Rachel Hughes and other parents are not happy about the Gateacre School rules but the headteacher says he is raising standards
Rachel Hughes and her son Ayden have been embroiled in a row with Gateacre School where he is a pupil
A mum and her son have found themselves embroiled in a major row with a Liverpool school over what they claim are demands from the headteacher for students to ‘salute’ each day. Rachel Hughes is the mother of 12-year-old Ayden Hughes, a year 7 pupil at Gateacre School in south Liverpool.
She and a number of other parents have raised concerns about some of the disciplinary rules introduced at the school by headteacher Nabil Jamil. The ECHO has previously reported how there have been divided opinions on the approach of Mr Jamil, with some deeply concerned about the rules that have been put in place and others supporting the headteacher in what he says is his mission to turn around what has been a failing school.
One such rule that has drawn particular criticism from Ms Hughes and some other parents who contacted the ECHO involves pupils being asked to keep their hands in the air for a period of time at the start of the day. Ms Hughes described this as a ‘salute’ that she does not want her son to be involved with while the school argued it is simply a ‘simple, calm, and highly efficient strategy designed to gain attention and ensure a peaceful start to the day’.
Speaking to the ECHO, Ms Hughes said: “It was about a week ago Ayden told me that the headteacher was making him salute him before school. I know kids can be a bit dramatic so I decided to speak to the headteacher myself.”
Ms Hughes claims she was told by Mr Jamil the raised hand is not a salute but something he asks the pupils to do while he speaks to them in the morning. She said her son would not be taking part and claims she was then told to find another school for Ayden and to take him out of the school that day.
Mr Jamil told the ECHO elements of Ms Hughes’ story were factually incorrect saying he offered to meet with her several times, including inviting her to observe the morning routine at the school but these offers were not accepted.
Ms Hughes said she posted about her concerns regarding the raised arm rules on social media and claimed she was met with a flurry of responses from other concerned Gateacre parents. She added: “Then I got a call from Mr Jamil who said I was spreading misinformation. He said he was trying to spread community spirit and asked for a face to face meeting but I haven’t heard back about that.
Gateacre School(Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
“When Ayden went back into school he had someone observing him in every lesson. I have now put in a transfer request to move Ayden to another school but that has been ignored.”
She added: “I was a Gateacre student myself but I regret sending my son there. I think there is a big difference between positive behaviour support and negative behaviour support.”
Other parents have posted on social media regarding their concerns about the raised hand rules. One said: “I drove past the school yard last week and I could see the students in lines with their hands up. It all looked very bizarre.” Another added: “I asked my son and he said he had to do it five times and his arm was hurting. I am ringing the school now.”
Another parent posted: “My daughter said the same yesterday, about having to keep putting her arm up and her arm was hurting. I am livid.”
In a lengthy response, Gateacre School defended the hand raising technique and said those complaining represent a ‘small minority’. A school spokesperson said: “At Gateacre School, our unwavering priority is to cultivate a caring and supportive environment where high standards are expected, fostering a positive learning atmosphere crucial for every student’s well-being and academic success.
“We recently clarified to parents that the raised hand signal employed by our teachers each morning is a simple, calm, and highly efficient strategy designed to gain attention and ensure a peaceful start to the day.
“This thoughtful approach respects our local community by minimising noise and actively promotes a settled atmosphere conducive to learning from the moment students arrive. This well-established technique, mirroring familiar classroom routines, is successfully utilised in many high-achieving schools to share vital information and refocus groups with clarity and minimal disruption, and we are already observing the positive impact of the enhanced structure it supports within our school.
“We want to reassure our community that the concerns raised represent a very small minority, demonstrably outweighed by the numerous positive emails and messages the school continues to receive.
“All parents who have chosen to post online or contact outside agencies have been personally invited to meet with the senior leadership team to discuss their concerns directly. We are confident that by working through these conversations, the situation will pass, as the overwhelming positive sentiment from our parent body far outweighs the critical voices.”