Carfield Primary: Parents of Sheffield school ‘kept in dark’ over missing headteacher

Carfield Primary School, a state school in Meersbrook, has refused to confirm to The Star or parents why Miss Hannan Mohammed has not been seen by pupils or parents over the last eight months.

The school’s co-chair of its governing body, Kate Souper, responded: “Carfield School is not able to comment on these matters.”

The school is currently being led by assistant headteachers Sophie Coley and Barry Wood – as well as ‘interim executive head’ Becky Webb, CEO of Five Rivers Multi Academy Trust and a designated ‘national leader of education’, which is a government programme to parachute in high-performing headteachers and “provide high quality school improvement support to underperforming schools”.

Ms Webb is not listed on the school’s website. Miss Mohammed, meanwhile, is still listed as acting headteacher.

Ms Webb told The Star that “parents and carers are aware” she is the interim lead at Carfield and added she would “like to reassure parents and carers that any updates about the leadership of the school will be shared with them through the usual channels.”

But parents disagree. Several have told The Star they feel “kept in the dark” about Miss Mohammed’s disappearance, with one parent saying they were “confused” and “irritated” about “mixed messaging” of who is in charge, whether Miss Mohammed is coming back and why she is missing.

The school is awaiting the results of a full Ofsted inspection following a visit on April 19 and 20, which Miss Mohammed was reportedly not present for. This inspection followed a monitoring visit in November 2022.

It is understood the school has had two external audits by private assessors and the city council in the past year, reportedly to examine its safeguarding and special educational needs provisions.

Although in Ofsted’s monitoring visit last November, inspectors found no serious safeguarding or SEND failings, it is understood several parents were invited to a meeting with the then-director of education for the city council, Andrew Jones, in December 2021, reportedly to discuss complaints over SEND provision.

Carfield Primary School, in Argyle Close, is the second largest primary school in Sheffield. It is one of the few in the city not part of an academic trust.

Editor’s notes: A previous version of this story called Carfield an ‘independent’ school, but the correct term was ‘state’ school. The story has been updated to reflect this.