School takes on £29k head of... detentions!
A ScHOOL with a no-nonsense approach to discipline has come under fire for seeking to hire a ‘director of detentions’ at a salary of up to £29,323 a year.
Applicants are warned: ‘If you think it is mean to give a detention when a student does not have a pen, this is not the school for you.’
But the move has been described as Dickensian amid fears the school is being turned into a ‘prison’ that could leave pupils with mental health problems.
The job is on offer at Magna Academy in Poole, Dorset, which has 637 students aged 11 to 18. It was put in special measures in 2013 but has had a stunning resurgence under principal richard Tutt who took charge that year. In June 2015 it was rated outstanding by Ofsted.
Mr Tutt has a reputation as one of the country’s strictest heads. children have been put into isolation for minor infringements such as having pencil cases or rulers of the wrong size.
The job advert says the director of detentions and isolations will head a new ‘behaviour correction unit’. It stresses that applicants who want to be ‘every student’s best friend’ need not apply.
But Andrew Mears, a headteacher from the think-tank Thinking Leadership, said: ‘When I first read the advertisement I laughed because I thought it was a spoof.
‘ I’m disappointed that this wasn’t a spoof. Genuinely, I am astonished that the school seems to pride itself on the existence of a correction unit. I really don’t want to get into the argument between progressive and traditional educators, both of whom have high ambitions for children, but the advertisement reads as if children are being given a sample of what prison might be like. ‘There is no mention of any therapeutic approaches to address the epidemic of mental health issues in our schools which might go alongside what applicants might see as Dickensian, authoritarian methods.’ The advert states: ‘If you believe in a strong “tough love” approach to discipline, no excuses and that children should be respectful and obedient at all times then this may be the role for you.
‘The role is suitable for a strong disciplinarian who believes that a culture of excellent behaviour and respect is crucial to the development of children and central to maximising their life chances.’
Mr Tutt said the school strives to provide a ‘supportive and caring’ environment, and the role had been introduced to stop disruptive students from affecting the learning of others. He said: ‘It is simply to allow staff the freedom to teach 100 per cent of the time and to ensure that no learning time is “stolen” from our students, the vast majority of whom are excellent learners.’
He compared the approach to ‘good parenting, where tough love addresses unacceptable behaviours’ and said: ‘ We passionately believe that addressing and correcting such negative behaviours helps prepare our students for life beyond Magna and to become good citizens.’