The response to Tes’ investigations into an alleged behaviour management approach at the Outwood Grange and Delta academy trusts - known as “flattening the grass” - has been fascinating.

Very many have been horrified by the stories of students being publicly humiliated as part of a formal strategy designed to exert control over schools as trusts take them over.

Others - often outriders for the “traditionalist movement” - have come out fighting in support of the academy trusts involved, challenging the stories and calling into question our journalism. ‘Twas ever thus.

It is another group, made up of perhaps more moderate “trad” supporters, who would normally jump to the defence of almost any reasonable attempt to maintain behaviour in a school, but who have remained publicly silent on the “flattening the grass” issue, who are most interesting.

This group of educationists and heads, who are fairly open about their feelings in private, are worried for two reasons. Firstly, they are concerned about the details of the stories. But secondly, they are deeply worried about the damage this scandal will do the “trad cause”, so long in the ascendant in England. In short, these stories “play” terribly in wider media and politics alike - and tar fellow-travellers.

‘Flattening the grass’ allegations

This is a group of people who have long campaigned to see a “no excuses” approach to behaviour management, traditional didactic teaching become predominant and knowledge to be core to the curriculum. And now they see these ideas being dragged through the mud in the wake of the “flattening the grass” stories.

History tells us they are right to be worried. The allegations swirling around Outwood Grange and Delta  - if proven - bring to mind the story of William Tyndale Junior School in Islington in the 1970s, an experiment in progressivism so extreme that it ultimately did untold damage to the whole idea of progressive education and contributed to the death of the Inner London Education Authority.

At William Tyndale, where the head and his SLT pretty much abandoned the school timetable, writing lessons were made optional, and kids were allowed to roam wild in and out of the school so as to avoid the “fascist construct” of traditional education. So horrified was the wider profession, the public and politicians that the “brand” of progressivism never truly recovered - perhaps indirectly contributing to the dominant position of traditionalism today.

Could the alleged goings on at Outwood Grange and Delta prove to have the same long-term consequences for the traditionalist cause? The jury is out but the behaviour of the central protagonists suggests so.

Ed Dorrell is head of content at Tes