Former Chellaston Academy headteacher created 'culture of fear' at school, report claims

A former Derby head teacher acted in an unprofessional and bullying manner towards staff, created a culture of fear and failed to disclose an affair, an investigation has found. A Teaching Regulation Agency disciplinary panel heard that some allegations against Kevin Gaiderman were admitted by the former Chellaston Academy headteacher, while others were denied and some could not be proved.

Mr Gaiderman was employed at the school from September 1, 2015, until he left on August 31, 2020. His departure followed a vote of no confidence in him by staff in March 2020.

The newly-published Teaching Regulation Agency report says that between May 2018 and March 2019, Mr Gaiderman acted in an unprofessional and/or bullying manner towards a member of staff, known as Individual A, over her performance and did not give notice or reason for a meeting about it. On another occasion she was belittled in front of other colleagues.

It was also alleged that Mr Gaiderman acted in an unprofessional manner towards another member of staff, known as Individual B, by marginalising him and giving him a "much reduced role", shouting at him, belittling him in meetings, and threatening that he would fail his performance management if he didn't take a demotion. This was found proven by the panel who found that he acted in a "unprofessional and, in context, bullying" way.

Mr Gaiderman admitted providing a false reference in relation to Individual A who, despite her punctuality being questioned by him, described her punctuality as "outstanding" on the reference. He accepted that he had an affair with another staff member, referred to in the report as Individual C, but failed to disclose the situation to the governors.

Mr Gaiderman denied he created a culture of fear at the school between 2015 and 2020. The panel heard evidence that staff were not prepared to raise their heads at meetings. A witness said that Mr Gaiderman was "forceful" with certain colleagues and that it was embarrassing to witness. Mr Gaiderman was also described as having a "terrifying style". He was said to slap his hand down on the table, raise his voice and berate colleagues. The panel heard that Mr Gaiderman once accused a staff member of stealing a cookie with no basis and no apology.

Another witness provided evidence that before Mr Gaiderman’s arrival on the senior leadership team it was "amicable, equitable and members of the team were treated fairly. There were open conversations and which on occasion led to disagreements but within what the leadership team would face."

The witness said the senior team "seemed less open after Mr Gaiderman’s arrival. A general feeling that decisions were made by Mr Gaiderman and Individual C without consulting other members of the team.…staff were put in a position of fear and did not feel able to speak freely."

The panel concluded that there was "sufficient evidence that Mr Gaiderman created a culture of fear and/or a toxic environment within the school due to his abrasive treatment of staff between 2015 and 2019, leading them to feel upset and/or humiliated".

Decision-maker Marc Cavey said that the panel had found that Mr Gaiderman was in breach of the following standards and the "findings of misconduct are serious as they include behaviour by a school leader that was dishonest". He said: "Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school, by showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others.

"Teachers must have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school in which they teach. The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Gaiderman fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. The findings of misconduct are serious as they include behaviour by a school leader that was dishonest."

He added: "In this case, I have considered the extent to which a prohibition order would protect children and safeguard pupils. The panel has not recorded any evidence that Mr Gaiderman’s behaviour adversely impacted on the safety and wellbeing of pupils.

"Mr Gaiderman described himself as having been a passionate educationalist who didn’t want to let children down. He also stated that he is now not the person that he was four years ago with respect to character and personality. He also commented that looking back, he would address things differently.

"The panel heard and saw evidence of the remorse that Mr Gaiderman felt for the impact his actions had on his family. The panel was not entirely convinced that Mr Gaiderman’s insight fully extended to the colleagues affected and impacted by his actions and behaviour, as there was very limited remorse addressing this point."

Mr Cavey continued: "In my judgement, the lack of full insight means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour, albeit that it would be unlikely to impact on the safety and wellbeing of pupils. I have therefore given this element some weight in reaching my decision.

"The panel said that Mr Gaiderman did have a previously good history, having contributed significantly to the education sector. Mr Gaiderman had been teaching for a number of years, with the 16 years prior to 2020, in senior leadership positions within schools.

"The panel also records having considered several pieces of character evidence from teachers who worked with Mr Gaiderman, other headteachers and professional colleagues attesting to his ability as a leader and the positive relationships he had developed with the pupils in his schools.

"For these reasons, I agree with the panel’s recommendation and have concluded that a prohibition order (preventing him from working in education) is not proportionate or in the public interest. I consider that the publication of the findings made would be sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that were not acceptable and that the publication would meet the public interest requirement of declaring proper standards of the profession."