Stories + Views
Michaela Community School Doubles Your Chances of a School Place for September 2012
On the website of the proposed Michaela Community School it states “By applying to MCS, you will not jeopardise the secondary school place you previously chose in October. Applying to MCS will simply ensure you have two school choices on National Offers’ Day – 1st March.”
So why would a parent not apply to MCS? It is a free extra option.
Let us guess which parents will work this out. Will it be a cross section of society?
After the parents take up the MCS places, I guess the schools that had also offered places, and no longer receive the children, have a bit of a mess to resolve. These schools can be regarded as second best, which is exactly what the Free Schools movement is all about. If they are in any doubt about being second best, Mr Gove and Mr Gibb will almost certainly announce this on TV. In fact I am so sure about how Mr Gove will spin this, that I am willing to bet money on it.
Apart from the lack of ethical standards here, can it be legal to offer an additional school place to a subset of the population? Perhaps I do not understand the London educational scene.
Anyway, the children pictured on the website at MCS look very happy, and a credit to all the teachers there. It must be a good school. It does say the school mixes tradition with innovation and I guess this picture proves it.
Key LSN themes mentioned
Admissions, For Fair Admissions, For Transparency in Academies and Free Schools, Free Schools, Government Policy, Stories + ViewsOther tags
admissions, free schools, Gove, Katharine Birbalsingh, Michaela Community School, Nick GibbRelated posts
Comments, replies and queries
Reply
Its a mess but we all knew it would be. Good point about it being unethical; it sure is. It will cause a considerable mess for the LA to clear up as well as more likely than not upsetting the plans of many ordinary families who may have last minute decisions to make as a result of the ensuing chaos, as well of course of producing problems for many schools. But lets see, how many families will really decide to take a risk on an unknown entity with no track record. The idea of a brand new school, a fresh start, with no ‘previous’ is very appealing as much as a brand new house would be, but then you have the snagging problems, the defects, the teething problems, the realisation that much of the necessary social and physical infrastructure has to play catch up. Lets see.
It will be interesting to see if they get any take up for places at all. Their preferred site is currently an office building in a town centre. There is very limited outdoor space (a small car park) and the building is currently home to over 60 businesses, all of whom have contracts for the lease of their offices. The tenants knew nothing about the plans to turn the building into a school until their attention was drawn to them by a post on Streetlife a few days ago.
One assumes that proper planning applications will need to be made for change of use and the usual consultation with neighbours. I would hope that there would be some kind of assessment of suitability for this building to be a school.
All of this will need to be completed in just under 8 months for the new intake to start school in September.
Regarding the admissions policy, the DfE website states this:
“It is recognised that not all Free School applications will move to the implementation stage in time to allow them to be included in co-ordination for the LA’s initial admissions round. Consequently – as a transitional measure – the Secretary of State for Education has agreed that, only for the first year they open, Free Schools may be outside the co-ordinated process if it is necessary.”
The school isn’t even open yet so there is no way of judging whether or not it is a good school. Presumably the pictures of the children were stunted for the purposes of the website?
The photos will simply have come from a picture library. And all schools like to show pictures of happy, smiling children on their prospectuses. They’re not going to show miserable ones are they, even if the kids are miserable?
In a previous post Fiona Millar wrote:”there seems to be an assumption on this site and amongst the various comments in the media that Katharine Birbalsingh will be the head teacher. As she is also the founder of the school, will she be appointing herself?”
On the MCS site linked to above she is described as the “Proposed Headmistress”.
Appointing a head to a state school is a serious matter. The salary could be around £100,000 and in response to a national advertisement there could be 50-100 applicants. Shortlisted candidates would normally have had several years’ successful experience as deputy heads.
So what has happened here? Has there been a selection process that no one has heard about? Or is there a process still to occur, in which case the prior announcement of a “Proposed Headmistress” must surely severely prejudice the competitive process?
Or do free schools live in a parallel universe, in which the normal expectation that public appointments should be fair and open is somehow suspended?
In July 2011 the Institute of Education researched groups that were proposing free schools at that time. It found that almost a quarter of proposals were from teachers of middle-rank who aspire to become the head of the school. The researcher claimed that this would be a rapid promotion.
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/newsEvents/53603.html
The National College lays down an acceptable procedure for recruiting heads. The advice covers attracting and selecting a candidate, shortlisting, taking up references and so on. In LA schools the recruitment of the head is the responsibility of the Governing Body. If the same is true of free schools and if the governing body comprises the proposers which include a teacher that wants to become the head, then the guidelines for recruitment can easily be circumvented. Any advertising for candidates, interviews and the like would just be a sham if the teacher on the governing body was given the job.
http://www.nationalcollege.org.uk/index/leadershiplibrary/leadingschools/successionplanning/recruiting-headteachers-senior-leaders/recruitment-process/selecting-a-candidate.htm
This is from the Michaela Community School’s recruitment ad for the Deputy Head Teacher post:
“We are now ready to appoint a Deputy Head to start from April 2012 and support the Headmistress, Katharine Birbalsingh, in the run up to the School’s opening in September 2012 and beyond.”
http://www.eteach.com/microsite/jobdetails.aspx?vacno=408622
Here is a good example of a promoted Deputy Head from another free school.
http://www.greenwichfreeschool.co.uk/leaders.php
If she is to be the head, this is clearly in breach of the sort of equal opportunities recruitment process maintained schools must follow but we must remember that these are independent schools, only governed by what is in their funding agreements and this school may not even have signed that yet. In that regard, they can probably do what they want but it is worth checking.
