I appeal to those who are not indifferent to the fate of the children and school to support my petition to change the Headmaster of Abingdon School.

            As a parent who is sufficiently informed and familiar with the school I believe that the current Headmaster does not cope with his main responsibilities to the required extent. I think that a school of this level and status should meet expectations of the parents and schoolchildren and it is obvious that the current Headmaster is unable to provide it!

            What was particularly outrageous is his recent behavoir in relation to a teenager who was so publicly expelled from school with the Headmaster’s violation of all pedagogical rules. This even was described in detail in several leading newspapers.

            I believe Mr W-r is not fit to teach children and should be stripped of his position within this school. There is a clear absence of professionalism as well as skills and abilities to deal with children of high school age. I have derived a full list of qualities that I believe Mr W-r lacks in his professional life.

            1 Deficiencies in personal skills

            1.1 No modesty and restraint
            The Headmaster seems to lack restraint and modesty which is something that a man in his power should work on. Something he doesn’t lack however is an ego! Take the school presentation video, which may as well be an ode to. He seems to forget that the video is for the school, not for him. He also has his picture up all over the school and grounds, his picture haunts the corridors and classrooms and has a negative impact on the school. 

            1.2 Tactlessness and insensitivity
            The Headmaster of the school has shown his true colours and lack of humanity in the way he has treated this expelled child, but also this can be seen in other examples. The most prime example of this is the fact that he allowed the Oxford Mail newspaper to publish a photo of him with a beaming smile on his face, next to an article about the expulsion of a student from his school. Surely, he is not happy about this decision? How can one justify this kind of attitude toward such a serious matter?
            He also seems to have an inability to show any sympathy or empathy towards the child in question. As he didn’t even take time out of his day to speak to the child before the event took place, the decision was made behind closed doors, and the door remained closed to him afterwards.  

            1.3 No personal communication with children and their parents
            The Headmaster has no interest in communication with students and their parents, he prefers not to delve into the personal life of students and their families. On the whole, the Headmaster occupies the status of a certain “celestial enigma” in the school. Communication with whom is the privilege of the few not the many. 

            1.4 Lack of social media experience
            We are in an age where social media is one of the most important tools we can use. This being said, the Headmaster seems to not have any social media himself, except an out-of-date LinkedIn profile. With the lack of skills and knowledge of these kinds of platforms, how can he judge students on the uses of such sites. He should be keeping up to date on these kinds of things, as children these days live in a different world than he grew up in. 

            2. Personal mistakes in creating the atmosphere of the school

            2.1 He created an atmosphere of zero tolerance for children’s mistakes.
            The Headmaster has created and maintains the atmosphere of zero tolerance for students’ mistakes and seems to be proud of it. This proves the deficiency of his specific professional education in the field of children’s pedagogy.
            The lack of professionalism in caring for children has very serious consequences on the lives of these pupils. The school, namely the Headmaster, has taken it upon himself to cast a child aside instead of educating them in the wrongs and rights of the world. How can a child learn from a mistake if no further advice is given to them just shunned from school, so as not to cause them a problem!

            2.2 The Headmaster did not create a trusting relationship between children and teachers
            As a whole, the school itself lacks any personal relationship between teacher and student. Students are afraid to express themselves and opinions out of fear that they may be expelled or mocked by the teachers.
            The Headmaster himself has not developed any kind of mutual respect between the students and the teachers. He seems to condone the lack of extra support to students whom have a difficulty with English. English is one of the most important subjects, which I am sure a Headmaster with an MA in languages can agree with. 

            2.3 The Headmaster ignores students’ smoking and antisocial behaviour
            The Headmaster does not reveal sufficient care for the good behaviour and healthy lifestyle of students, for example, he ignores cases of students’ smoking and aggressive public behaviour outside the school. Behaviour which should be punished, instead is ignored. He does not try to find the correct and adequate approach to solve various individual problems of each student. He seems to think that if he does not acknowledge the problem, then the problem will disappear, when in fact the problem just gets worse and worse until it is no longer his problem and the child has left the school. 

            3. Personal mistakes in school management

            3.1 School meals are badly organised
            At school children’s meals are very poorly organised. Children have to stand in a line for food for a very long time, the food is of poor quality and tasteless. Children are never asked if they are happy with their food at school, this is something that should be asked on a termly basis, how is anything supposed to improve if the people who are eating the food are not having an input in it. 

            3.2 No professionalism in caring for children
            The school has a poor quality of self-guarding the students, especially in the current difficult conditions connected with the pandemic because of the irresponsible actions and low-quality knowledge in this area the school causes irreparable damage to students and their parents. 

            3.3 The Headmaster has not created a transparent system for assessing students’ knowledge
            Often the students who were unable to enter Abingdon School because of “insufficient knowledge” easily enter other schools, with stricter academic requirements. Is this not a symptom of the existence of segregation in the school on a national or other basis? Isn’t it the Headmaster’s fault that he either allows nationalism to exist within the walls of the school or was unable to organize a high-quality “incoming” control of knowledge level?

            3.4 There have been no staff for a long time which means there is no educational process
            The lack of the necessary high-quality teaching staff has been abundant within the school. The school seems to be in constant need of teachers. Take the academic year of 20-21, the course of electronics and physics was taught by teachers who have no experience in this field, or was not taught at all due to lack of staff. Neither the Headmaster nor his assistants maintain any contact with the parents and seem to barely show a desire to jointly solve some of the problems arising from the staff shortage. 

            In conclusion, it is clear to see that the school is lacking in the correct leadership and care that a school of this standard should be. The Headmasters’ lack of communication, empathy and just simple common sense, are just some of the problems this school has and will continue to have if changes are not made. I believe these children need guidance with a caring governing, they should be moulded into the kind of adults that can make a difference in the world and live happy lives. This child has had that taken away from him without even a conversation beforehand to explain any reason as to why. The Headmaster and the Governers need to take a long hard look at themselves because they seem to think they are better than the rest of us. Decisions are made by them and them alone! The time has come for us to take a stand and make a change.