Britain’s ‘Strictest Teacher’ on traditional education and her student’s GCSE success 

This is a TEACHER ! The smart motivated young people she has and will send out to the world , will only make it better.

WoW, so refreshing to hear. I'm so tired of this victim "im opressed" mentality. No wonder she gets results.

I love her, our children need more like her 👏👏👏👏

How refreshing. She has so much genuine enthusiasm and it is infectious. I wish my sons school was run exactly like this.

She is brilliant, fantastic values and such enthusiasm to help her children achieve the very best. What a really sad reflection on the mentality of people abusing this amazing caring woman.

Love this woman, what a fantastic head teacher, just what our education system needs !

I was schooled in the 60/70s and her ideals and curriculum are just like looking back in time when teachers held respect of their pupils,When I and my class friends left school it was always the strictest teachers that got visited at annual class reunions , breath of fresh air , BRILLIANT.

I wish this lady was the Head teacher at my children's school! Simply brilliant.

The best performing pupils are those whose parental culture encourages academic attainment. What this woman is doing is providing that culture where it is very often absent in the home.

More Headteachers like her please!

OMG I love this woman That's how a teacher should be

I'm just about to leave teaching (not in UK) because I am burnt out, and I love teaching, but I don't have the resources right now to manage my anger at the horrendous lack of discipline in the schools where I teach as a guest and I won't put myself in a position where I might snap, rant at a child for bad behaviour, and be branded. Discipline is foundational and it is one of the best things you can give a child and it is not the same thing as oppression. It enables them to build a bedrock of pride in who they are and what they might achieve.

Her model needs to be copied around the U.K. She also doesn’t teach race. All children no matter what race are treated the same…

Katherine should, surely, be put in charge of our universities. They could learn a lot from her!

That's what we want back into schools is women and men with the same mindset as this woman she's brilliant.

I heard her wipe the floor with radio 4 recently she's bloody outstanding !

It is so nice to see that 'traditional' teaching can still be found in 2022.... i find this extremely encouraging.

What planet are the rest of the so called teachers on? I ❤ this lady she is all any school needs not just in England but yes great lady much can and will be learned by her 👍 😀 ❤ 👏

This sounds like the grammar school I went to in the 60s/70s . We didn't have smart phones then and I still don't .

In 1950 until later this was normal in standards of uniformity. This is not new.

She’s is brilliant 👏🏽👏🏽

Katherine rocks!

I learned myself right now,(I am old) This lady is very energetic,that's great

Brilliant! Firm, fair with boundaries that enable self discipline and respect for each other. Learning can be fun and motivate pupils and staff to do their best. There is nothing like that light bulb moment when a child realises they can understand what they are being taught. However, if the Head teacher is not fully engaged it is less effective, everything filters from the top down. I worked as a teaching assistant at a school in Hertfordshire where a brilliant, motivational Head left and the Deputy Head took over. He was a poor leader but a good teacher in the classroom. Was not open to listening to others. Appeared to be afraid of some parents yet passive aggressive and derogatory towards some staff, resulting in poor staff morale. Children learn by example. To have an enthusiastic, motivational Head who enables children to develop a love of learning and curiosity is wonderful. Indeed it inspires them to be the best they can be. If being strict with firm boundaries creates a calm, learning environment where there is pride in their achievement, self discipline and respect; please create more schools like this with inspirational Heads.

Kids need structure and rules. Our schools here in Canada 🇨🇦 are completely out of control! Graffiti, rudeness, absenteeism, no deducted marks, endless opportunities to make up marks, fire alarms constantly being pulled, cell phone fights and destroyed washrooms. Welcome to our liberal system...pure mayhem. Envy is a powerful force. She is brilliant. Teaching has always been a challenging profession.

Amazing woman!

This what we need in all schools I was educated in a school similar to this one it helped me I am 68 years old and it gave me a love of learning

Bravo to this wonderful, brave, conscientious lady! Every school needs to model itself on her methods!👏👏👏

Amazing teacher.

Actually seen a bunch of kids congregated outside a sweet shop and wondered what was going on so I said to the teacher...this is a school trip!!!! No joke she actually said that we need more real teachers

She’s absolutely inspirational & I could listen to her for hours!! #fantastic!

What an inspiration. So sad we have too many schools where the teachers' hands are tied. They have headteachers who want to be popular with the parents and don't support teachers, or teachers can't really teach they are daily micromanaged and told exactly what to teach or must teach whatever will (supposedly) impress the next Ofsted team who could be knocking on the door tomorrow, next, week , next month, next year but you must prepare now, today...

I thought at least you would drop the 'stricktest teacher' crap. Shes just right!

