‘School divided’: Teachers seek counselling, parents campaign for reinstatement

Traumatised teachers at St Paul’s School are seeking counselling following the sacking of Paul Browning as parents and staff vehemently campaign for reinstatement.

Traumatised teachers at St Paul’s School are seeking counselling following the sacking of Paul Browning as outspoken parents and staff vehemently campaign for the principal’s reinstatement.

Sources have told The Courier-Mail of a school community divided over the axing of Dr Browning and the controversial learning tool Realms of Thinking.

“When parents are threatening to take their kids out of the school if Paul Browning isn’t returned, they feel hung out to dry and dishonoured,” one insider said.

“These are people fronting classrooms every day and caring for the children, and there are so many beautiful teachers now distressed.”

Paul Browning was sacked at the end of term three.

They said the parents and students who have been protesting “are a very loud minority”, representing less than 7 per cent of the school’s population.

Sources claim some of the existing 130 staff are not in favour of Realms of Thinking but will not publicly admit it because some members of the senior leadership team including Nigel Grant, executive director of faith and learning, staunchly support the tool and Dr Browning.

Staff, who have declined to be named, say Mr Grant is highly supportive of Dr Browning and Realms of Thinking and has been extremely critical of Bishop Greaves’ approach to both the former principal and the program.

Bishop Greaves is chair of the Anglican Schools Commission which sacked Dr Browning and ordered him in April to cease all marketing and commercialisation of Realms of Thinking.

Hundreds of students and parents gathered at the corner of St Paul’s School protesting the sacking of the school principal Paul Browning.

Staff say Mr Grant has provided advice to teachers and students, including a template of a letter to Church leaders, to protest against the axing of Dr Browning.

The Realms of Thinking tool has 16 dispositions or cognitive skills such as curiosity that, according to its website, “nurture the growth of every students’ ability to think creatively”.

But some staff claim the insistence by Dr Browning that Realms of Thinking be applied across the curriculum has dramatically added to their workload.

“The matrix of Realms of Thinking is too complicated and it’s not feasible to apply it to every subject,” they said.

The Reinstate Dr Browning Facebook page has 811 members.