ABSTRACT
In the national survey of head teachers, reported in Chapter 3, it was found that the first intimation that a teacher was not performing adequately was most likely to come from a fellow teacher. We had not intended, in the original research design, to study the views and experiences of those teachers who had worked alongside a colleague regarded as incompetent, but it became clear, as the research progressed, that they often played an important part in the events, and not just at the initial stage. Some became confidants, while others displayed overt hostility, or were seen by accused teachers as colluding with senior management in the school. Whether fellow teachers are hostile or supportive of those colleagues regarded as incompetent is another unexplored area in this whole field.
