By Gavin Mackintosh And Victoria Mckeown-
Harris Academy Tottenham has said that its zero tolerance policy to bad behaviour is appropriate.
Representatives of the school about which a former teacher set up a petition calling for his resignation has anonymously told The Eye Of Media.Com that its zero tolerance policy is appropriate and reflects its intolerance to bad behaviour.
The Harris Academy Confederation which handles the school’s press declined to comment further about the negative public attention about the school brought about by a petition started by former teacher Joshia Adesui.
However, its spokesperson described the petition as “misleading, vindictive and vexatious campaign”, and its diverse leadership team “categorically denies” racism and all the allegations made.
This publication took a trip to the school, covertly investigating the drama that has befallen the school over its strict zero tolerance policy against bad behaviour.
Two staff members told this publication that its disciplinary process is measured and used fairly against disruptive students.
The source blasted Mr Adesui’s claims of institutional racism as ”nonsense”, and an attempt to ”undermine the leadership of the school and its policies which all parents are aware of”.
One male teacher whose identity we have concealed explained: ”if a child is expelled from school it means they has behaved in a manner that warrants expulsion. A teacher with no experience of managing a school is in no position to set the standards of discipline.
‘He accuses the school of instituting a policy that affects BAME students, but the school is attended by predominantly black kids, although it is multi-cultural. How can our policy disproportionately affect BAME pupils when they make up a higher proportion of the school.
When asked precisely what proportion of the school was BAME, our source had no exact figures, but insisted the school was multi-cultural and predominantly made up of BAME pupils.
Our observations for the limited period we were in the school premises appeared to confirm this facts, and we were not allowed to take photographs during our visit.
Fair
Another female teacher anonymously told this publication: ”all children in this school are treated fairly. However, students who constitute enough a serious threat or serious nuisance to other pupils or teachers are not welcome in this school. All parents and pupils are made very aware of the rules from the outset and frequently reminded of what is expected of this school”.
‘Most children in this school are well behaved and dedicated to their academics. Covid restrictions have meant strict rules that put children.
This school is multi-cultural and also has people from different religions, the principle of the school treats everybody with respect.
Mr Adesui comments that the school’s zero tolerance policy discriminates against BAME pupils is without any statistics, and therefore lacks any true merit.
He might have been a teacher, but there are levels and levels of professional competence in every profession. Mr Adesui is at the lower end because when it mattered he did not express his grievance with professional expertise”
Joshua Adesui accused the school of institutional racism, but provided no evidence for his comments
Petition
A petition was started last week by Joshua Adusei, a PE teacher at the school for 16 months, who later posted that he had been suspended. This week Adusei was dismissed after a longstanding investigation into alleged gross misconduct. He has appealed against his dismissal.
Adusei, 27, has alleged that the school’s discipline policies disproportionately affect students from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds, and has accused the school of institutional racism.
However, the suspended teacher did not respond to The Eye Of Media’s inquiry to factually confirm that other pupils had escaped punishment for exactly the same actions as the BAME and SEND pupils he says were discriminated against.
The petition states that the new head was appointed in September 2020 and goes on to claim that in the first month of his leadership, the new principle permanently excluded three black students.
It doesn’t state that there are white students who committed the same offence were not suspended.
“[He] introduced a zero-tolerance behaviour policy that disproportionately affects BAME and SEN [special educational needs] students,” it alleges. “He has now commenced a restructuring of the school staff and is bullying staff into accepting redundancy. [The head] is not acting in the best interests of the school or the local community.
We the undersigned call for his immediate resignation and rescinding of the restructuring proposal.”
After the school reported four death threats to police, as well as a threats to stab teachers made via the Change.org petition site, the head’s name was removed from the petition.
Only last year, an Ofsted report criticised the school for its strict disciplinary policy, but did not explain why the policy should be criticised.
A Harris Federation spokesperson called the petition a “misleading, vindictive and vexatious campaign”, and its diverse leadership team “categorically denies” racism and all the allegations made.
A Metropolitan police spokesperson said “reassurance patrols” had been scheduled in the area and that officers had made inquiries over malicious communications aimed at staff”.