‘I was called a curry lover and humiliated by other teachers’: the toxic truth about bullying in the staffroom | British news

Warning: This story contains references to suicide and racist and sexist language that readers may find disturbing.

When Maya* started a new teaching job, she didn’t expect to be called the n-word as she walked down the hall.

The bullying of her fellow teachers proved relentless. She has been called a ‘curry lover’ and believes she was at one point hidden from meeting parents because of her skin colour.

It wasn’t just racism she had to deal with there, but also sexism. Male colleagues told her she had to “bend over a desk to get a promotion” and that she had “blowjob lips.” These types of incidents happened “almost every day,” she said.

Ultimately, Maya was forced to quit her job and sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), preventing her from talking about the abuse she suffered. As part of the terms of her departure, she also received a significant payout, which she describes as “money to keep quiet.”

Sky News has spoken to more than 320 current and former teachers from state, private and special schools across the UK who claim to have been bullied at work. Among them, 119 say they have signed non-disclosure agreements and received payouts ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of pounds in compensation.

Sky News has calculated that the total amount paid to these teachers is more than £1.73 million.

This is taxpayer money intended for school budgets that is instead used to pay teachers to leave. We cannot verify when the first of these payments was made, but most were completed within the last ten years.

The National Education Union, Britain’s largest education union, confirmed that the “vast majority” of financial settlements included non-disclosure agreements.

NDAs used to be intended to ‘cover up’ bullying

The use of these NDAs was “not appropriate”, said Phil Clarke, the NEU’s national president. He added that its use was “a cover-up” or prevented further investigation into “it was appropriate for the individual, and an appropriate use of public money, to be paid to leave a school”.

Maya says she felt like there was no other option but to accept the payment and NDA to escape the bullying, which left her feeling “worthless, sad and suicidal.”

More than a third of teachers we spoke to had similar thoughts and made plans to harm themselves to escape the bullying. A handful have even gone so far as to attempt to end their lives.

It’s a familiar story for Tracy*, who says she “drove to school every morning, intending to have an accident so I wouldn’t have to go in.”

Suicidal after bullying by management

A teacher for 25 years, she loved her job and rose to a senior leadership position. Tracy says that during a move to convert the school into an academy she was ‘targeted’ and bullied by the new management because she ‘questioned the direction’ they were taking.

In her role, Tracy says she was aware of the “tactics” used on other staff and so when she was given a performance plan she knew it was “code because you don’t fit, we want you out”.

She told Sky News that the “impact (of bullying) was such that I was suicidal and for a time fundamentally unable to function at even the simplest level”.

Tracy also got paid and signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Among the teachers we spoke to, the academisation of schools repeatedly came up as a catalyst for bullying.

A school can become an academy if it so chooses, or if it is rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. Teachers say they are run like corporations, with CEOs and a board, without proper care for teachers.

‘Power imbalance’ between teachers and principals

Speaking to Sky News, the National Education Union confirmed that the growth of multi-academy trusts has contributed to a “significant” power imbalance between management and teaching staff.

Phil Clarke, the NEU’s national chairman, said academies are run like a “corporate system” but “without the safeguards and professional respect that corporate environments would provide”.

Commenting on the findings of this study, he confirmed that schools are becoming “more authoritarian workplaces.”

How this culture of bullying is resolved is a complex question with no simple answer.

The attitude must change

Teachers in this study say the attitudes of senior leaders and managers need to change. The National Education Union says headteachers are under enormous pressure from Ofsted, which could lead to this approach to cutting staff.

Ofsted declined to comment on the findings of our investigation. Instead, a spokesperson said they always strive to minimize “undue pressure on those we work with” and that they were “willing to hear feedback, accept criticism and implement reforms”.

Maya appealed directly to the government, asking for the abolition of NDAs within schools so that teachers could speak out without “legal repercussions.”

Responding to this research, Education Minister Catherine McKinnell said: ‘All school staff should feel safe and supported at work, and confident they can raise concerns – and we expect school leaders as employers to take appropriate action to address any problems. increased.

“For our part, we are committed to resetting the relationship with education staff so that together we can pursue high and rising standards in our schools.

“We have also worked with the education sector and mental health experts to create the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter – and encourage schools to sign up as a shared commitment to promoting staff wellbeing.”

*Names have been changed

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, you can call your nearest Samaritans branch or 1 (800) 273-TALK.