Wandsworth Save Our Schools has submitted a list of questions to the MCS group and are awaiting a reply. One of the questions was: Who is doing the selection and interviewing of staff. How was the head appointed, when was she first paid and where is the money coming from to pay her?
Jane,
Why should anyone respond to a group calling themselves Wandsworth Save our Schools? this is an undemocratic group set up by the AAA in cahoots with the more left wing Unions. It does not represent any schools in Wandsworth.
Wandsworth is one of the fastest growing boroughs in UK and it’s demographic has changed greatly over last 15 years with more and more young families starting and settling in the borough.
We need more schools and places both primary and secondary across the borough and yet your group of comrades opposes all free schools and academies. The only support you get is when you tell lies and spread misinformation eg last year members of your group claimed a Balham secondary school could close due to a new free school, it was absolute rubbish but it swelled your membership for a day or two.
If the community of Tooting do not want a new school they will attend the public consultations and let their feelings be known. We do not need a coach load of aggressive militants to stop this process.
WSOS was not set up by the AAA. There is no need for more secondary places. Wandsworth has a surplus – those are Wandsworth Council’s figures. Since we will all be paying for “free” schools, shouldn’t we all be able to have a say – isn’t that democracy, or does democracy only suit you when it supports you?
Yet more lies Jane motivated by your extreme left wing ideology? Wandsworth has a clear deficit on ‘basic need’ places as discussed previously on this site.
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/12/are-free-schools-a-response-to-local-demand/#comment-13097
We are all welcome to our opinions but be prepared for criticism when you get caught out spinning or bending the truth. Or perhaps your ongoing paranoia means you think that ‘guest’ and myself are also the same person plus some other character all in reality rolled into one person – and all because we disagree with your loony left cant?
Jake – the projected school numbers in Wandsworth have indeed been discussed before. To save readers scrolling down the comments I will reproduce part of the argument here: page 5 of “Wandsworth Borough council Finance and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny committee 2nd March 2011″ gives a table which shows that without the proposed free school (Bolingbroke) it would not be until 2019/20 that the projected roll [in Wandsworth] exceeds capacity, and then by only 2 forms.
It would appear from the Council’s own figures that the projected roll will not exceed capacity until 2019/20. However, the free school (Bolingbroke) has been accepted so there is over-provision of up to 1,569 in 2015/16 and then falling to 423 in 2019/20. The Council says that it accepts over-capacity to allow for parental choice. Over-capacity, Jake, does not equal “clear deficit on basic need places”.
If the council’s figures are incorrect, are they guilty of promoting “loony left cant”?
http://ww3.wandsworth.gov.uk/committ/documents/s13320/11-233%20-%20Bolingbroke%20Academy.pdf
It is indeed loony left cant Janet. And worse. When in a hole stopp digging. You are merely repeating the same mistake you made before. Perhaps you should re-read my post? Which is exactly why I re-posted it above. For starters the council statement is based on the wrong size cohort for the Bolingbroke free school (which is actually a 4FE and not a 5FE roll). One also needs to strip out the proposed new Catholic school. Both these factors skew the numbers. But Luddites (or should that be dinosaurs like the Best of Legover?) are like ostriches – you stick your heads in the sand in a state of denial.
I thought you were treasurer of the AAA and set up the group? Which schools have asked you to save them?
So, your intellectual argument in favour of the Michaela “Community” School is that a single member of WSOS is also a member of the AAA? You are providing the biggest argument for why the Government should not provide tax payers money for “free” schools. Please respond to the points made by the other posters, or can’t you?
Not at all. I will attend the consultation this week and ask some
Questions. I do not support it opening up in Tooting in September and have already made this comment on their website. They need to listen to the consultation responses and act appropriately.
I do not have a problem with the Headmistriss position as KB seems to be both adequately qualified and experienced, additionally it will be a very small school to start with and they can grow together.
I do have a problem with unelected militant groups which represent nobody but a couple of small minded individuals, but try to con the general public with made up titles and lies.
Guest – as the present government is a coalition and the Conservatives didn’t gain enough votes to govern outright, then does your description of “unelected militant groups which represent nobody but a couple of small minded individuals, but try to con the general public with made up titles and lies” refer to certain politicians in the government? I’m thinking in particular of those in the DfE who ignore thousands of community schools (they’ve been airbrushed from the DfE website) and appear to represent a few academy chains, free schools, studio schools, UTCs and the “providers” which seem to be popping up to run schools. And then, of course, there are the constant misleading statements which are best treated with a large dose of scepticism.
Janet,
I have more respect for you than to take your last post seriously.
I am sure you are aware of the results of the last election and not in denial so I will ignore your last comment, unless of course you do not understand how our democracy works.
