An academy school in north London, which is backed by one of the UK’s leading universities, has come under fire from staff who have accused its leadership of fostering a “systemic culture of mismanagement”.
The UCL Academy in Swiss Cottage has apparently had four head teachers within a year, and is facing strike action by teachers from the National Education Union (NEU), who staged four days of picketing in protest against a proposed redundancy plan.
Established in 2012 and sponsored by University College London (UCL), the non-selective secondary school was rated “good” by Ofsted last year.
It was founded to support students of all ability levels in achieving higher academic attainment and fostering enthusiasm for further study.
However, teaching staff staged walkouts last week, citing an atmosphere of “fear, secrecy and shifting blame” at the school.
The union’s London branch has condemned the school for failing to provide a safe and functional working environment. It follows claims that a 12-year-old boy was stabbed with a kitchen knife on campus in March.
The school is sponsored by University College London
UCL ADADEMY
On Friday, the NEU said: “Solidarity to NEU members at UCL Academy who were on strike this week over poor conditions, unacceptable management and concerns over health and safety. Basic policies are not in place to help the school function, leading to a chaotic environment that is unsafe for pupils and staff.”
A list of demands sent to the school included a freeze on what staff described as “frequent” pay rises for the senior leadership team, a stronger approach to tackling racism and pupil aggression, a reduction in the “overwhelming” number of team meetings and urgent action to address unmanageable workloads.
The demands, outlined by the union and accompanied by a detailed incident diary seen by The New Journal, allegedly stated: “These logs are not isolated grievances — they reflect a systemic culture of mismanagement, intimidation, neglect and hypocrisy. Staff deserve safety, honesty and a functioning workplace — not a culture of fear, secrecy and shifting blame.”
Robin Street, Simon McBride and Gary Moore purportedly resigned from the role of principal in the past year. Andrea Pomphrey is now leading the school.
Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the NEU, attended the picket outside the school gates in Camden. He posted on Facebook: “Staff are calling for manageable workloads and for the school to retain the unique subjects that set it apart. But more urgently, one member said there’s been a ‘normalisation of violence’. Students and staff deserve a safe environment. The issues are deep-rooted — a stable governance structure is essential. Full solidarity.”
The NEU said that since the strike action took place, “very constructive” talks had been held at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. It added: “Management seriously listened to the many concerns of NEU members. The management has given concrete reassurances on a number of issues that will now be considered by our members in September.”
Professor Kathy Armour, chair of governors at the UCL Academy, said: “As governors, we remain committed to high standards of governance, staff wellbeing and the quality of education our students deserve. We are working closely with the senior leadership and union representatives to find constructive solutions that support our teachers and protect the learning environment for all pupils.”
Pomphrey and UCL have been contacted for comment.