Alarmed by the rise of the employer 'bullying' of leaders

The leaders of the National Association of head teachers will call one in all the country "compact leadership" must be signed by employers and principals to ensure good employment in school practices.

They expect all the local communities and promoters of Academy to register for it after the number of calls to the hotline of the association to help stressed out school leaders, it appeared had doubled year last to 250.

Russell Hobby, general Secretary of the NAHT, said: "we will bring to publicly endorse the employers who join this compact and, if necessary, warns those who repeatedly violate.

The movement follows the figures which show that primary schools are facing increasing difficulties in recruiting of headteachers - with 26 percent of 261 schools seeking replacements by failing to find them within 60 days, compared to 15% only the previous year.

Mr said Hobby concerned by the activities of the Government-designated "brokers Academy" named to encourage schools to join the Government of flagship scheme.? In an interview with the Independent, he said that they were taking the heads side for "confidential" conversations - saying their jobs would be safe if the has volunteered for the status of the Academy now, but could not be guaranteed if they were hung on another year.

Mr Hobby said local authorities that allowed these activities to go could be amongst the appointed for violating the Pact.

He added: "on a lot of concerns, however, about how the leaders were treated. This is not about what we want employers but that people have the right to expect of headteachers in return. ?

The Ministry of education said any allegation of professional misconduct against Academy brokers would be taken seriously - but that they could be a vital aid to help schools move to Academy status.

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Pupils report bullying to their teachers by text message

Many bullying victims are reluctant to speak out for fear their tormentors will make their lives even more of a misery if they are spotted reporting them to an adult. The new service, called “Text Someone”, allows pupils to complain about bullying at a distance.? They do not even have to give their names – although teachers would be able to contact them through their email address if they thought it necessary to help them.

Leicester City Council is pioneering the initiative by becoming the first authority in the country to give all its schools software, which enables their pupils to report instances “24/7” via text, phone and online. The system also has the advantage of allowing a bystander to report an instance of bullying, even if they are not the victim.

Dr Joe Dawson, principal education psychologist with Leicester City Council, said: “Technology is now making it easier for young people to report bullying from the safety of their home via text message or online.

“One of the main difficulties schools face is reluctance from young people to report bullying face-to-face or in school.”

The scheme is also helping schools to identify areas where bullying takes places, and tackle incidents that happen outside school.

In one instance, a girls’ school received reports that one of their pupils was being bullied by boys from another school on the bus on her way to school. “The pupil sent a text message which the bullying co-ordinator at her school was able to deal with by speaking to the school concerned,” Dr Dawson said.

The software was developed by the city council in consultation with the Contact Group, a firm which specialises in providing technological systems to schools. The group now has 2,000 schools signed up to use its equipment, in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Martin Ebbage, deputy headteacher of Tupton Hall school in Derbyshire, said the initiative had made it easier for pupils to report instances of bullying. “We take the line children often ‘talk with their thumbs’ and texting provides them with a familiar medium to communicate issues they might otherwise find difficult,” he said.

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