In Pink school, there was a diametrically opposed style of leadership to that of Green School. Three out of four teacher interviews at Pink school described the principal as being "autocratic", and "hard driving", who made decisions without consultation and used little delegation. Statements from teachers described her as "very quick to have an opinion about anything", and that she would make snap decisions. When asked about what the principal would do if a �eacher had a problem, one teacher stated:
"She'd take over and sort it, full stop, the end. She's not really the sort of person who would help you to solve the p roblem yourself, it's like ... all right
I'll deal with it". (Sp IT)
Another teacher described the principal's style as "dictatorial", having very set ideas and stated, "she likes to think she is collaborative, but when it comes down to it she isn't" . When discussing decisions made in syndicates, the teacher was also clear to point out that the syndicate decisions could be over ruled from above and it was not easy to work this way. Another teacher expressed concern at the administration and stated that decisions had been made before they came up at a meeting and that issues discussed with the principal were not kept in confidence. One teacher stated:
"We're only going through a procedure, often someone will say, 'well there wasn't any point in that meeting, it was all decided beforehand". (Sp iT)
It was also clear in the observation notes that there were difficulties and tension among teaching staff and administration. There were frequent displays of depersonalisation, such as negative, cynical comments made about the principal and the lack of support from the administration team. Further in-depth interviews revealed that there was an 'in group' that
consisted of the principal and her buddy (L). It was apparent that individual teachers were under great pressure.
Further observational data and interview discussions revealed difficulties with the principal's managerial control. One example that revealed this was based on an observation during morning break. The principal, in front of all staff, read out loud a letter written by the deputy principal to parents (the DP
was not in the room). Astonishingly the principal was correcting this letter and was saying, " .. 1 don't think (OP) should put this in the newsletter ... ". The principal proceeded to go through the letter and when the OP came in the room kept on correcting it. The principal then talked to him about making amendments. This incident appeared to be humiliating to the OP, extremely unprofessional and showed the principal's lack of confidentiality.
Another senior staff member, discussing her staff appraisal, felt that it was not handled profeSSionally and that there was a lack of confidentiality in administration. Lack of confidentiality was repeatedly noted in the interviews (3 out of 4) and observation data where the p rincipal would talk about
children's parents, revealing personal information. On one occasion (during the morning break) the principal stood up in the staff room and imitated particular students, with the conversation appearing to be a gossip session. Observation notes revealed that during this event other staff laughed and chipped in and that it seemed that the principal did this to make herself popular with her predominantly female staff. This behaviour also revealed depersonalisation, where callous, cynical attitudes towards their students were shown. Apart from these occasions of informal conversation, on the whole the principal was tense, very controlled and appeared threatened and defensive in her mannerisms and in her interview. Reasons for this
demeanour may have been due to a recent second burglary in the school and having graffiti sprayed on school walls. Interview data also revealed that the principal had in the previous year had a debilitating stress-related illness.
Initial observational impressions of Pink School were noted as being well organised and efficient. The school's grounds were immaculate and the staff room very tidy and carefully organised. A casual conversation with a stand-in cleaner / caretaker revealed they had called him in as the previous caretaker had been 'sent down the road' due to inefficiency . Observations of the
principal's manner and discussions with staff also suggested that inefficiency or lack of performance would not be acceptable.
Red Schools principal's (discussed below in 6.2.6) emphasis on high efficiency and clear communication worked well and provided an adequate challenge to the staff. Pink School (which also emphasised high efficiency and
performance) was in contrast hard driving and many teachers indicated feeling overwhelmed, overburdened, anxious, powerless, discontented,
hopeless and unable to cope. Two different teachers stated their views on the principal's demand for efficiency and high performance:
"You just have to be efficient and on top of things to cope here. I manage by plamting ahead as much as possible and not leaving things to the last minute, but I don't know how long I want to be in this type of enviromnent, it's stimulating but totally exhausting and near the end of term we're like zombies".( Sp iT)
One young teacher stated:
"P puts too much too much emphasis on children's assessments and then
there's also the endless paperwork. I don't know how the older teachers
manage. I feel so tired and drained at times, I get stress headaches and my
syndicate often has to carry my load". (Sp /BT)
While the principal demanded efficiency, she also showed a strong need to be in control and be aware of everything happening throughout the school. One teacher stated:
"She doesn' t ask to see work plans or anything like that. She's through all the time (wandering in the classroom) and she picks up by osmosis what's going on rather than sit down and watch you take maths sort of thing. She is aware and does keep herself informed as to what we're doing and what's going on". (Sp iT)
Pink School's hard driving emphasis on efficiency and performance appeared to contribute to many teachers feeling overwhelmed and discontented.