My emotional nightmare as teacher in £13k-a-year school ruled by bullying and threats
unpleasant”. The tribunal saidthatDanielhad“saidthatDanielhad“simplybeensimplybeen carrying out his job” and that school management tried to bully him into saying sorry.
Daniel said: “I did come up with alternative ways for the work to be completed with minimal contact between the pupils but when she realised she wasn’t getting her way, the pupil left the classroom abruptly.
“Rather than be offended, I sighed in frustration and called after her not to walk away angry.
“The pupil’s mother interpreted my sigh as a growl. A complaint was made to the school , demanding that her daughter should no longer be taught by me.”
Employment judge Ian McFatridge found that Daniel was forced to resign after refusing to apologise over a “fairly minor incident” which had prompted a pupil to storm out of a class in a “teenage huff” and awarded him £ 60,000.
He said: “Mr Goodey was faced with a situation which must occur many times a week up and down the country.
“A parent is unhappy about the way a teacher has interacted with their child. Instead of dealing with the matter properly, management sought to bully the teacher into apologising.
“Wh e n the teacher remonstrated, it was seen as a further sign of insubordination.”
McFatridge was critical of evidence provided by Halliday and deputy heads Nigel Clarke and Lise Hudson, who will take over as rector next year.
Daniel said: “When I asked what I’d done w rong a nd should be apologising for, I was told that sometimes we just need to apologise to help t h i n g s mov e forward.
“I was concerned what such a precedent would set and what it would mean for teaching in the
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Several teachers have contacted me, thanking me for taking action