Eltham Hill School

i joined this school in year 10 and was predicted grade U’s for nearly all of my subjects, when i asked for more support as i was concerned about my GCSE results they didn’t offer any help and said there was nothing they could do for me. not only was there a complete lack of support from teachers but the bullying was a major issue for this school, they don’t seem to care if you’re a more quiet student and not making a major disruption and all of the extra support goes towards the bullies who are disruptive. i ended up leaving this school in year 10 after the head of year made me hysterically cry by humiliating me and screaming at me in front of my year as well as feeling extremely scared to go into school because of bullying. when i changed schools the lack of the stressful environment and supportive teachers at my new school meant i got 7,8,9 in all of my subjects for GCSES . this just proves the lack of support and care for students in eltham and i would highly recommend not going to this school.

The school itself is lovely, and this review is directed solely at my experience working within the SEND department. The students are polite, respectful, and incredibly supportive of one another, particularly their peers with SEND. The teaching assistants also work hard and collaborate well with teachers, and many members of staff genuinely care about the students.

Unfortunately, my experience in the SEND department was overwhelmingly negative, and I would strongly discourage anyone from applying to work there.

In my experience, the department was poorly managed, disorganized, and fostered a toxic working environment. Concerns were not addressed through honest, professional conversations. Instead, I felt staff were criticized rather than supported, and teaching assistants were expected to meet unrealistic expectations with very little appreciation for the work they did. It was not uncommon for teaching assistants to be shouted at, micromanaged, and made to feel undervalued, while favoritism appeared to influence how staff were treated.

I was dismissed following what I believe was an unfair process. The initial reason given was that I had failed to follow the school's sickness reporting procedure. This was simply untrue. Like many other members of staff, I sent a courtesy message in the staff WhatsApp group while also following the official procedure by calling in sick. A simple check of the school's call records would have confirmed this, but, to my knowledge, no such check was carried out before the decision to dismiss me was made.

When I provided evidence showing that the WhatsApp group was routinely used by teaching staff as a courtesy alongside the official reporting procedure, the explanation for my dismissal changed. The focus then shifted to me being late on two occasions by approximately ten minutes due to London rail strikes that were completely outside my control. Meanwhile, I observed other staff members arriving late on a regular basis without facing disciplinary action. This inconsistent treatment left me feeling that different standards were being applied.

I also raised concerns that I had experienced racial discrimination. I did not feel those concerns were taken seriously or investigated appropriately. Combined with the changing explanations for my dismissal once my evidence was presented, I was left with the impression that the department was attempting to justify a decision that had already been made rather than conducting a fair, transparent investigation.

Beyond my own experience, I was also concerned by the impact I witnessed on SEND students. Students were, at times, allowed to spend extended periods socializing in the decompression room instead of attending lessons, with some rarely seeing their classroom teachers. Policies such as assigning one teaching assistant to one student were not consistently followed, leaving teaching assistants responsible for supporting multiple students at once. In my opinion, this disadvantaged both the students and the staff trying their best to support them.

My experience with HR also left me feeling that their priority was protecting the organization rather than ensuring a fair outcome for employees.

Fortunately, I have since moved on and now teach abroad in a much more supportive environment where staff are respected, trusted, and valued. As this department frequently recruits graduates and those beginning their careers in education, I would encourage prospective applicants to think carefully before accepting a role. Based on my experience, there are far better schools and employers that will value your time, treat you with dignity, and provide the professional support that both staff and SEND students deserve.

Absolutely awful school, they couldnt care less about student well being and only care for their own image rather then helping the students, im suprised this school is even open at ALL. my neice went here and she had the worst experience ive ever heard. Ive also heard they dont care about student disabilities and refuse to send sick students home. Absolutely awful and deserves to be shut down.

it’s only been 1 year and I’m shocked at how awful this school is, if rating it 0 was an option, I would immediately press it! I’ve been bullied so much the whole year and the teachers and stuff have done absolutely nothing, I did one thing to get revenge on the girl, since she needs her karma and all of a sudden, I’m the bad guy! I get put in isolation! I get the bad points! Talk about “ Excellence, Happiness, Success “ that happiness does not apply, it’s more like “ Exclude, Hatred, Suicidal “ that fits it better. And a girl in my class broke her leg by the sidewalk there, absolutely awful, how do Ofsted not take any notice of this? The teachers just threaten you to behave when Ofsted visit, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND SENDING YOUR DAUGHTER THERE UNLESS SHE WANTS TO SUFFER !!!

Went to Eltham for my 5 years at secondary, and couldn’t fault the school at all. We’re amazing with everything the teachers really give you so much support and help especially in the upcoming to GCSE’s they provide many resources and tools for you to get the best grades possible. Such as revision school, extra interventions, and so many revision sheets. The school is also very quick to follow up in any incidents or problems that happen and make sure they deal with it in the most efficient way possible. Overall an amazing school and would definitely recommend to anyone nearby!