Guest – democracy is based on politicians telling the truth. Mr Gove and his supporters have repeatedly misled the electorate about English education – about how UK students have plummeted down league tables in ten years; how widespread academy conversion is the only way to raise standards; how academy status releases schools from the dead hand of local authority bureaucracy (despite the fact the LAs have had no “control” over schools since Local Management of Schools was introduced); how only academies, particularly those in certain chains, are delivering a good education; how those who oppose Mr Gove’s policies are portrayed as “for failure”; how Mr Gove ignores the advice of his own education select committee; how Mr Gove says his policies are underpinned by international evidence when they aren’t; how Mr Gove says it’s up to governing bodies whether to choose academy status but then threatens schools with enforced conversion…
I was blind but now I can see! Yours words are indeed the gospel truth Janet. Hallelujah!! There can be no doubt about anything you say. All hail the Luddites!!! And he even wanted to buy queeny a yacht. Silly man.
I smell Pingu and the Bolingbroke Academy in these posts. Perhaps that is why they hide behind pseudonyms. On the local blogsite, they have a similar propensity for personal attacks and hiding their own identities.
More left wing smear and innuendo based on zero evidence as usual. Its tiresome even for you.
Pingu is a left wing smear? You can hardly say Pingu is innuendo as it’s always direct and explicit…. My son is just like Pingu in character – especially when he interacts with Pinga. I’m going to tell him he’s a left wing smear tomorrow and see what he makes of it.
Janet,
See below article which I know you have seen before.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2011/dec/07/schools-michaelgove
Unfortunately OECD/ PISA agree with Gove and not you with regard to England falling down the International tables, but I think you knew that.
I have noted you repeat your same quotes over and over again from OECD to make points so perhaps from now on you will also quote Mr Schleicher.
“The UK’s performance in Pisa is not poor – but shows plenty of room for improvement, Schleicher says.”
Guest – I do actually quote Mr Schleicher a lot as a trawl through the threads on this site will testify. The report on which the Guardian based its article has been discussed on this site before (see below for link).
Mr Schleicher has been quoted as saying that the UK’s performance in PISA is NOT poor (see Lynne’s post). However, he has said that the UK’s performance is “stagnant” ie the score has not changed. I have never denied this. The league table position of the UK decreased between 2006 and 2009 but this is partly explained by more countries taking part in PISA 2009 many of which are high-performing jurisdictions, by other countries increasing their scores, and because English students took the exam later than students in other countries. That meant that English students were still in year 10 when other countries took the test and had, therefore, received several months less schooling. As far as the UK scores were concerned they hardly varied between 2006 and 2009, hence Mr Schleicher’s use of the word “stagnant”.
There is also one point which gets forgotten in discussion about PISA 2009: although the UK students score was at the OECD average for Reading and Maths, they scored above the average for Science. This is a little reported fact because it goes against the prevailing wisdom that UK (or rather English) state education is failing.
OECD have compared UK PISA results with the results from other international assessments: PIRLS and TIMSS. It concluded* “Average performance among 10-year-olds, as measured by PIRLS and TIMSS scores is however relatively strong in an OECD perspective.”
Guest – it is not the first time you have seized upon a newspaper article and quoted a small part of it without either reading the whole article or looking at the report cited in the article. Perhaps it would be wise to do so in future.
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/12/no-evidence-for-englands-schools-falling-behind/#comment-12951
*OECD Economic Surveys 2011, page 97. Not available freely on-line.
Janet,
Up to your cherry picking again!! I suggest you read the whole article.
Mr Schleicher is clear that the PISA results from 2000 onwards show England’s International decline. Sorry if it’s not what you choose to focus on but as you use OECD extensively then you should not accuse others of cherry picking when you are the champion.
Jake – re your post above about Wandsworth’s projected figures. We have indeed discussed them before and you tried to blame it on the Catholics. I think you said we should take it up with the Pope. Perhaps His Holiness could explain why Wandsworth Council got into such a muddle with their figures and why they think that even without the free school they would not meet a deficit in school places until 2019. However, I’ve posted the link to the Council’s figures in my post above so readers can make up their own minds without the need for divine intervention.
I am unfamiliar with the phrase “Best of Legover”. Is it a particularly steamy soap opera? Or highlights from Big Brother? Something to do with cricket, perhaps? Or over-the-knee socks?
Beast of Legover!
Jake – forgive my confusion. Your post above definitely referred to the “Best of Legover”. Here is the quote: “But Luddites (or should that be dinosaurs like the Best of Legover?) are like ostriches –”
If it’s not the “Best of Legover” but the “Beast of Legover”, I’m afraid I’m still none the wiser. It sounds like a tabloid description of someone who is agressively promiscuous. If so, your mixed metaphors about the Best (sic) of Legover being like an ostrich with his head in the sand conjures up a rather amusing image.
I’m fascinated! Who is the beast of legover?
(Rebecca loves posting after wine o’clock on a Saturday night).
Oh dear. I must have landed on another planet.
Please can someone let me know how KB is suitable and experienced to be a headteacher of a new school? As far as I recall she was sacked by her previous employer after issuing pictures of pupils and having them broadcast on national TV. without due consent. She has I believe been a teacher for little over a decade and a senior manager for about 4 years. So please tell me how this makes her a suitable candidate? There are hundreds at least of competent teachers out there with a flair at least in waiting for the top job. I work in an area where I come into contact with them and witness some of the challenges they have to face. Please tell me how it is assumed that this person is more qualified than they are to do the job? However my view is now to let them get on with it and see how well they do. For the childrens sake, I do not wish them to fail, but I cannot see how they can succeed. A media presence alone does not maketh good results.
