Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School

I was a former student here and I have never hated an experience as much as I have this school. No support when promised. Bullying not dealt with I even had to have police intervention due to threats of being attacked and school did nothing I was physically attacked within the school grounds and the attacker only got isolation. Another round of bullying a pastoral who no longer works there was trying to get me to apologise to them for bullying me. I ended up in hospital due to mental health detonating and sucidal thoughts due to this negative experience

My child is in 7or in and ppl are vondtlay bullied because of stupidest reasons and all the teachers are rude to students and give out detentions for no reason some of the teachers can't even speak English teachers are rude for no reason like they ecpact our children to be nice to them but that are not nice to the children that go there and it is supposedly a Catholic school well that attitude of that students there don't show that if it was hi school uniform day which there isn't you would have thought it was a ghetto gang school people sagging making out teachers have relationships with students younger than them it is not a good school you look at one person and they wanna kill you and the teachers is rascist as a white person say can I go to the toilet they say yes a black person no even know you have a toilet pass. People with special needs don't get help but people with no special needs get special treatment some fake disabilities and get away with it you can't speak to the head teachers and heads of years always make up excuses to get you child in trouble it is not worth sending your child or teenegar there matter a fact don't work there staff are rude and racist to each other nothing help with this school that school don't teach anything they are only good for shouting at your child or teenager or cussing some teachers use swear words at children AGAIN IT IS NOT WORTH IT. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD THERE IF YOU DO YOUR CRUEL ME AS A PARENT I CAN TELL THE TEACHERS AND SUPPOSRY FOR YOUR CHILD IS NOT WORTH IT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED IF YOU HAVE SPECAIL NEEDD YOU DON'T GET HELPED PEOPLE WITH NO SPECIAL NEEDS GET NO HELP

Awful school ran by incompetent bullies.
The biggest issue the school have is the deputy head/mental health lead, her job title is laughable (and qualifications questionable) considering she is the reason my daughter's mental health plummeted when she was asked to support her on a bullying situation. This happened over the children's phones and we had plenty of evidence but despite their "cyber bullying policy" we were told it was "out of their jurisdiction" because it happened outside of school hours and she refused to help us any further.
The head teacher is practically non existent, he is never available to talk to and has attended one of many meetings I've had at the school and he didn't say a single word. Not even to introduce himself.
The majority of teachers seem to use isolation as a first resort to any incident rather than a last as is supposed to be the procedure.
Autistic or difficult children are hidden away for OFSTED visits to ensure each monitored lesson "runs smoothly".
And apart from the mandatory R.E lessons and occasional masses there is nothing religious about the school. Nothing about their religion is reflected in their behaviour and approach to vulnerable children or families and definitely nothing reflected in their senior management teams views and actions.
I will say some teachers are amazing and go above and beyond most days and they really should be appreciated by the head for practically carrying the mess that is the rest of the school. The head of 10 is one of these teachers as well as the pastoral team.

My experience at Blessed Hugh Faringdon School was nothing short of a nightmare. As a new PGCE student, I came in with high hopes and expectations, only to be met with hostility, lack of support, and outright disrespect.

After contracting Covid-19, instead of receiving compassion and understanding, I was made to feel bad. The support I received during this challenging time was minimal at best. As someone new to teaching, I naturally had many questions, but instead of being met with guidance, I was made to feel like an idiot for even asking. This was particularly disheartening as I was in the initial stages of my teaching career and needed support more than ever.

Sue Matthews, the assistant headteacher, was particularly detrimental to my experience. She constantly spoke down to me, belittled me, and patronized me. Her condescending tone and attitude made me feel like a child rather than a professional. The nerve she had to suggest that I had a 'learning difficulty' because I didn’t grasp something complex the first time was utterly insulting. How can someone who supposedly specializes in Mental Health and Wellbeing cause such a significant decline in my own mental health and wellbeing through her actions and comments?

Adding to this toxic environment was Celine Stubbs, who mirrored her mother’s behavior but was even more aggressive. The fact that she boasts about receiving a first on her observations is laughable, considering her mother, Sue Matthews, was the one conducting the observations. This blatant conflict of interest created an environment where it felt like mother and daughter were ganging up on me.

Throughout my time at Blessed Hugh Faringdon School, I did not witness Sue Matthews or Celine Stubbs speaking to any white members of staff in the same manner they spoke to me. This raises a serious concern: were they treating me this way because of my brown skin? The constant undermining, belittling, and lack of support felt like racially motivated behavior.

Overall, my experience at Blessed Hugh Faringdon School was incredibly negative and impactful in the worst way possible. The lack of support, coupled with the condescending and racially insensitive behavior from key staff members, made my time there unbearable. I would not recommend this school to anyone, especially those who value respect, support, and a healthy working environment.