Reviews

2.4
Based on 6 reviews and 54 answers
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Student
May 20, 2023

Swanshurst

Teachers are not teaching and very rude

They don't spend money on things the students need and the teachers don't teach
Former Student
Nov 9, 2022

Staff Bullying and Student Bullying. Issues.

I went to this school and after getting my PGCE, I briefly thought about going back but I rather quit teaching than set foot in here ever again.

The work management structure sucks. One of the teachers talked about her friend's boob job in lessons. She yelled at students for being 5 minutes late but here she was not teaching. When I got into teaching, from my previous experience as a student (conversations with teachers), I knew staff bullying was common. You can find numerous other reviews saying the same.

Natalie Saleh is still someone I mention to my counselor. She was verbally abusive and emotionally draining. Not verbally abusive like swearing but someone who left students feeling like they will accomplish nothing in life. I still remember I had a friend whose father was dying and she only kept the conversation limited to her friends. Her mood changed drastically when we were in Natalie's lessons. Natalie abused her power and bullied students. I had crippling anxiety in my teenage years and I still remember all the horrible times this teacher would yell and scream in our faces? Why? Because I opened a book without asking to. Because I closed my pencil case so it seems I am rushing out of the lesson. Very petty and small things would turn this woman into a screaming freak. She would carefully instill fear. It was a complicated process. She is awful. Also, a teacher should never should down a student's political opinions and mock them. Saleh did that. My friend's anxiety would also increase when it was lesson time as she found the lessons were not engaging, the teacher was a bully and students were scared. We did not learn and we were emotionally drained. Natalie uses fear as a tactic. That is why former students I still speak to hate her. Although this seems like a personal issue, it is not. Former employees and students across the internet have spoken about staff bullying at Swanshurst.

Additional stuff: the school awards merits based on attendance. Classes with the best attendance get to skip lunch queues. Girls would go hungry because the food ran out and the lines were long - these girls were the ones whose forms did not have the best attendance. Overall, the merit system actually is a disadvantage.

Teaching is not something I have always wanted to do. However, a lot of teachers taught me how to be a bad teacher. If you are a parent or a potential employee, I advise you to look at the numerous other great schools in the city. Teachers have bad days too but that does not mean abusing power. If we continue to tolerate bully teachers, we will have more cases of Child X, a Black girl who was subjected to police brutality which was influenced by teacher decisions initially.

I advocate for peace and love and instilling such values in our kids.

P.S. schools do have procedures for such issues and teachers have been fired, but this is not always the case. The higher up, the tougher to prove.
Other
Sep 2, 2022

It's okay

It's okay to go to this school some people may like it.
Student
Mar 22, 2021

Teachers need to change

Fairly decent school, however the teachers lack common sense during arguments in social areas and decide its a good idea to sympathise with the bullies rather than the victims who have been harassed.
Learning mentors for older years are inexperienced and care more about their reputation in looking cool rather than assisting students with mental health issues .
Former Student
Feb 19, 2021

some teachers very good but generally not worth it

overwhelming amounts of work to the point where it genuinely takes a toll (even compared to other schools e.g. wheelers lane boys) some good teachers but genuine problems never taken seriously, good students tend to get little attention as the focus is on misbehaving students. shouldn’t have the outstanding OFSTED report as they genuinely put children in isolation as a precaution the day the officers came. overall i had a negative experience and couldn’t wait to leave
Student
Sep 14, 2020

bit backwards

teachers do not care for good students and praise bad students.

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