Jindivick Primary School teachers resign amid allegations of ‘toxic’ culture among leadership team

Five teachers have all quit from Jindivick Primary School after allegedly suffering months of “bullying”, “intimidation” and “extreme stress” from the school’s leadership team.

Five teachers have resigned from Jindivick Primary School amid allegations about its “toxic” culture.

Five teachers from a Victorian regional school have all resigned due to serious complaints following allegations of a “toxic” culture, saying the stress has taken a serious toll on their mental health.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the staff members, who have asked to remain anonymous, claim they have endured months of “bullying”, “intimidation” and “extreme stress” from the school’s leadership team at Jindivick Primary School, with some saying they experienced panic attacks on their way to work.

They say their concerns have been reported to the Department of Education and the Victorian Ombudsman.

Former teachers from Jindivick Primary School say they have experienced “extreme stress”.

A former teacher, who quit her job in recent months, claimed the school’s leadership team failed in providing a safe and inclusive environment.

“It got to a point where you couldn’t even say anything to children that were misbehaving, including swearing at teachers and other serious behavioural issues,” she alleged.

“Their accounts of incidents were believed over ours.

“I also witnessed the bullying and toxic culture created by the principal and it left me extremely stressed.

“It’s not somewhere that I would encourage anyone to work in. I feel extremely sorry for what my colleagues have gone through.”

Several former teachers have also alleged that principal, who was appointed in the role late last year, had failed to support them.

Serious allegations have been about Jindivick Primary School having a "toxic" culture.

Another woman, who has been teaching for almost 15 years, said she was forced to resign in July, claiming she was offered no support from the Department of Education or the school’s regional director.

She said it all began when a parent made an “unsubstantiated” complaint about the way she had spoken to her child.

“The principal did not advise me of the complaint or communicate with me as to why the student was removed from my class, I felt like I was kept in the dark,” she alleged.

The teacher alleged it took weeks to secure a meeting with the principal and when they eventually met she was “given the impression that everything had been sorted”.

The educator said she continued to feel “distressed” for months on end and claimed she felt that the principal continued to allegedly “target” her.

“She would gaslight me and lie that staff were making complaints about me, but I would ask staff members about it and they wouldn’t know what I was talking about,” she alleged.

“It was seriously intimidating and I felt so much anxiety driving to school everyday.

“It’s taken a serious toll on my mental health and I even had an employment limitation, which prevents me from working in any public system and that is still being investigated.

“I’ve provided eight referees who have provided eight written character references supporting me but I’m still awaiting an answer from the Department.”

A Department of Education spokesperson said: “We’re helping schools tackle challenging student behaviour – so that teachers can teach, and students can learn in a positive and supported environment.”