Vote of No Confidence in Head Teacher and Chair of Governors at St Catherine's Catholic School Bexleyheath

As a family, we support the teachers because they are so committed to the education & well-being of our girls. I have nothing but praise for the care and attention St Catherine's teachers show our girls. The number of staff on strike show how committed the staff are for justice. After all, it's a Catholic community & isn't justice an important value to uphold? Management need to work with those who are teaching our girls. Go back to the drawing board and this time make it fair with ACAS.

They both should do the right thing and leave while they still can do it freely. I think soon if not, they will be left with no other choice and sacked! Come on. It’s for the best!

Yvonne Connelly do the right thing and resign! It is you who is jeopardising the children’s education by being belligerent and refusing to budge on this! The fact that you won’t even meet with the parents of your pupils shows your lack of concern for their education! Do the right thing while you still can!

the role of any academic institutions is to promote a positive learning environment for all students. fundamentally to this is the value and respect placed on the teaching staff. it is clear that staff are not valued and respected here and this ultimately will resonate with students. positions of leadership require a competence to carry out the duties of their role in their entirety. this is clearly not happening. it is for this reason I sign this petition. as a society we must insist on a safe, healthy working environment for all teaching staff at this school. after all these are the adults who are dealing with pupils every hour of the day and it is them who must secure in carrying out their duties without fear or intimidation. #actionnow

They won't even meet with parents so i know now why the staff feel why they do ! She has ruined a good school

Very concerning

The Head refuses to speak to staff and seems to have no wish to resolve this. The fact that she won't even speak to parents directly shows how difficult it must be for teachers and support staff to have their views heard. Nobody should have to work in any place of employment where they fear suspension as a method to silent the staffs' voice.

This is so sad that such a good school had such a mad head teacher

I hope you get the results you desire.

Enough is enough, Get the Head off

I used to work at St Catherine's, and have several friends who still work there; from what I have read and heard, this Head appears to be calculated and unreasonable to the hilt. An initial suspension, which was overturned by an independent body, left egg on the her face...the Head's embarrassment was clear from the lack of any sort of apology (the fact that she could have ended the innocent teacher's career meant nothing to the Head) so in a show of callousness, power and overwhelming pigheadedness, she has set about making a huge deal out of a separate incident. Now she has sacked one member of staff.... an individual who has heart and passion; not only that, she is intelligent enough to not do anything that would jeopardise the career she has committed her life to. This Head will stop at nothing to prove she is right, and has convinced the Governors that the accusations against her are false. Yet here we are... 6weeks down the line, an overwhelming majority of staff supporting the strike, despite wanting to be at work educating their students and the battle goes on. Don't give up, you have our backing all the way and eventually the truth will come out.

I am incredibly sad to see the highest ranking school in the area in this dreadful situation. I am not fully aware of all the details but the strike should have been avoided by the headteacher and the board. I fully support the strike and I wish that the negotiations come to fruit for the benefit of all students and staff members.

I had 1st hand experience of this head last year when a friends daughter was excluded due to falling in with the wrong crowd! My friend was in bits. She was called in to meet with Ms C and asked me to come along as moral support. However the Receptionist told us Mrs C said that she would only see Mum on her own and that I wasn’t allowed in the meeting! even though I pointed out that Mum clearly was clearly in bits and had asked me along for moral support! All my protests fell on deaf ears and I wasn’t allowed in. I ended up sitting in Reception for the duration of the meeting. I was shocked, as I know that usually parents are allowed to bring someone to such meetings with them for moral support! I felt she was judged based on her her daughters behaviour! This is a mum who was willing to work with the school, not an irate mum! Mrs C showed no compassion whatsoever! I didn’t say anything because my daughter is at the school and I didn’t want her getting in the Heads bad books! Now my daughter is in Yr 11 and she has missed so many lessons! The attitude described by the staff seems to mirror my experience! The HT needs to go so that our girls can get back to learning !!!

I am disgusted with how most of the staff are being treated. I find it diabolical that the governors deem suspending a member of staff for an investigation without merit (as confirmed by HR) whilst they they can 'investigate' the head with no suspension, even though multiple members of staff have complained. Absolutely corrupt! The fact that neither (the head or the chair of govornors) have stepped down either is a disgrace. They should never be employed in education ever again.

An absolute abuse of power! Get rid immediately!!

Bullying from headteachers/ college principals is rife and is incongruent with the values that underpin such institutions.

Please just get this sorted out ASAP. It has been a month since my daughter has had a science lesson yet is expected to sit her mocks next week. This should prove the impact of the strikes!

Was not impressed with chair of governors response to our questions, and the fact that the HT had allowed this problem to escalate to this crisis

Please just get this sorted out as soon as possible. The selfish actions of the head have already caused enough damage to my daughters education.

I just want what’s best for my daughter as everyone in this school does. As there seems to be no resolution at the moment, this is the best point of call, other than taking our children out of st caths. I hope this petition is enough to prove a point