'What the hell is going on?': Parents' fury after 'every teacher' suddenly leaves school

Concerned parents are staging protests outside a school amid allegations that all teachers, teaching assistants and a receptionist have left.

Hutchinson Memorial CE First School in Checkley, near Cheadle in Staffordshire, is reportedly being staffed by supply teachers and personnel from another school within the multi-academy trust. Finola Bandrick, a mother with one child at the 'outstanding' rated school, stated that since September 'every single one' of the teachers left unexpectedly.

The 38-year-old has now made the drastic decision to home educate her child until a resolution is reached. Uttoxeter Learning Trust confirmed that several staff members were off sick and 'steps were being taken to support staff' and 'ensure the education of children is not affected', reports Stoke on Trent Live.

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Finola, speaking on behalf of concerned parents, clarified that their issue was not with the school but with the Uttoxeter Learning Trust. She revealed: "Every single one of the teachers has left. My son cried himself to sleep. He heard that his teacher had left and he was really worried about him. I will now be home schooling my child until something is sorted."

"We know the staff haven't done anything wrong. None of them would have taken the decision to go lightly. The parents have not got a problem with the teachers or the school. It's still an amazing school because of all the groundwork the staff have put in over the years. It was rated outstanding by Ofsted two years ago.

"I wanted my kids to go there because I liked the whole family ethos and the behaviour of the children is impeccable. You only have to go to the school and look at the children running into school to see how amazing it is.

"The Trust wants to change everything that was working so well. They've up-turned a perfectly brilliant school."

After numerous parents expressed concerns regarding staff welfare to the leadership of the Uttoxeter Learning Trust, a meeting was held at the end of February.

Finola, who is also a primary school teacher, added: "At the meeting the Trust promised us that they wouldn't lose any more members of staff. They said staff welfare is a massive concern.

"Since the meeting more staff have left. It's been over two months since the meeting, and they've been aware since November. If the children were a priority then why haven't they done anything about it? As parents we need to do something.

"I keep reiterating, what has changed since September 2023? What the hell is going on in our brilliant school? ".

A representative for Uttoxeter Learning Trust expressed: "The welfare of our pupils and staff, as well as providing a high-quality education is our absolute priority. Unfortunately, we have had a number of staff from Hutchinson Memorial CE First School off sick and have been taking steps to support these staff as well as ensure the education of our children is not affected. To do this, we are drawing on the expertise of other local teachers from within the Trust.

"We understand parents' concerns, and as well as sending regular newsletters and responding to their queries about this issue, we have already met with a number of them to ensure they are fully informed and to reassure them that we are doing our very best to mitigate any impact.

"We are committed to supporting our staff, hearing the concerns of parents and ensuring we communicate clearly to them regarding the actions we are taking to achieve this. We will continue to keep them informed of the situation and do everything we can to keep on giving our pupils a high-quality education."

A study conducted by the NASUWT has revealed that four out of five teachers have experienced an increase in work-related stress over the past year. This alarming statistic has led the union to declare a mental health crisis in UK schools.

According to the union's annual survey, which included 11,752 participants, 86% of teachers feel their job has negatively impacted their mental health in the last 12 months.