She's been dubbed 'Britain's strictest teacher' and now, Katharine Birbalsingh has chatted to Lorraine about her military style of teaching. Birbalsingh runs the Michaela Community School in Wembley - a culturally diverse school in one of London's most deprived areas.
"I always say that being strict is being clear and consistent," she said, responding to the controversial title. She added: "Strict is all about love because when you love them enough, you can hold your standards high for them and have them reach those standards." And one way in which she reaches those standards is by making pupils walk to lesson in silence.
Appearing on ITV's Lorraine, she said: "Too much these days, we think that silence is oppressive when actually, [the children] moving quickly in silence to their lessons means that in a minute and a half, you do your transition, you get more time with them in the classroom to be able to teach them more and when you're trying to catch up children with the chronological age of a seven-year-old when actually they're eleven, you need as much time exposed to them in the classroom."
Read more: Britain's Strictest Headmistress: Who is Katharine Birbalsingh?
Birbalsingh's new ITV documentary has sparked criticism online with some claiming that her teaching methods are 'too strict'. One person wrote on Twitter: "Not every child is academic and I wonder how many would need therapy after a school like this." Despite this, Lorraine commented on the positive impact that her style of teaching achieves "remarkable" results and that "the pupils are thriving."
And she's not wrong - In 2017, Ofsted graded Katharine's school “Outstanding” in every category. Following this achievement, Katharine received a CBE in the Queen's 2020 Birthday Honours.
The ITV documentary, Britain's Strictest Headmistress, shows youngsters undergoing a boot camp to prepare them for life at her school, where they are taught to keep their shirts tucked in and pick up crumbs after they’ve been eating.
We also see how pupils are punished for not making eye contact, pulling funny faces or forgetting to bring a second pencil. In the film, we meet Corliss, who joins year eight halfway through the school year.
“Strict is how I would describe it,” he says gloomily, after his preliminary meeting. "I can’t say I’m looking forward to it…”
What are your thoughts on Katharine's strict methods? Do you agree with this approach to teaching? Let us know in the comments
Britain's Strictest Headmistress is available to watch on ITV Hub
