Britain's 'Strictest Headmaster' Urges Parents To Teach Children Better Manners

Nov 10, 2021 by apost team

Barry Smith, who is Regional Director at Community Schools Trust in London, is considered to be the strictest headmaster in all of Britain. Smith is known for his "army-like" policies that put a focus on stopping children from avoiding work. Once, he told students that they would be given buckets if they felt they needed to vomit in class rather than be allowed to go to the restroom.  He often visits schools around the country to help get the kids to behave more properly. 

Smith was working at The Abbey School in Faversham in September 2021, and his methods had a lot of parents angry. Apparently, Smith refers to students as "detainees" and hands out an average of 80 detentions a day. He once passed out 150 detentions, which was half of the school's students. Though his policies are both criticized and praised by the public, it has been recognized that Smith's involvement helped to raise standardized test scores in the past.  

Parents whose children attend The Abbey School were furious to find out that their kids were missing class due to certain "discipline assemblies" where they had to either remain silent with their arms crossed or chant phrases about how to behave correctly. Students have also said that they were told by Smith to fold their arms while speaking to adults. 

Authorities at The Abbey School stated that many of the claims made about Smith are untrue, and he was there to deliver training to staff. The statement also said that Smith was praised by government officials for his impact on school improvement. Keep reading to learn more about Smith and to see the parents' reactions to his methods.  

Smith is very passionate about his work and likes to share his thoughts on education with his social media followers. In 2021, he tweeted: "I became a teacher at 29. I was shocked how surveys were in vogue. Find out what kids like doing. Find out how they like to learn. That was 24 years ago. As a kid myself, I was often lazy. My teachers weren't always great. But my lack of effort was really down to me."

He continued: "Whether it's swinging on chairs/doodling/tapping pens/toilet requests/claims of feeling ill/tantrums, invariably attempts at work avoidance. We used to recognize that as a matter of course. Today there seems to be less recognition that children frequently try to avoid work." It appears that Smith sees much room for improvement in the current education system.

When parents heard about some of Smith's methods, they were not happy. Kent Online spoke with Laura Thomas, whose daughter attends The Abbey School. "She asked me 'why have we got to have the assemblies when we have to fold our arms and sit in silence?'" Thomas said. "They're missing lessons to have these - yesterday she missed history, and maths the day before. Apparently, he makes them chant different phrases. I don't know exactly what they're saying, but apparently, there are chants they have to say about how to behave."

According to the news outlet, another mother said: "(My daughter) was crying on the phone to me over (Smith) from the time she left school (until) she got home, then cried some more. I'm livid."

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What do you think of Smith's methods? Are they worth it for more well-mannered children? Let us know and be sure to send this on to your friends and family.