It is possible that free schools will become a safe refuge for those who are deemed not good enough to rise up the ranks in the maintained sector. It will be very interesting to see how their schools (once up and running ) perform in this tough new Ofsted framework.
Just seeing the comment, Fiona, I thought at first you were referring to children!! I was thinking “surely that is the opposite of what will happen to children with, for example, special needs”. Perhaps there may be hope after all: the best teachers will remain in the local authority community of schools teaching the students who need them most!
But according to your fellow crypto-commie on this site (aka Butthead), it appears the Bolingbroke Academy has taken a successful teacher from of all places Fiona’s own school? So I wouldnt get your lefty hopes up just yet.
Is Jake Jon de Maria? I expect he is hiding his real identity out of embarrassment. He has been banned on other sites so I do not understand why he is not banned here. This is the behaviour of that worst example of mankind – the coward who hides behind anonymity in order to make disgusting and menacing attacks on other people. It is almost like being threatened by a masked intruder. The sad thing is that dangerous people like him poison discussion and makes it impossible for other people to come onto excellent and very informative sites like Local Schools Network in order to get share and get information because of his revolting attitude . I have learnt much about schools here and have got information and access to other information that the government and people like Jon de Maria do not want us to know.
Peter – thanks for your comments about the Local Schools Network. One of its greatest assets is that it gives ordinary people the chance to discuss education in an unthreatening atmosphere. This is sometimes challenged by posters whose idea of debate is to fling around insulting comments under the false assumption that abuse trumps rational argument. This is a pity because it can put off other posters from contributing.
However, sometimes these truculent posts can result in mirth. I’m still laughing at the suggestion that we take up the alleged shortfall of school places in Wandsworth with the Pope, or that somewhere there is a Beast of Legover who is bent over with his head stuck in the sand.
Brilliant. Yet more tiresome paranoid as hominem when the argument has been lost. Keep up the great work big man. Why not share your top secret access to covert intell with the rest of us if you are such a hot shot?
@ Peter Lago
Make up your own mind as to who Jake is;
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/06/labour-mp-attacks-bolingbroke-free-school-and-shows-real-spirit-in-disagreeing-with-the-labour-front-bench/
SassyPuff (or whichever of your several other names you post under) – this site is for people who support their local school. The clue is in the name of the site and indeed in the strapline – ‘supporting your local school’. Sadly as has been proven elsewhere on this site previously, you are a parent who chose not to support her local school at all (perhaps because it was in special measures?) but rather chose to send your child half way across the borough to a different school. So for you to come on this site, fling false accusations around and claim the moral high ground shows not only considerable brass neck on your part but confirms just what a hypocrite and busy body you are.
I wonder who might be masquerading as ‘Peter Lago’? Someone with an over inflated opinion of themselves, quick to anger, a bully? But that can’t be possible for as Peter Lago says himself, only a ‘coward hides behind anonymity in order to make disgusting and menacing attacks’. My mistake as surely no one could be as weasley as to employ the same underhand tactics he is accsusing someone else of. I apologise for any such salacious innuendo based on no proof whatsoever.
@ Jon De Maria
Firstly, if like yourself, one is going to have more online personalities than Joanne Woodward in Sybil, then it helps somewhat if one is honest about it.
I indeed post under two pseudonyms on different forums, as do many people on this site.
Unlike yourself, I have never once denied it and why would I?
I stand by everything I have ever said, although maybe I should have said things more dispassionately on occasion. Unfortunately in the past I have been rather too honest, but rather that than a gutless coward, who adds absolutely nothing to any debate.
The only reason that you know about my secondary choices for my son is because I mentioned it them another forum.
Therefore, you know full well that my choice of secondary school for my son was based partly on health issues resulting from a stroke. I do not drive, my son had never been on public transport before on his own and the journey to his secondary school is far easier and quicker than the journey to Elliott.
Now, it isn’t necessary for me to write this in order to explain anything to you, as of course you actually know all this already, and I couldn’t care less what you think of me.
However, I do think it lends a certain insight into your character, mais non?
In addition, at the time of my choosing a secondary school for my son, Elliott was actually higher in the league tables than Chestnut Grove. So, it could be said that I choose the lesser performing school.
Which, given your in depth specialist knowledge of Wandsworth secondaries, you would have been well aware of.
Therefore, I have no idea why you have been attacking myself and the choices that I have made for my child in the most disgusting and personal ways imaginable for well over a year now. It bears repeating that my son attends a school in his local borough of Wandsworth, which is more than can be said for 73% of the secondary school aged children in your ward, whose parents support their local schools by sending their children to grammar and fee paying schools in Sutton, Southwark and beyond.
It would appear that you are trying to paint me as some kind of hypocritical Champagne Socialist, which is both tiresome and inaccurate. I am a single mother who wants the best possible for her child and other children. My son is lucky enough to attend a school where children are valued as individuals; he will be doing the EBacc, because that is where his strengths lie, whilst some of his peers will be able to specialize in the arts and do work experience at the NME, for example, as previous pupils have done.
I happen to think that this is a good thing, whereas I think that Gove’s one size fits all, Retro 1950′s straightjacket, is a load of Dandelion and Burdock.
