As if the situation of the troubled Pimlico Academy weren’t bad enough, teachers at the school have decided to go on strike to protest against management problems and what they describe as an unsafe working environment and “unreasonable demands”.
This follows the resignation of the school head Daniel Smith after just a year in the job, precipitated by pupil anti-racism demonstrations and protests about diversity in school uniform and the curriculum and even the flying of the Union Jack.
Unsurprisingly, several members of staff have left. The school is part of the Future Academies trust which is run by John Nash, former under-secretary for schools. Cultural issues are obviously a sensitive matter in a school like Pimlico Academy where the great majority of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds; indeed these issues are increasingly pertinent in every area of life.
But these things cannot be an excuse for misrule. In a school where pupils seem to feel able to dictate matters about discipline to the school authorities, it is impossible to provide a good or even normal education.
It may be that Pimlico Academy lacks ways for pupils to express their concerns to the authorities, and perhaps parents should be included as school governors, but ultimately it is not for pupils to dictate the school curriculum or matters of discipline.
The teachers going on strike are making a bad situation worse. When discipline in a school is undermined, it is impossible for teachers to teach and for pupils to learn. Pupils are the losers.
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