Teachers accounts of working for Athena Learning Trust

The Panorama documentary, which is available to watch on iPlayer, examined the trust’s disciplinary regime across schools in Devon and Cornwall, particularly at Camborne Science & International Academy (CSIA), Launceston College and the Ilfracombe Academy.

It followed our own reports over the past four years highlighting concerns raised by parents, pupils and local politicians.

Teachers Talk Radio, an online radio station and podcast network created by and for educators, has now spoken to former and current Athena teachers.

Their testaments vary hugely, from one who says the Panorama documentary was a “hatchet job” to another who likened Athena to Frankenstein’s monster.

Teachers Talk Radio has featured detailed accounts from four teachers: two current and two former members of staff. Two of them worked at Camborne Science and International Academy, allowing them to compare dramatically different accounts of the same school.

Tom Rogers, CEO of the station, said: “We have also seen internal staff communications concerning some of the policies at the centre of the controversy and offered Athena Learning Trust the opportunity to respond in full.

Former Camborne Science and International Academy teacher Robin Brindley Johnson, left, in conversation with Teachers Talk Radio CEO Tom Rogers (Pic: Teachers Talk Radio)

“Some controversial practices are acknowledged even by staff who strongly defend Athena. Other claims are disputed. Some policies appear to have changed. Some schools appear to have operated differently from others, and sometimes two teachers looking at the same system simply reach completely different conclusions about it.”

Teacher 1

Teachers Talk Radio spoke to an anonymous teacher with 20 years’ teaching experience, ten of which has been with Athena.

They said of the programme: “It failed to mention the national SEND crisis – the lack of funding and access to support – instead laying it solely at the door of the school. I’m not saying any school gets it right, because I don’t think that’s totally true but it’s a much more nuanced situation than the programme indicated

“It looked like a hatchet job rather than an in-depth exploration of where we are and WHY we’re there.”

They also questioned whether the parents most vocally opposed to Athena necessarily represented the wider school community:

“Some of the most vocal parents I’m aware of are those whose children have been permanently excluded for very sound reasons (and have repeatedly disrupted the school afterwards) or whose children have long since left (with good GCSEs).”

The Britain’s Strictest Schools programme said that all Athena schools have a two-strike policy – a warning for one breach and an in-school detention for the second, which Athena calls ‘reflection’. The documentary stated that pupils at Launceston get put in ‘reflection’ about 1,000 times a month, where they have to work in silence, with some having to wear noise-cancelling headphones.

If they break the rules in ‘reflection’, students can be suspended. The suspension rate at Launceston is three times higher than the average for England, while at Camborne it’s been around five times higher.

The anonymous teacher did not deny that ‘reflection’ is a significant part of the behaviour system, but they said its operation had changed: “Students used to do homework in ‘reflection’, but there are now booklets prepared by heads of faculty for students to work on. In the case of students on a reading intervention programme, they can come out of ‘reflection’ for that lesson. It depends on the individual student and what happened.”

They also pushed back on descriptions of Athena schools as places where pupils sat silently throughout lessons.

“It’s not a policy per se. We are expected (where appropriate) to have 20-minute silent practice, but that’s not in one whole chunk necessarily and not appropriate for every subject. When it was first introduced a few years ago, that’s what was required, but it quickly changed when they realised it didn’t work. We haven’t had enforcement silent practice ever.”

Access to toilets has been a much talked-about issue among parents and was reflected in the Panorama programme.

The current Athena teacher told Teachers Talk Radio: “There was lots left out of the Panorama programme, including how not all the Athena schools were/are the same. We never ever say no to the toilet, for example. We do discourage the first and last ten minutes of a lesson, but not an outright no.”

One communication seen by the radio programme asks staff to discourage pupils leaving during parts of lessons, but also explicitly states: “Obviously if they look in discomfort please allow them to go.”

Teacher 2

A former member of staff at Launceston College provided Teachers Talk Radio with a six-page account of their experience and asked to remain anonymous.

They were very much supportive of the trust in the beginning, “but when authoritarian leadership is mistaken for authoritative leadership it becomes controlling, not leading. This was what Athena Launceston became”.

They wrote: “Morning briefings – or daily staff practice – involved 60 or 70 staff stood in a crescent around either the headteacher or deputy. Staff would be tested on any of the 50 or so acronyms, tested on what they would do in a scenario and told to put fists in the air – before showing one finger for true or two fingers for false. Or maybe – thumbs up or thumbs down.

“No staff member could contribute or ask a question. Five days a week – every week of the year. Lateness would be challenged via a 1:1.”

They claimed: “In 2025 at least 17 teachers with well over 170 years of teaching at the college left – and none were allowed a leaving speech. Anything they wished to say could be given to their line manager to say – but they could not speak.”

They also described a harsher toilet regime than the current teacher.

“To conclude – it is so sad that something so full of potential became a monster. Animal Farm. Frankenstein. The cautionary tales are there.

“Relationships are about how you relate to those around you. If you don’t treat others with dignity – parents, students or staff – your rocket ship implodes.”

Teacher 3

Teachers Talk Radio also conducted an hour-long filmed interview with Robin Brindley Johnson, an experienced maths teacher and former assistant headteacher who worked at Camborne Science and International Academy until October 2025 and briefly appears in the BBC programme.