I believe that a good education is the birthright of every child in this country and that it should not be reliant upon post code, prayer, nor pay cheque. I take issue with free schools because the evidence indicates that they are divisive and I don’t think our current education system needs any assistance on that score.
It also appears that free schools in this country are becoming something of an ideological free for all, where the self serving make a name for themselves whilst our children are merely a side issue. The fact that a woman who has only five weeks experience as a deputy head has now promoted herself to the headship of an inner London secondary should be a source of concern to any parent. I simply cannot believe that this is the way forward and I fear that the advent of the free school is an ideological disaster waiting to happen.
Seriously. I would love to be proved wrong, but I feel sure that in ten years time, the children from the racial and social classes that are currently underachieving, will be continuing to do so.
So there you go. My reasons for being here and what I believe. If at any point in the past year or two, you had been capable of discourse like a grown man, as opposed to acting in a manner devoid of class, intellect or common courtesy, we may well have had some interesting debates. Such is life.
Again, I may well have been rather too honest and open, but that is who I am and who my son will grow up to be.
If it is all the same to you, I will post where I like about what I damn well please.
I will not be bullied into silence by someone who hides behind multiple pseudonyms and whose one and only contribution to this site is tedious almost daily trolling.
Just how many times can one man type SWP, loony left and Trotskyites in one week?
Finally, for the love of everything holy, please get Toby Young to teach you some new Latin.
You’ve worked the whole ad hominem thing to death, and if you actually realized what it meant, you would be far too embarrassed to use it.
PS I know as always, you will have to have to have the last word and I am sure that it will be as personal, hateful and inaccurate as ever.
However, as Peter Lago has so beautifully illustrated, your reputation precedes you.
I need say nothing more.
Jake
Don’t tempt me otherwise I will post the proof.
And this vicious and frightening attack on Sassypuff is degrading. You should be banned and your verbal abuse ought to be a matter for the police. Are you the same bully towards your wife?
Saskia: Calm down dear! Being so passive agressive cannot be healthy for you. How about a nice cup of tea?
Peter Lago: Calm down dear! Are you smelling the fear yet? And if we are talking of banning people, then I must add that anyone over the age of 12 using emoticons should automatically be banned from this and any other website forthwith.
Oy – you lot – stop trying to out people. You don’t need to.
PS I think Beast of Legover is somehow intended to be linked to David Camerons reference today to Dennis Skinner( aka Beast of Bolsover) as a dinosaur.
David dear,Dennis will still be in the House when you are out on your ear.
Guest – you are correct about what Mr Schleicher says. Here is the complete quote given in the article:
‘Schleicher, the thinktank’s deputy director of education, said in an email to me [Guardian reporter]: “The UK’s PISA data for 2000 and 2003 were not sufficiently robust to establish trend lines that meet OECD standards. However, it is hard to derive any interpretation of these data that wouldn’t imply a decline in the relative standing of the UK internationally.”
You say Mr Schleicher and Mr Gove agree that England had fallen down league tables. However, there is a difference in degree. According to Mr Gove, UK pupils have “plummeted down league tables in ten years”. Mr Schleicher restated that the 2000 and 2003 PISA results for the UK were not robust enough to allow comparison but agreed that the data could “imply a decline in the relative standing”.
I have never denied that there is a “decline in the relative standing” of UK pupils. I explain reasons for this in my post above.
I am sorry that in your zest to find “cherrypicking” you have missed the difference between Mr Gove’s assertion that there has been a catastrophic fall in the league table position of UK pupils and Mr Schleicher’s rather less judgemental “relative decline”, especially as I have never denied the latter.
Today’s Observer carries an article headlined “Katharine Birbalsingh criticised over ‘wasteful’ free school project” at http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/21/katharine-birbalsingh-free-schools-project .
The last sentence is:”A spokesman for Communitas, the public relations company hired by Michaela school’s project management firm, Place Group, refused to provide details about how much public money had been spent on the proposed school.”
There are several worrying aspects about this whole project.
1. Wandsworth Save Our Schools submitted a list of questions to MCS and, although acknowledged, has still received no answers. One of these was on finance and another on the selection process for the head. Surely these answers should be readily available.
2. People attending the “consultation” meeting on Thursday reported that they didn’t get answers to their questions.
3. MCS have not said anything about the loss of jobs in the Trident Business Centre if their bid goes through. The aims of the Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre at the Centre are ones which KB should be supporting, not destroying: http://www.wyec.org.uk/
4. One thing that came out of the “consultation” was that, because the TBC wouldn’t be available for September 2012, the Michaela has its sights on moving into the Balham Youth Court until the TBC can be made ready.
This last poses more questions: a) why put even more money into a temporary building; b) doesn’t this presuppose that the TBC will be offered enough money (by whom?) to make it an offer they can’t refuse; c) will the head of Sellincourt Primary, who failed in her bid to open a “free” school in Crystal Palace, then come in with a bid for the Balham Youth Court on the grounds that it is already a school (only defined by DfE as suitable for a studio school).
All in all the whole process is one of bullying Tooting residents to house a school which has a stated catchment area radius of 5 miles: from Kensington to Wallington N/S and Penge/Kingston E/W. This is presumably to be able to claim a demand and the need to include Vauxhall, the area KB initially wanted to set up in.
