Exclusive:Sheffield primary school headteacher accused of bullying
Staff claim they were threatened with disciplinary action, shouted at and “treated like children”
Staff have accused the former headteacher of a Sheffield primary school of bullying teachers, failing to discipline a violent child and punching a window in anger.
A professional conduct hearing began this week for Maxine Stafford, who served as headteacher of Abbey Lane Primary School for over 10 years.
Ms Stafford, who is a former branch secretary for the National Association of Headteachers union, is accused of reportedly bullying staff, “threatening” teachers with disciplinary action and failing to act on reports of alarming behaviour by pupils.
The former head’s solicitor, Gurpreet Rheel, said at the outset of the Teaching Regulation Agency hearing that Ms Stafford “vehemently denies” bullying staff and that many of the charges are “accepted, but require context.”
The week-long proceedings will hear from current and former staff at Abbey Lane Primary.
It is claimed Ms Stafford snapped at and berated teachers on several occasions, and they were repeatedly “threatened” with capability reports and disciplinary measures.
One witness told the panel she and others were called into “a horrible meeting” in 2022 over teaching standards, after they were abruptly moved from one Key Stage to another and felt unprepared to teach the curriculum.
“That was a horrible meeting,” the teacher said. “Ms Stafford was very cross. She treated us like children and was shouting at us.
“We were not given the opportunity to say anything. She made her position very clear and asked us to leave when she said what she needed to say.
“I’ve never been treated like that.”
Ms Stafford claims she does not recall the meeting.
After a complaint about the timing of a school trip, Ms Stafford reportedly raised her voice and pointed a finger in a teacher’s face in the corridor, shouting: “Don’t put me in that position again.”
One teacher suffering after a bereavement said they were was told: “You’re being paid £4,000 more than others, you’ve inherited some money, why don’t you think about going part time?”
On another occasion, Ms Stafford reportedly punched a window and broke it.
The TRA will rule whether this put staff in harm’s way.
Ms Stafford denies this was intentional.
The head also reportedly dismissed concerns a child had been inappropriately touching themselves on school grounds by laughing that “children always have their hands down their pants.”
It is also claimed staff were subjected to punches, hair pulling, spitting and abuse by a violent pupil without proper action by Ms Stafford, ultimately leading to the youth stabbing a teacher in the stomach with a yet-unspecified object, causing bruising and broken skin.
Ms Stafford accepts many of the charges happened but have been reported out of context.
She denies the charges of unprofessional behaviour, bullying, putting staff in harm’s way, and failing to act over pupil behaviour.
Ms Rheel said: “The thought of going through this process, and how a panel will decide her career and whether she go back to it, has been nerve wracking for her.
“It is difficult to express just how sorry she is about any flaws in her conduct, and it brings great sadness and disappointment to her.
“She understands the possibility that she let some of her staff down by virtue of the allegations made against her.
“She has been on an ongoing journey of reflection about how things panned out and how she could have done things differently.”
Ms Rheel said the charge of “threatening” staff with disciplinary action “did not amount to threats in any way, shape or form.”
Ms Stafford was made headteacher at Abbey Lane in 2012. The allegations largely relate to incidents in 2022-23.
The hearing is expected to conclude on April 28.
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