Asked about the words used to describe Athena, he said: “I certainly would agree with authoritarian. I don’t think I’d agree with the word cruel, although I can understand why other people might be saying that.

“I think it was about the fact that there was only one way of doing things. And it was absolutely relentless for both students and teachers that there was this way of doing things and leaders were quite skilled in how they shut down any dissent and prevented opportunity for discussion on things. It really was one way of doing things.”

Mr Brindley Johnson was especially critical of staff training. “I wanted to flip the desk and walk out and say, ‘This is ridiculous. This is crazy. This is patronising. I’ve been teaching a long time. You don’t care about that.’ There was no differentiation in the room regard teachers with different backgrounds or different experiences.”

The insistence that pupils put pens down while teachers are talking was featured in the BBC investigation. “You need to make the kids put their pens down. And I said well I’m not comfortable about that. I don’t believe in it. And I was told it was trust policy. Well, I’m not going to do it,” said Mr Brindley Johnson.

On the subject of ‘reflection’, he commented on a pupil being sent to ‘reflection’ for laughing twice in a lesson. “She was just being a kid. That’s what Athena tried to beat out of the young people. They tried to stop them being children. It’s like if a kid forgets an exercise book that they’re meant to bring to your lesson, then you had to send them to reflection because that would teach them. No, it wouldn’t.

“But worse than that, the slightly anxious, quieter kids that are nervous about school anyway just experience fear every single day, fear of forgetting a book, fear of being late to school because of what was happening. That was the damage that the Athena policies were doing to significant numbers of young people.”

However, he told Teachers Talk Radio that behaviours at the school improved.

“Things did need to change. It just didn’t need this. It solved a problem to some extent. It quashed the behaviour but destroyed any love of learning from any of the kids, any enjoyment of school for teachers or students.”

Teacher 4

The final member of staff who spoke to Teachers Talk Radio currently works at Camborne Science and International Academy, the same school where Mr Brindley Johnson worked. They gave a differing account.

The teacher, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: “The Panorma documentary was not particularly a fair representation of CSIA. There were one-sided accusations without the full context.

“For example it was stated as fact that students get sent out for looking out the window. This is absolutely untrue and students only get sent out for persistently disruptive behaviour that impacts the learning of others.

“The programme missed out on all of the support we give students to get it right, issuing correct equipment every day in tutor time, uniform store, support cards, daily check-ins, positive praise … honestly there if so much more resource spent/used on the positives and pre-emptive support than reflection!

“But we do have ‘reflection’, we do remove students from lessons for disruption, rudeness, truancy, responding poorly. We shouldn’t be ashamed of expecting children to respond well to us and to work hard.”

Their comments about toilet use also contradict those in the programme: “A lot was made of our toilet policy, but we actually have a pretty permissive toilet policy. Teachers have professional judgement to let students go to the toilet and no child is denied the toilet if they need it.”

Perhaps the starkest disagreement comes over silent lessons. Mr Brindley Johnson described “classroom after classroom of silent compliant learners”, but the current Camborne teacher said: “There is no minimum or maximum amount of silent practice in any lesson – this is totally at the teacher’s discretion.”

They also denied a mass exodus of staff at Camborne. “Actually, when we joined Athena our staff turnover plummeted, although I put this down to our headteacher who is inspirational and has really built a strong team ethos.

“Only a very small number of staff left, those who either didn’t believe in the idea that poor behaviour should be challenged or those who didn’t want to change their teaching style to match what their head of department was asking for.

“It’s telling that of all the Athena schools CSIA hasn’t had any union action – we are a really close knit team and we genuinely all want what is best for the students.”

Athena Learning Trust statement

A spokesperson for Athena told the teachers’ radio station.

“We recognise that the BBC Panorama programme has had a mixed reaction, both in the communities our schools serve and across the teacher workforce. There is no doubt that how schools achieve the best for students is an ongoing national debate.

“Our schools are committed to listening to their communities and continually improving. In recent months, they have actively sought feedback from students, parents and staff through surveys, meetings and regular engagement. That feedback has already informed a number of changes across our schools.

“Several have established dedicated parent and student listening groups to ensure families and young people will always play an active role in shaping future improvements.There have already been changes across the schools in recent months, and headteachers will lead in the new academic year, with a particular focus on strengthening inclusive approaches.

“The schools are in different places compared to the experiences of former staff and we believe that the work of our staff and leaders is the key to success.

“Every child deserves to feel safe, supported and respected, and the staff in our schools work hard to balance high expectations with compassion, understanding and individual support.

“Staff are expected to use their professional judgement and make reasonable adjustments for children and young people with SEND and additional needs. Our schools are committed to providing calm and purposeful learning environments where every child can succeed.

“Clear routines and consistent expectations are intended to minimise disruption to learning as in most schools. The wellbeing of our students is central to every decision we make.”

They added: “In July, the board of trustees announced its decision to work with the Department for Education to identify alternative trusts for Athena Learning Trust schools. That decision followed careful reflection and listening to feedback, with the aim of securing the strongest possible long-term future for the children, families and communities we serve.

“While this process takes place, our priority remains unchanged. Our focus is on ensuring every child continues to receive a high-quality education in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment, and that our staff have the support they need to continue delivering for children every day.”

You can read, hear and see more on the subject on the Teachers Talk Radio blog here.