After a school he was transferred to was criticized by Ofsted as being “oppressive,” the teacher who has earned the title of “Britain’s harshest head” defended his approach to discipline.
Education expert and former school principal Barry Smith said that too many secondary school students were “openly disdainful and hostile” toward employees.
He said that the situation was so severe that some instructors had “battered-wife syndrome” and felt nearly deserving of the daily abuse from certain students.
Mr. Smith is a supporter of a campaign to reestablish “adult control” in classrooms. His method is based on the acronym SLANT, which requires students to sit up, listen, ask and respond to questions, never interrupt, and track the instructor, or look at them as they speak.
Education consultant and former school administrator Barry Smith (pictured) said that too many secondary school students were “openly disrespectful and hostile” toward employees.
However, detractors argue that such behavior is a consequence of “military-style” regulations that are oppressive for today’s kids and cause them to suffer.
‘In classrooms, most kids comply with leaders’ stringent expectations of behavior,’ said an Ofsted assessment this week on Abbey School, a secondary in Faversham, Kent, where Mr. Smith helped build a disciplinary system last year.
“However, the manner leaders carry out these standards does not favorably impact the school’s culture.” These methods are used in a way that is extremely restrictive for the majority of students. This is oppressive to many students.
This summer, Abbey School had its best GCSE results. The percentage of A* to C grades in the A-level has increased from 41% in 2019 to 67%.
According to Mr. Smith, the lack of adult authority has a detrimental influence on schools because too many kids get away with showing instructors “habitual disrespect” without consequences. He made this assertion in an interview with The Mail on Sunday.
‘Casual disrespect is pervasive in certain campuses. Too often, Ofsted accepts it and grades schools as “good” while head teachers tolerate it. In schools, students and adults deserve far more.
Without his techniques, according to Mr. Smith, too many kids get away with showing instructors “habitual disrespect.”
In addition, he demands that students address instructors as “Sir” or “Miss,” use proper grammar, be courteous, and “treat adults with the same degree of politeness that teachers actively display to kids.”
These are fundamental social skills, he noted. Teenagers who attend private schools are often full with self-assurance. Students at public schools must… compete. In a job or admissions interview, keeping your head down, avoiding eye contact, and responding in one syllable at a time won’t cut it.
“I make it apparent that every lesson should be cherished and that every contact should purposefully serve to demonstrate true mutual respect. The outcomes are worthwhile; good interactions result in real success.