Toxic School Cultures (2024)

8 June 2022 11:46 am

It is hard to believethat toxic school cultures existand how similar the experiences areof our teaching staffacross many of our schoolstoday!What we find happening behind closed doors is unacceptableand impactsour pupilsin a negative wayand it isusually thehighest performingteachers who aren’t afraid tojump shipfirst!Some of theprofessionals that teachourfuture generations integrity, respect, empathy, humility and collaboration are the same individualswhoare also responsible for creating a negative environment. Thisresults in dedicated teaching staff leaving the professionandbad behaviours and habits becoming the norm.

SheetalSmith, an experienced leader, shares her own experiences and the true darkness in the teaching profession.

Whatismeantby a toxic school culture?

Having read, shared and listened to many storiesover the past year,atoxic school culture is defined as an environmentwhere professionals are not on the same page;do not trust each other andwherethe performance and mental health of teaching staffhas impacted in a negative way. It is the resultofbehavioursand habits that have been left un-checked time and time againand unfortunately has become accepted as the norm.

My personal experience

As I read through the literature on the National Qualification for Headship, the phrase,’ ‘Improving pupils’ life chances,’ seems to linger in my mind. Whilst reading about school cultures and climates, it is a reminder of why I came into teaching seventeen years ago. I decided to be a teacher because I wanted to make a difference; I wanted to be the person who createdpositive changes and improve the life chances of all the pupils who came inmy path.I love the sparkle, the magic and thelightbulb moments. I have always been a driven teacher and leader who is capable ofdriving school improvement– I’m often seen as the ‘fixer’ because I see things that have been missed by others.I have an impressive track record forimproving pupil outcomesand raising standards across several schools.

As teachers and leaders, it is our responsibility to maintain a strong school culture where there are high expectations of both staff and pupils. It is important to have trust, efficacy, teamwork, engagement with data, organisationallearning and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is up to us to improve pupils’ life chances together but what if there is a total breakdown of relationships? As human beings, how do you go back to a team that has given you grief: they have bullied you, shownracialmicro-aggressionsand truly made school life a living nightmare? Would you stay?It is not always the leaders that are the bullies…

Unfortunately,a while ago,Iexperienced being in the deepest, darkest ditch of my teaching career.I had returned to a workplace that Ihonestlyadored.Over the years, I had been responsible for driving improvements in many curriculum areas and ensuring school standards were the highest they had ever been.I was leading the preparation of anOfsted inspection and was pretty confident I would get the school to outstanding. Due to the pandemic, my maternity leave and the absence of our Headteacher,the school was unable to keep up with all the government expectations and a lot needed to be done.

It all started on my return with a temporary leadership title.As you can imagine, keeping everyone happy in a workplace is a challenge in itself. But this was different. It was personal.Colleagues wereunhappy with the choice –‘Why is she in charge? What does she know?I have been here longer! I’m older! I know the school better!’Seems quite small and petty when you think about it now. Truth is, day-by-day, the environment became toxic due to thefixed mindset of individuals and their bad behaviours.

From the start, there was no pressure – I truly pleaded with everyone to do what was right for ourpupils and for the schoolin the absence of our Headteacher. The title didn’t matter to me – I had already done much more without one. Despite efforts to collaborateand share the school’s vision and values for the next academic year, the fact that it was me was the biggest battle: this young,driven,brown Londoner– the minority.

It is difficultto live in a society where you are alwayshaving to prove yourself because of the colour of your skin.Despite having the qualifications and the track record, people are unaccepting of you because you are a non-white individual living in a white world.Itis trulyexhausting!You can’t ever let your guard down – you can’t make a mistake–your white counterpart will always be forgiven but you won’t – you are non-white – you are not respected at the same level. Unfortunately, despiteevery effort to rectify the situation, it was not long before I became the villain. I’m not sure why? The lies to the Chair of Governors, the Headteacher and new members of staff beganto take their toll.

The intimidating members of stafftruly threwmeunder the bus. Despite improving school standards and being thankful thattheir colleague could do a good job–my temporary title, my brown skinand my drivewas the problem. They paralysed the workforce andit resulted in my mental health being affectedlike never before.It was the unexpected behaviour whilst being under so much pressure: looking the other way asIwalk by, purposely leavingmeout of conversations, lying aboutme, criticisingmy decision makingdespite them being verified by the Headteacher, spreading rumours, biting their tongue at me– you get the picture.Fulfilling the duties of a full-time class teacher, an Acting Head and having a sickly babyat homebecameintense and stressful.Every day became longer than the day before and thesleepless nights began.The support I was promised did not exist andI had no choice butto leave.The biggest disappointment was the lack of integrity and honesty; I did not want to bepart ofaworld where people had lost sight of what truly mattered.On my last day, one of the perpetrators even said, ‘Off you go then!’ I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – the behaviour was very far fromour school values that we were promoting daily. The deep wounds are yet to heal…

Where am I now?

At the time, I felt quite fragile – there was a lot to contend with. But the experience taught me everything I do not ever want to be.The more I shared my story, the more I realised how common it was in the teaching profession. My friend, a talented Black female,wasconstantly racially abused in the teaching profession –sheonce informed me that she wasextremely unwell: vomited inthestaff room bin in front of a senior leader. Instead of going home, she was asked to drink some water and go back to class to teach.In contrast,her white counterpart, who had a tough morning in class, wastoldto go home because she was feeling stressed.Howis this right? I have been told about Asian teachers being asked not to bring in Indian food during lunchtimeor not to dress in salwar kameez – when did staff become so controlling?How are we teaching tomorrow’s generation about equality when the very people teaching children do not believe in what they are preaching?I have read and listened to stories about bullying time and time again…

I want to be the leader that lifts everyone around me; the leader that shows empathy andhas the ability to empower staff to achieve strategic goals bycreating a culture of trust and respect between colleagues. The leader who shows honesty, respect and integrity because I want to be in a community that does ‘the right thing because it is the right thing to do.’ The leader who ensures we truly do improve the life chances of future generations anddoes not lose sight of the bigger picture.

The experience opened many unexpected doors. I became the voice of the thousands of Black and Asian women in the teaching workforce who have yetto find the courage to share their experiencesto the world;my writing has been published for thousands to read and I’ve made relationships with people whoare truly fighting for change. I was promoted and now have the opportunity toensure there is respect, collaboration and integrity in the workplace. Iread the millions of stories on the Facebook group –‘Life after teaching – exit the classroomand thrive’– the nearly 80K members whoare leavingor have leftthe profession thatshowedthem no respect despite their years of service.

I’m still healingbecause there are so many unanswered questions and I am waiting for an apology that is never coming. But my story is not a new one. This is occurring daily in our schools and so many dedicated staff arequitting the profession – why would you want to stay?So, let us remember why we chose to work in a school and how we should be living the values we promote. Show respect, honesty, integrity and collaboration – do what is right for your pupils even if thatmeanshaving a difficult conversation – it is always about integrity.Treat people equally – we are human and we are proud of the colour of our skin – we can teach, we can lead and the colour of our skin does not determine how good we are.