Rebuttal here to the ulta-left agitprop of Jane Eades, Alex Kenny and the other loony left AAA/SWP cabal:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100131615/the-observer-uncritically-regurgitates-trotskyist-smears-against-katharine-birbalsingh/
I think readers should be able to judge which of the two headlines is the more measured – the first or the second:
“Katharine Birbalsingh criticised over ‘wasteful’ free school project” or “The Observer uncritically regurgitates Trotskyist smears against Katharine Birbalsingh”
It is right that any journalist should counter inaccuracies where they exist. The Guardian was incorrect when it said that Trident Centre housed 400 businesses. However, this error was repeated in Toby’s article. The Trident Centre, which is run by the charity Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre, houses 90 business units as well as agencies, provide 300 jobs.
It’s a simple matter to check the figures – it appears that neither the Guardian nor The Telegraph did so.
Toby Young claims that the owners of the proposed site for the Michaela Community School had already “signalled their intention to sell it willy nilly.” I’m not sure that the careful consideration by Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre (WYEC) about any possible sale really equates to selling it off “willy nilly”.
An official announcement from WYEC said: “Whilst Trident and the land it sits on are not currently for sale, a number of parties have approached WYEC over the past six months, interested in its potential purchase and they have all been invited to look around the site. But it is important to note that to date WYEC has received no acceptable offers from any of these parties for the purchase of Trident.” A WYEC spokesperson wrote: “As it is the rent paid by our tenants that enables us to carry out our charitable work they are incredibly important to us and they will be very carefully considered should (and I cannot put enough emphasis on the should) we receive any reasonable offers to purchase Trident. With regards the terms of individual leases I, obviously, cannot go into the details of these but leases are between one and five years long with break clauses that can be used by either party.”
http://www.tootingonline.com/forum/tooting-schools-education/69-new-free-school-michaela-community-school-open-tooting-page5.html
Excellent point Jane, although my agreeing with you must surely out me as a fully paid up Communist. Nice to see Toby still hasn’t managed to move on from his SWP obsession.
Given that Mr Young himself appears to lean more to the right than a man with his left leg missing, as Charlie Brooker would say, perhaps we should all accuse him of having links with the Monday Club each and every time he opens his mouth?
It is rather disingenuous and cynical of the MCS to be promoting themselves as an opportunity for Wandsworth parents to double their chances of getting a school place.
As you have illustrated, the catchment area is so vast, that the realistic chance of the average Wandsworth pupil getting a place, would appear to be minimal.
The questions you raise about the future of Balham Youth Court and the possible involvement of the Sellincourt head are most interesting. There is much more to all this than meets the eye.
Jane I think you will find that public services in London boroughs often serve people resident outside any specific borough as well as those inside. Take the NHS and libraries as examples. What about the nasty London Transport who bully people in to having a bus stop or tube station near their house or shop in Wandsworth, which people from outside the borough can also use to board or alight?
I can’t wait to see opponents of MCS having to explain to some of the less advantaged residents of south London such as our minority ethnicities e.g. Jamaican, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Portuguese, Tamil, Indian, and also the old fashioned white working class, that it is not okay for them to want to attend this school. A school specifically useful for building capacity for achieving the top opportunities which are currently dominated by the privately educated.
Who is the bully?
I wondered when someone would play the race card. That really does you no credit at all. The MCS have to justify forcing the eviction of those small businesses at the Trident. Who do you think those tenants are? White, middle-class? – not the ones I’ve met. Look at the target group of the WYEC, are these likely to be white and middle-class?
As for the catchment area, it is dishonest to suggest that local people will benefit from the school when the catchment area is so large. 12% or so of Wandsworth secondary students are already Lambeth residents. Lambeth only educates about 55% of its secondary aged residents. There is a huge shortage of secondary places in Lambeth.
Surely what everyone should be arguing for is for Lambeth to be able to open new schools to meet this need. Unfortunately, since the Academy Act 2010, they have been powerless to do so. I would be more impressed if that was the argument that the MCS was making, rather than what appears to be a job creation scheme for those pushing the school on Tooting.
Jane, if you would agree to skewing the catchment of MCS to enroll predominantly Lambeth residents lacking school places I would agree. Perhaps the political reality is that Wandsworth needs to be included. Why Lambeth borough council can’t find a building is another political reality rather than a lack of buildings.
Ben, even if Lambeth were able to find a building they could do nothing with it except hand it over to an academy trust. Given that KB worked in Lambeth, perhaps there is a reason, other than ideological, why they are not keen.
The irony is that the same people who are now proclaiming this project were the ones, presumably, who were silent when Wandsworth Borough Council shut down the various projects which were established to support minority groups, in particular the support for Afro-Caribbean boys. They are also, largely, silent now as Wandsworth continues to make cuts which disproportionately affect the most deprived in the area.
The MCS won’t be evicting anyone. WYEC will use their right to breaks in their leases (which are mutually available) to empty the Trident Business Centre if they decide to sell it.
“I can’t wait to see opponents of MCS having to explain to some of the less advantaged residents of south London such as our minority ethnicities e.g. Jamaican, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Portuguese, Tamil, Indian, and also the old fashioned white working class,”
With all due respect, this is arrant nonsense.
