Academy (CSIA), CornwallLive reports. Parents have expressed concerns over the appointment, but CSIA says Ms Harris made the school aware of the issue during a 'thorough and robust' recruitment process and that she deeply regrets the tweets which are more than a decade old.
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In a statement the academy said that, despite the controversy, Ms Harris' track record shows she is the best person for the job. The tweets date back to 2011 and 2012, when Ms Harris worked at a different school.
Replying to actress Jameela Jamil, who said that 'Jabba the sl*t' was the 'best name I've heard', Ms Hallam, as she was then known, tweeted: 'We used to call a girl at school this. I'm the teacher.'
One post, calling 'chavs' uneducated, said: "We can throw things at the chav, a classic example of having no GCSEs." Other comments show Ms Harris referring to someone as a 'sl*g, a massive sl*g' while two separate posts comment on race. She also tweeted in response to someone else: "But Dale, you are black."
The social media account was deleted last year after the tweets were shared. Ms Harris' appointment to head up one of Cornwall's biggest secondary schools has sparked concern among parents.
One parent said:"How is she going to gain the trust of parents and children? I don't know how that can work. She should not have been given this second chance.
"If they could not appoint from the other applicants - four more were shortlisted I think - they should have re-advertised. With her history of talking about students that way, she should not be head of a school."
Another person close to the school added: "I don't understand how this woman would be suitable or even be shortlisted to become head teacher in the first place. What she has done in the past should be considered and it's not the behaviour a head teacher should have.
"After speaking to several people who have family in the school, they worry how she could potentially act towards the children after seeing her post vile remarks like that online about past students. I think it could give the school a bad look when people in the area find out about this.
"For the last few years the school has given themselves an exceptional image and this recruitment has let them down."
A spokesperson for the academy said: "Our priority as an academy is creating an inclusive environment where students and staff are respectful and kind to one another and are empowered to be themselves and thrive. We are aware of the historic social media posts as the incoming headteacher proactively informed the Board of Trustees about this during the recruitment process.
"We are confident that she entirely regrets the comments made and does not hold discriminatory views. While we in no way condone these social media posts, we do not believe that she should be excluded from the post as a result of comments made over a decade ago and for which she deeply apologises.
"We can also reassure the community that the recruitment process was thorough and robust, and was conducted in conjunction with external advisers. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of improving opportunity for disadvantaged students and promoting cultures of inclusion and respect in schools.
"We believe that she is best placed to lead the academy, and that she will continue to champion our academy values of altruism and respect. We look forward to seeing our academy continue to thrive under her leadership."
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