Superhead sacked after two days for creating a 'climate of fear'

Strict: Craig Tunstall
12 April 2012

A "superhead" brought in to turn around a failing primary school has been sacked after two days because parents complained he had created a "climate of fear".

Craig Tunstall, one of the country's highest paid headteachers, excluded seven pupils within hours of joining Oval Primary in Croydon.

Among them was Callum Simms, a five-year-old with special needs who had not lined up quickly enough in the playground.

Oval Primary had been placed in special measures after an Ofsted inspection.

Croydon council parachuted Mr Tunstall into the school on February 17 but was forced to remove him on February 18.

He is still executive head of the Gypsy Hill Federation, a group of high performing schools in Lambeth.

A spokeswoman for Croydon council said: "The council has a strong record of setting up partnerships with schools. On this occasion it became clear the arrangement would not work and the authority took swift action to resolve it.

"We expect to announce new arrangements to be in place immediately after half-term, and will make a further statement in due course."

Calum Simms's mother, Nikki , said: "When I heard from other parents other kids had been excluded I did worry for Callum because he has behavioural problems.

"But he didn't have a fight or cause a lot of trouble. He's just a little boy with learning difficulties who didn't line up in the playground. That he was excluded for something so stupid is unbelievable."

Another mother, Sarah Ellacott, said: "Children were going to school afraid to do anything in case they got suspended. That's not the way to make children behave."

Mr Tunstall is thought to earn more than £150,000 a year, compared with an average £55,000 for primary headteachers.

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