I oppose the MCS, do I look white to you?
Furthermore, I think you’ll find that it is Afro Caribbean children, specifically boys, who are under achieving in our schools.
Ghana and Nigeria are in Africa.
The academic performance of African children in British schools is not the same as that of Afro Caribbean children.
It is actually rather offensive that you are seemingly unaware of this.
I have not stated whether or not Ghana or Nigeria are in Africa but you are correct in saying that they are. The point is about the availability of kinds of schools to people who want them, particularly to people I would call working class irrespective of ethnicity. Many parents in this category don’t want excuses about the ethnic origin of their children with regard to their school performance. They want the alternative to that which MCS is explicit in offering.
I predict that opposition to these schools such as MCS will be steamrollered by a multi ethnic working class who will beat a path to their door.
“Many parents in this category don’t want excuses about the ethnic origin of their children with regard to their school performance. They want the alternative to that which MCS is explicit in offering.”
As a ethnic minority parent, I am most grateful for the benefit of your infinite wisdom.
Maybe I should make a post telling white parents what they want for their children?
This is another one of your breathtakingly stupid observations Ben.
There are complex cultural and family reasons why certain ethnic or gender groups (including I might add white working class boys) which data show underperform and most responsible school leaders and governance address this and try to find solutions, although that is getting increasingly difficult as the coalition’s amputation of the education budget means that financial resources that would have gone to helping children who need the most support in schools have disappeared but found to be channelled towards funding vanity projects by opportunists such as Katharine Birbalsingh.
I expect if you were bothered to get yourself better informed, you might not make up crass statements on the hoof. And if you need more spoonfeeding from me about the obvious and well documented crisis that the government’s policies has inflicted on the poor then have a look here for “evidence”.http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2012/01/how-effective-can-goves-school-reforms-be-if-the-government-fails-to-tackle-child-poverty/
An example of more ultra-left nasty polemic where the ‘do nothing’ option is the best they can come up with when sniping from the sidelines. Reality check here:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/katharinebirbalsingh/100131662/the-michaela-community-school-will-have-a-truly-comprehensive-intake-so-why-is-the-left-spluttering-with-indignation/
Jake –
Have you hijacked Guest’s name? Or have you always been “Guest” as well, Jon?
Thankfully Butthead I appear not to have a monopoly on thinking you are a retard. It appears to be a much wider held consensus.
Switching between “jake” and “Guest” are we now Jon? Do Bolingbroke Academy know you are doing this?
I recall a while back on Question Time when a ‘black’ (not coloured!) woman in the audience, tore a strip off a panellist for using the term ‘Afro Carribean’. She said the correct term was ‘African Carribean’ and it was an insult to her to hear the former term. Also, its a bit rich for pro-reformers to be accused of playing the ‘race card’ when those against education reform constantly do the same. You can’t have it both ways can you? But from your perspective I’m sure you can!
Just for the record this is a different Guest than usual.
I’m Spartacus!
the comment above posted at 8:34 in which i appear to be supporting Katherine Birbalsingh was NOT posted by me. Someone is using my name.
How can I get this checked please? How do I contact the moderator or administrator of this site to find out who has done this and to get it removed??
Hi Peter , We have checked this out and it would appear that the commenter who posts as ‘Guest’ and ‘Jake’ appears to have been masquerading as you since the comments come from the same IP address. We take this very seriously and will delete the comment to which you refer. We have always been reluctant to censor the comments, but if this happens again we will consider deleting all contributions from that IP address.
You might also want to check the IP address of ‘Peter Lago’ to see who he really is.
I don’t mind if people don’t want to send their children to MCS. They should be able to go to other schools if they feel like it. If someone does want to go to MCS and they live in Lambeth, Wandsworth or Merton that is their choice. I predict there will be lots of people applying from working class backgrounds and many will be non white. You are the ones trying to tell people what to do with enforced comprehensive provision and denying the choices ordinary people want to make. I look forward to seeing your reports from the streets and meeting halls of Brixton, Vauxhall, Tooting and so on where you lecture these people on their ‘crass’ desire to have the same sort of education as David Cameron and Ed Balls, but provided by the state instead.
They will only be able to have the same sort of education as David Cameron when an equal amount of state funding is paid for it and when we, as a country, are prepared to reject a very large proportion of the population – as someone said, pity the coal mines have closed down.
As for the posting of ‘Guest’ and ‘Jake’ here and others on Streetlife, I must be an innocent abroad. I am absolutely scandalised that, whilst being the target for their pathetic sniping, they are hiding their identities and even taking on someone else’s. These people have no moral standing and should not be allowed within a mile of a discussion about education, let alone a child. Ironic that the MCS say “We will set and expect high standards of behaviour and academic effort and achievement from all of our pupils” which reflects what other “free” schools say. What a pity some of the advocates of “free” schools don’t live up to the standards they expect of the children.
‘Peter Lago’ wrote above: “This is the behaviour of that worst example of mankind – the coward who hides behind anonymity in order to make disgusting and menacing attacks on other people. It is almost like being threatened by a masked intruder”. Do you actually imagine that ‘Peter Lago’ is a real person? I think that you and others on this site need to very careful about who and why you point the finger at.
@ Jane Eades – Very well said. I doubt that I will ever agree with anything Toby Young or Ben Taylor have to say, but at the very least they have the backbone to post as themselves.
