A whistleblower has claimed staff 'really need help' and are 'locking themselves in' rooms at break times at The Kingsway School. The Cheadle school hit headlines previously after videos emerged of students queuing up outside the front gates following a new 'search' policy being introduced.
A member of staff, who spoke anonymously to the Manchester Evening News over fears of repercussions, said that children were 'crying' while lining up outside the school, particularly girls and those with special educational needs, and that teachers have been 'assaulted' by pupils prompting them to 'lock themselves in' rooms at break times.
They also added that staff had approached Ofsted with concerns about the leadership team and the way new policies were being implemented. Ofsted said that they were unable to comment on any complaints received.
The school has since responded, saying that the 'implementation of checks at the door has been received positively by most staff and children' and that staff are 'pulling together', 'modelling positive behaviour expectations continually' and 'setting a tone for focussing on learning', with changes seen already.
The Kingsway School implemented new 'key changes' following a letter sent to parents and carers, which said that from February 27, pupils would be met by 'senior leaders' at the gates to 'ensure they have everything they need'. Concerned parents reported that bags were searched and that the rules had 'gotten out of hand'.
Parents were asked for their support in maintaining and improving the 'standards' at the school following a survey last October, that outlined how some pupils 'worried about behaviour, especially in the corridors' and that some felt 'unsafe' seeing students wearing coats or hoods inside school when not in lessons.
As part of the new changes, the letter outlined that students would be met by senior leaders at the gates, and that those not 'positively engaging' would then be sent to a 'ready to learn' room to be given the correct uniform or equipment, or 'required to stay there until they are prepared to go straight to class'.
However a member off staff said after the policies were introduced, teachers were 'bombarded' with calls from unhappy parents.
The anonymous member of staff told the Manchester Evening News: "We really need help. The old head has gone and we now have a leadership team that just doesn't know what they're doing. We have spoken to Ofsted and the trust, but nothing has changed. We need to prompt people into acting.
"Monday's debacle should have gone really well, but something good turned into something very scary. Children were crying their eyes out and didn't know what was going on. Autistic children were having a meltdown as they didn't understand what was happening, kids had their coats confiscated so they were freezing in the playground and girls were worried about personal items like tampons being pulled out of their bags or if they'd get in trouble for not having the right pencil case.
"The implementation of what could be very good policies, was very bad. The last straw for us as teachers on the front line was then being bombarded with phone calls from angry parents as a result. It was just awful."
As part of the new changes, The Kingsway School outlined the measures were introduced to 'minimise time spent in the classroom engaged in conversations about being ready, which inevitably will detract from learning' and to therefore provide a 'calm, focussed start to lessons'.
The message issued by the the acting headteacher also outlined how students 'will take their coats and hoods off and carry them inside school' so that staff can 'swiftly identify any people who are not part of our school or if they are behaving in a way that might intimidate others.'
"The kids and staff don't feel safe in the corridors. One member of staff was pushed over and attacked by a group of the kids," the member of staff added.
"Teachers are locking themselves in classrooms and in offices at break times. We are in dire straits and very concerned about the staff and children because of a small few. Some of the amazing students are so anxious about school and getting in trouble for small things that they are in meltdown.
"The problem is, the small percentage of children that don't behave have no respect for the leadership team. Nothing like this has ever happened before. We thought the behaviour of children would turn around.
"We agree that the students should've instead been taken into their form rooms with teachers they have relationships with and trust, rather than lining them all up outside the door for ages. The vast majority do exactly as asked to do, but there is a cohort who come in to see their friends and not go to lessons, which causes an issue for learning and senior leadership as they run around the school like a game of cat and mouse.
"The younger students don't feel safe because of what they witness in the corridors - teachers and staff being shouted at and sworn at. We are just at the end of our tether. We care about our school community, but so many parents are contacting teachers with their issues and it's becoming embarrassing for everyone involved and very stressful.
"These students need to be treated with respect, not made to line up outside and searched. If a student arrives without a pencil case they should be given what they need and told to crack on because they are there to learn.
"If children aren't respected, their backs will come straight up and they will rebel. I can't emphasise enough how we aren't failing in terms of the calibre of students, and the parents are lovely, but there is such an outcry with the leadership and the trust having let us down."
The previous letter issued to parents and carers said: "We realise that these rules may sound different and possibly seem unfair for your own child but, with your support, it will continue to develop a culture where unkind behaviour or time wasting is not part of school life."
"During the next half term, we will send a questionnaire out to families to find out how we can shape this further and keep you updated with the impact of these measures. Until then, please support us to move in this direction."
Schools watchdog Ofsted said they 'do not comment on individual schools or complaints' but that they 'take all concerns about schools seriously and consider all the information we receive when deciding on the appropriate action to take.'
Councillor Wendy Meikle, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education within Stockport council said that the academy is operated by the Education Learning Trust and that the local authority is 'working closely with the school and the Trust and will continue to do so.'
While the school did not directly address a number of the claims made by staff after being approached by the M.EN., a spokesperson said: "The implementation of checks on the door has been received positively by most staff and children; naturally there will be some who take time to adjust.
"The school has been working closely with a National Leader of Education who has a very strong track record for improving schools. He has conducted extensive observations and had conversations with staff to ensure that everything being done is in the best interests of the whole school community.
"Staff are pulling together, modelling positive behaviour expectations continually and setting a tone for focussing on learning and in just two days we have seen improvements."
Previously, responding to the images and videos of pupils queuing outside, a spokesperson for The Kingsway School told the M.E.N: "The Kingsway School has asked families to support their children to be prepared for learning which will ultimately have a positive impact on school life. This firm approach has been very well supported by our families with the vast majority of pupils arriving on Monday with the correct equipment and ready to learn. This is a necessary step to improving achievement and behaviour in the longer term.
"There were supervised queues outside school yesterday until approximately 8:45am, because children were being asked to show that they had their learning resources ready as they entered the building; some children had to retrieve it from their bag causing a delay. Additionally, children who did not have what they needed were being provided with equipment and uniform which slowed the process. This queuing will reduce as preparedness becomes second nature to our children – an essential skill for life."
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