BRITAIN’S “strictest head teacher” has shared her top tips for keeping naughty kids under control.
Katharine Birbalsingh, 48, is the founder and headmistress of the Michaela Community School in Wembley – a diverse school in one of London’s most deprived areas.
Katherine Birbalsingh is known as Britain’s strictest headteacher[/caption]
Katherine Birbalsingh gave out her expert advice to other teachers on Twitter[/caption]
The high-achieving school was established in 2014 by Birbalsingh as headmistress and has often been described as the “strictest school in Britain”.
Over summer the West London academy saw 98 per cent of its students achieve 4+ (C) or more in last week’s GCSEs.
And the top headteacher has now shared her expert advice on social media after one follower asked for tips for a young teacher on how to take control of a classroom.
Sharing on Twitter, where she has nearly 100,000 followers, Birbalsingh gave four key tips to teachers heading back to the classroom.
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Her first tip is to “Mean what you say, say what you mean. Always follow through”.
While her second touched on the kids welfare as she told teachers to “show them you love them” and “smile and laugh with them”.
Thirdly, the renowned head advised to “sweat the small stuff” and make sure a warning was given out before any serious punishment.
Her last tip to go to bed before 10pm is simple and effective and could not just benefit teachers but all working adults.
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After the school published its latest GCSE results, the head clarified her stance on strictness, saying: ”An example of the mistake we make in thinking “strict and being in authority” is the same as “authoritarianism”.
“Strict is immersed in love with high standards, not allowing kids to let themselves down.
“The adult must be in a position of authority to lead. Otherwise, chaos.”
Birbalsingh was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but studied at the University of Oxford.
After graduating she went on to teach around schools in South London before ending up founding mixed secondary Michaela Community school in 2014.
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Apart from gaining fame as a headteacher, Katharine is also the author of two books, Singleholic (2009) and To Miss with Love (2011).
And in October 2021, she was appointed chair of the Social Mobility Commission.
