Worried teachers declare school unsafe

By STUART DYE


A North Shore high school is facing a staff uprising with claims of bullying and intimidation, an unsafe working environment and falling morale.

Staff at Glenfield College have made the allegations in a letter to the board of trustees.

The board has raised the matter with the Education Ministry.

The letter says an increasing number of staff feel the school is no longer a safe working environment, but they are afraid to speak out for fear of retribution.

The 1200-student school boasts on its website of a frequent ranking for academic achievement in the top 20 per cent of schools in New Zealand.

But unhappy staff say their attempts to raise problems with management have been dismissed.

"As a result, staff morale and confidence have deteriorated to the extent that there is open dissatisfaction and discussion about the problems of bullying and intimidation," says the letter. It calls on the board to take urgent action.

A school source told the Weekend Herald about half of the 120 staff were behind the letter, which also had the backing of several former teachers.

But principal Mel Cooper said the board had not accepted the letter because it was signed "concerned staff" and was therefore anonymous. But the board had "taken the initiative" and asked the ministry for an independent, external review.

"We need to know what the facts are," Mr Cooper said.

"This letter is pretty emotive. We've taken the initiative to institute an external review. If there's anything that needs to be investigated it should be done."

Most of the claims target Mr Cooper, who has been at the decile 8 school for almost three years. He said he had taken legal advice because the letter contained remarks "prejudicial to my reputation as principal".

Sources at the school say Mr Cooper was an outspoken admirer of Cambridge High School principal Alison Annan, who will formally leave her Waikato school next month after claims of staff bullying and manipulation of assessment results.

The letter to the Glenfield board claimed that Mr Cooper's management style had caused experienced, highly respected teachers to leave the school at an "alarming rate".

Mr Cooper said 44 of 120 staff members had left since he began at the school, a rate that was not especially high.

Teachers contacted by the Herald declined to speak publicly about the issues at the school.