{"id":34820,"date":"2026-05-12T16:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/34820\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:38:11","slug":"britains-schools-are-in-crisis-thank-goodness-this-head-teacher-has-the-answer-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/34820\/","title":{"rendered":"Britain\u2019s schools are in crisis \u2013 thank goodness this head teacher has the answer | UK | News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/VENESSA-MAIN-6915248.jpg\" class=\"zoomEnabled\" data-img=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/1\/1200x712\/secondary\/VENESSA-MAIN-6915248.jpg?r=1778601287512\" alt=\"Vanessa Feltz and Alun Ebenezer\" title=\"Vanessa Feltz and Alun Ebenezer\" width=\"590\" height=\"350\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Vanessa Feltz says Alun Ebenezer is the man Britain needs (Image: Daily Express)<\/p>\n<p>We are caught between a rock and a hard place. We don\u2019t want <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/2084725\/shocking-map-england-schools-suspensions\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">children excluded from school<\/a>. We know expulsion only exacerbates alienation and low self-esteem.<\/p>\n<p>Just under 4,000 pupils <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/2053346\/school-bans-hit-record-high\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">were excluded in 2025<\/a>. There were 335,671 suspensions. What, we worry, is to become of these youngsters separated from their peers and labelled ungovernable? How will they ever come close to realising their full potential?<\/p>\n<p>Of course, we\u2019re equally passionate about acting swiftly to limit the damage wreaked on our children\u2019s education by disruptive classmates. We deplore <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/2154904\/primary-school-teachers-strike-violence-culture\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">violence against teachers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We are horrified at uncooperative students monopolising teachers\u2019 attention. When we hear that diligent pupils are scuppered by the <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/2029057\/majority-britons-believe-young-peoples\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">appalling behaviour of unruly kids<\/a>, we clamour for the disruptors to be speedily removed.<\/p>\n<p>Ladies and gentlemen, the cure for our predicament is alive, well and currently in charge of Caldicot School in Wales.<\/p>\n<p>Dickensian in name and nature, Alun Ebenezer rescues failing schools with a combination of <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/1910147\/schoolgirls-banned-skirts-too-short-wales\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">discipline, tradition and old-fashioned common sense<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Referred to by critics as the \u201chead from hell\u201d, to my mind, Mr Ebenezer is more like an anti-mollycoddling angel.<\/p>\n<p> Read more: <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/2202066\/rspca-killjoys-move-outdo-uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> &#8216;RSPCA killjoys move to outdo UK councils with miserable seaside suggestion&#8217; <\/a><\/p>\n<p> Read more: <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/politics\/2201624\/you-think-only-certain-jews\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> &#8216;If you think only certain Jews are unsafe in UK, think again&#8217; <\/a><\/p>\n<p>He <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/comment\/expresscomment\/1911368\/headmaster-200-schoolgirls-sent-home-carole-malone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">took over Caldicot<\/a> after teachers went on strike over student violence and, within a year, achieved dramatic improvements in exam results, morale and behaviour.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Ebenezer\u2019s methods include same-day or Saturday detentions, zero tolerance for defiance, strictly enforced uniform, and a fatwa on pupils skulking about in the medical room unless they are referred there by a teacher.<\/p>\n<p>My favourite tool in his spectacularly effective box, however, is his ingenious strategy of inviting the parents of disruptive pupils to sit next to them in the classroom during lessons.<\/p>\n<p>Just imagine it! Jones Minor is all threat and swagger, threatening staff and running amok in maths. He is cock of the walk, unassailable in his menacing campaign to torture the teacher and distract pupils.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, Mr Ebenezer appears at the classroom door with Mr and Mrs Jones Senior, who are embarrassed, furious and should be at work, and ushers them into neighbouring desks.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/uk\/2015826\/uk-headteacher-saturday-detentions-Alun-Ebenezer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mr Ebenezer\u2019s plan<\/a> works a treat. Jones Minor transforms magically into a model child. He sits quietly, pays attention, and, goodness gracious, starts to learn a few things. In fact, importing parents is such a soaraway success, Mr Ebenezer has never had to ask parents to make a second visit.<\/p>\n<p>Appoint Alun Ebenezer Roving Education Problem Solver. Deploy him in struggling schools. Teach and implement his methods nationwide \u2013 and hurry up about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vanessa Feltz says Alun Ebenezer is the man Britain needs (Image: Daily Express) We are caught between a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34821,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16176,13,16178,28,16179,3508,16177],"class_list":{"0":"post-34820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-britain","8":"tag-alun-ebenezer","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-disruptive-students","11":"tag-education","12":"tag-education-reform","13":"tag-school","14":"tag-school-suspensions"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116562592213615274","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}