A Message to Our Parent Community
At Roding Primary School, we all share the same goal – to provide the very best education, care and opportunities for every child.
Our staff come to work each day because they genuinely care about children. They give their time, energy, compassion and expertise to ensure every pupil feels safe, valued and able to succeed. They deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.
Recently, we have seen an increase in occasions where members of staff have been spoken to in a way that is unacceptable. While we understand that parents can feel emotional or frustrated when it comes to matters involving their own child, there is never an acceptable reason for staff to be subjected to abuse, intimidation or disrespect.
It is important to remember that, whilst you are rightly advocating for your own child, our staff are making decisions for a community of more than 400 families. Those decisions are carefully considered, guided by policy, fairness, safeguarding and what is in the best interests of all children—not just one.
Teaching and working in schools has never been more demanding.
Across England, schools continue to face significant recruitment and retention challenges. Around 9% of teachers leave the state-funded sector each year, and almost one in three teachers leave within their first five years. Schools are also experiencing increasing shortages of support staff, whose contribution is vital to the care, learning and wellbeing of our children.
Every member of staff, teachers, teaching assistants, office staff, lunchtime supervisors, site staff and leaders, plays an essential role in your child's education. They work under considerable pressure every day, often going far beyond what is expected of them. They do not come to work to be shouted at, insulted or made to feel unsafe.
We also ask parents to think carefully about the way school staff are discussed on social media and in private messaging groups. Increasingly, concerns are being discussed and, at times, amplified online. Whilst everyone is entitled to their opinion, personal criticism, speculation or disparaging comments about members of staff are neither helpful nor fair. Behind every role is a person who comes to work each day to do their very best for children.
If you have a concern, we ask that you bring it directly to the school so that we have the opportunity to listen, respond and work with you to resolve it. Public criticism rarely solves a problem, but it can cause lasting damage to the wellbeing, confidence and reputation of those who dedicate their lives to educating and caring for children.
As Headteacher, I will always listen to concerns and welcome respectful conversations. We will not always agree, and that is perfectly acceptable. However, I will not tolerate abuse or disrespect towards any member of our staff. Their wellbeing matters, and they have the right to work in an environment where they feel safe, valued and respected.
If we continue to lose dedicated professionals because of the pressures they face, we all lose. The question then becomes: who will be there to teach, support and inspire our children?
Our children are always watching how adults behave. The respect, kindness and empathy we show one another teaches them as much as anything they learn in the classroom. As a school community, we all have a responsibility to model the values we expect from our children.
Our school has always been built on strong relationships between home and school. Let us continue to work together with mutual respect, honesty and understanding, remembering that we all share the same purpose: giving every child the very best education and the very best start in life.
Finally, I would like to thank the overwhelming majority of parents who support our staff every single day. Your encouragement, trust and partnership make an enormous difference. Together, we can continue to create the positive, respectful and caring school community that every child, and every member of staff, deserves.
Ms M Nwankiti
Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers,