It’s little wonder that parents at Mossbourne Victoria Park academy (MVPA) are calling on the leadership of the school “to change course or be replaced” (London academy staff instilled ‘climate of fear’ among pupils, 9 December). It was a year ago that the Guardian’s John Harris outlined the details of an investigation carried out by the Observer into two Mossbourne academy schools, including MVPA. It had found, as Sir Alan Wood has, that for many years horrendous tactics have been used to enforce discipline. Many staff were appalled and left, with the final straw for many being a teachers’ training session entitled “healthy fear”.
Harris concluded then that there were “big questions about how academies and so-called free schools are scrutinised and overseen”, and it is certainly difficult to explain how Ofsted inspectors, regardless of the schools’ good examination results, could fail to notice both the appalling ways discipline was being enforced and the shocking after‑effects. Both schools were awarded the “outstanding” grade.
Bernie Evans
Liverpool
As a parent of two children with a high level of special educational needs (Send) who were harmed while in mainstream schools, I welcome the Wood report, finally recognising the damage that is done to children through harsh regimes. Katharine Birbalsingh, take note.
However, the government’s stance on targets contributes to this pressure cooker atmosphere in schools, and the latest announcements to cut back on mental health support fill me with horror. Where is the help for the children recognised as harmed in this report? A real overhaul of education would recommend that all children, even those with Send, get the support they need in school and for their mental health, so that they can emerge as young adults unharmed and able to confidently contribute to society.
Name and address supplied
While it is shocking to hear of the awful treatment of children at MVPA, this climate of fear is a reality in too many schools, where results outweigh welfare and happiness. Teachers are made accomplices to this culture by allowing these abusive systems to happen. They too are fearful of being seen as incapable of maintaining “good discipline”. Education must be concerned with creating happy, healthy people rather than just churning out GCSE passes.
Pat Porter
Wallington, Surrey
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