I once asked my headmaster why we were allowed to run wild in the corridors between lessons. He told me it was so that we could let off steam for 5 mins and then settle down in the next class. Rest in peace Mr Rowan Algie (Wynberg Boys High School Cape Town)

This reminds me of my schooldays. Brilliant! Why have we sunk so low in many schools today?

Yes I had two teachers who changed my life forever Mme Luttman and Mrs Alexander. Just like this man.

When the kids leave they will remember her rather than the woke berks that so many others get

Admirable lady. I imagine ahe has Indian heritage. I know that having a good education is highly prized n the middle east. Giving a child a good solid foundation us the greatest gift

Exactly what teachers should be like and how schools should be 🙏🏼

Amazing head teacher

She,s great.

I kept nodding at everything she said, what an amazing teacher, I like her style and her values but I do hope she allows the kids some flexibility at times because sitting in a class for half of the day or longer under too many strict rules is not always in the benefit of one's development.

Great teacher pity they’re still teaching brainwashing instead of a creativity /experience based education

Strict but fair. That's a skill that Adults really need to develop to benefit the development of children as far as I have been able to discern. This doesn't preclude fun and enjoyment. I might be completely off the mark but this has been something that I have thought for most of my 39 years. Its Encouraging to see this in practice in a school setting.

Well done!! My question is how can she achieve this??

I had no inhibitions in Maths till I had a horrible teacher who destroyed my confidence, and the rest of the class too. A few years later, I had a fabulous teacher. In the first lesson he just talked to us all setting out the culture of the classroom. He acknowledged that too often people are afraid of maths and have negative experiences. In his class no one was to shame anyone else for getting anything wrong, we would make mistakes, learn some things quickly and need more help with other concepts. He wanted us to have a go, and know we would never be shamed, and that he was committed to making sure we would learn not to be inhibited in his class. We should always feel that we could ask for help, admit we still didnt 'get it's, and he would then be able to help, spend more time, find other ways to explain something. He was absolute in his view that he wanted the class to have confidence and learn, and even to enjoy the subject. No one messed about in his class, no one dreaded it, we grew in confidence, and I learned to enjoy it again. I think the whole class looked forward to his lessons. The next school I was put on an accelerated programme and the teacher was nasty. She would embarrass us, go very fast, not willing to explain in different ways if you were struggling...explain once and get on with it policy! I felt sick at every homework and lesson. I was a straight A student at that point, but she crushed me to the extent I wanted to withdraw from the class and the programme, but the school wouldnt let me. I couldnt take anything in anymore because I spent the lesson waiting to be picked and terrified I would make a mistake and be ridiculed. It was hellish. My parents got me a tutor once a week and I could then go over things I hadnt consolidated and she was lovely and patient. That got me through and I passed my O level in one year because of that time. I'm lucky my parents could manage to do that. The following year I was to do the 'AO' exam, but I was so burnt out by the experience and the stress, did not feel I could ask my parents to keep the tutor and I failed the exam completely because I just could not retain what I was learning, not because of intellect or understanding the principle, but because I was so nervous. A wall went up. I would have nightmares where I sat in exams looking at papers and not recognising a single thing. I'm no wilting lily, but this teacher was an absolute bully. It took another 20 years before I rediscovered any pleasure in maths, which was because my son loves maths and I wanted to share that and support it for him and in another small way because my job started to involve budget planning and management and I got satisfaction from making sure I did that really well for the business, and worked very closely with our finance teams and accountants. My interest is reawakened, but I think it's very sad that a student with good aptitude who could have pursued the subject further was utterly put off by bad teaching.

Excellent!! but I have a feeling that the lefties will not be happy with this culture of discipline and winning......

She was my teacher when i was in grade 3 and wow i'm finishing high school and these are the good ol' days😏

Whoever would have thought that discipline can be a good thing...

She is a beautiful woman too.

I would say ,, do this or you listen to Phil Collins !

African studies?

She’s too strict but I suppose if you go to her school you already know what to expect

She is too strict let them enjoy themselves its good for them that way they will learn more. She should not be allowed to say what they should or shouldn't do she is not their parent it isn't a prison she is a DICTATOR

Yes shes famously as mad as a hatter

Magnum opus. Code + expectations + security + accountability + explicit instruction + respect + consistency + communication = EXCELLENCE. Great work Katharine and team. We need you here as a minister of education. 🦘🇦🇺👍 Many are telling us what to do based upon theory and ideology having had little if any longitudinal classroom experience. Classroom teachers are the best practitioners of theory who just need support and respect. Lucerne pedibus Mein verbum tuum.