Furious parents called out their kids’ teacher after she had released a list of strict rules that her students are expected to follow.
Natalie Teece, a newly-appointed headteacher at Leicestershire’s John Ferneley College in Melton Mowbray, sparked outrage after sending parents a controversial set of rules that students are expected to obey unconditionally.
Among other rules, the teacher demands that students “always smile” and always thank their teacher after a lesson is over. They are also expected to learn the meaning behind various whistle commands and act accordingly.
To make matters worse, the teacher banned students from going to the toilet during classes and prohibited them from looking outside the windows.
Furthermore, students are expected to wait for a signal from their teacher before they can pick up their pencils or rulers.
“You don’t pick up your pen or your ruler, or anything else, until your teacher gives you the signal. You never turn around – even if you hear a noise behind you. You don’t look out of the window. You don’t lose focus,” one rule read.
Other guidelines added: “You never slouch. By sitting up straight you are demonstrating physical respect. […] No exceptions. No excuses.
“You always smile. You are polite and welcoming. When you greet somebody you smile, when a teacher says hello to us in the corridor you reply with an upbeat ‘Hello Miss!’ or ‘Morning Sir!’ and you smile.”
After the strict set of rules went viral, parents were quick to compare Teece to Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. Some also went as far as comparing the school to a prison camp.
“Absolutely horrendous. I do agree with the respect and some parts but a lot of this is like some sort of prison camp,” one outraged parent wrote on Facebook.
“The school needs to remember we are still going through a pandemic and the world is crazy right now. A lot of children are suffering with mental health right now and this is going to tip them over the edge.”
“The smile part is just wrong. You can’t be forced to smile at all times,” another one pointed out.
“Just read the whistle bit – our children are not dogs,” the third wrote.
While many parents expressed their anger over the new school rules, some showed support for the headteacher and suggested students will learn respect this way.
“I think the main bulk of this is absolutely fine and these rules should be in every school; children don’t have respect these days,” someone suggested.
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