Chris Norman, who took over recently at Willows High in Cardiff, said the programme offered a “priceless” opportunity to show what the pupils were like.
He said: “Everybody approached it with a bit of trepidation, we had no idea of the process. But I’ve got no complaints about the process whatsoever. They know what they are doing.”
He was proud of the schoolchildren who had taken part: “When you hear them talking in their face-to-face interviews, the things they come out with ... they make you blush with pride and this is what we see on a day-to-day basis. To be able to get that out there and show what our kids are like is priceless.”
Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of Ofsted, had claimed that reality shows such as Educating Cardiff focused on poor pupil behaviour and did a “disservice” to schools. He told LBC Radio: “There’s an issue about teacher recruitment. If people who are thinking about coming into teaching see that and say, ‘I’m not going to experience that sort of nonsense’ they won’t go into teaching.
“The broadcasters have got to think very carefully about the image they’re projecting about schools and about teaching.”
Chris Norman took over at Willows from Joy Ballard. Both feature heavily in the series, as staff work to support pupils in one of the most deprived areas of Cardiff.