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A leading school academy trust is facing allegations of presiding over a “toxic culture” toward its pupils.
More than 150 current and former pupils, parents, former teachers, and professionals have shared their experiences of the Mossbourne Federation schools in Hackney, east London.
The allegations, which span two decades, include claims that teachers would routinely scream at pupils for minor infractions, with “public humiliation” being commonplace.
The federation runs two primary schools, two secondary schools, and a sixth form, which a total of about 3,500 students attend.
Many of the complaints relate to the treatment of pupils at the two secondary schools – Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (MVPA) and Mossbourne Community Academy (MCA).
Former pupils have described an environment in which fear and intimidation were used to enforce strict discipline and achieve strong academic results, with a lack of adequate support for students struggling with their mental health.
The environment was described as one of harsh punishments, toilet restrictions, and a “no-excuses” approach. It allegedly affected those with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) disproportionately.
The testimony described widespread safeguarding failings across the schools and a culture of silencing or dismissing parental concerns.
Teachers have told the BBC that they were told to install “healthy fear” into the pupils and were trained on how to do this.
Former pupils have said that there were a racial bias against ethnic minority students, and that issues and complaints raised about racism were ignored.
The federation has responded, saying that it is being targeted by a “vexatious campaign” and that it offers a safe learning environment for all its pupils, as evidenced by positive Ofsted reports and local authority reviews.
It also claims that academic results are reflected by high attendance rates and inclusion of students with Send.
A former secondary teacher employed by the Mossbourne Federation, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the idea was to make children “fearful enough that they do exactly what they’re meant to”.
She said that while there were good teachers at the schools, she had felt forced to leave due to the “culture of fear” that made the working environment like the “Wolf of Wall Street”.
Councillor Penny Wrout, part of the Educating Hackney group, has called on the authorities to act on the issues raised, demanding a safeguarding review.
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