As opposed to hiding behind numerous pseudonyms and being the forum equivalent of an uninvited drunk at a Mafia wedding; flailing around incoherently, issuing empty threats and insults.
Using a pseudonym is one thing but commenting by stealing other people’s name is criminal. I am getting advice from the CPS
Youre an idiot and a blowhard. Peter Lago is not your real name so you might have a bit of trouble explaing that to the CPS.
SassyPuff, Jane Eades: before you get overly excited about what you think you know, perhaps you should understand what an IP address is, the different types and how they work.
Thank you very much fiona.
Are you going to come clean about who you really are?
Guest, before I feel patronised by you, I’d like you to come clean about who you are. Until then, you can continue your stupidity, rudeness and downright bad manners. I trust you feel proud of yourself – or, rather, that your parents would.
Unlike the left wing smear, agitprop, bullying and dirty tricks you employ as a member of the AAA? Don’t make me laugh.
Guest
This is not a rebuttal. No need to post the link here. There will be plenty of crypto fascists slobbering over “Führer” Young’s rally cry in the Torygraph bunker
Toby Young’s attack on critics of the Michaela Community School comprises these arguments:
1 He takes issue with the Observer for quoting the figures for schools places in Wandsworth where the school will be situated. Apparently, they should have used the figures for Lambeth because the school will be on the Lambeth border and it’s intended to serve Lambeth.
2 The owners of the proposed site have said they will sell it “willy nilly” (see my post above).
3 One of the critics is Jane Eades who is an organiser of the Anti-Academies Alliance which, Toby alleges, has “close ties to the Socialist Workers’ Party”. Any argument against the school made by Jane Eades, whether valid or not, can therefore be dismissed as Trotskyist smears.
But what if the argument raises legitimate concerns? Should an argument be rebutted because of the identity of the person putting forward the argument? Or should the argument be countered using a proper debate?
Finally, Toby accuses the Observer of trotting “out the lines being disseminated by the Socialist Workers’ Party and its various fronts.” There’s nothing on the SWP’s website about the Michaela Community School. Perhaps Toby could provide a link to any SWP “lines” about MCS.
I suppose we could consider the SWP as being hostile to democracy. I am not sure they believe in electoral processes and accountabilty to the people.
Ben – the SWP is a recognised political party and it is not illegal to be a member. The best defence against the argument of any legal political party is proper debate – demolishing the opponent with facts.
You seem to be saying that if you don’t agree with someone’s politics, then any argument they put forward can be summarily dismissed even if the argument is a valid one. I am sure you would object, rightly, if you heard that, say, a government dismissed the valid claims of an opponent on the grounds that the one complaining opposed the government.
If you think that Jane Eades’s argument is wrong then rebuff it with facts and a valid counter-argument.
That is an incorrect and naive starting point – “If you think [the] argument is wrong then rebuff it with facts and a valid counter-argument”. If that is the solution, then why do not all Arsenal fans support Manchester Utd because the latter has won more trophies? They are evidentially the better club. Life is not as black and white.
One of the things that struck me in the Observer article was this paragraph:
“Birbalsingh said that ICT would not be taught at her school because the emphasis would be on maths, English and foreign languages, not skills. The best performing four pupils from the school each year win the “prize” of boarding at Wellington for a week.”
Would the students see such a prize as an incentive?
I’ve been looking at the website for MCS and I don’t see a mention of this kind of prize there. Nor can I find a reference to the fact that they will not be teaching ICT as a stand alone subject or the reasoning behind it. It just doesn’t mention it all.
As a former Maths teacher, I also have grave concerns about the Maths curriculum described on the website.
KS3 “Pupils will be taught number, algebra and problem-solving skills, mental and written calculations. There will be six maths lessons a week, on the basis that little and often is the most effective approach.
We will work intensively to narrow the knowledge gap some children will have with maths when they enter the school.”
Presumably, then, KB does not expect any of her students to become architects! It also worries me that the emphasis will be on regurgitation, rather than understanding. I was always amused at the phrase “the one-ness of one” to address the difference between very young children who can recite “one, two, three….” and those who know what that means.
Memorisation is but “one” of the methods of a set of teaching and learning methods which is underutilised according to certain trendy modes of teaching. It is not sufficient in itself but is a foundation stone. It is transcultural and has been employed, for example, by all the major religions, armies, and state executives systems never mind education. Often first comes facts, later understanding – but not always I agree. Why do professional story tellers still exist in cultures such as parts of Arab world and India? It is not just technological. You can see this in places like pentecostal churches in south London.
Repetition; oracy; ritual; explict explanation of meaning: some of the techniques thrown out like the baby with the bath water by the near history to contemporary period paradigm. Learn from the cavemen.
As Fiona said above, the comments posted by “Jake” and “Guest” appear to come from the same IP address. And one post under the name “Peter Lago” was not from Peter but appeared to be from the same IP address as “Jake” and “Guest”.
There is a difference between posting under a pseudonym and using the name of another writer. That is not protecting identity but deliberately trying to deceive.
In California such behaviour has been made illegal. SB 1411 Senate Bill says: “any person who knowingly and without consent credibly impersonates another actual person through or on an Internet Web site or by other electronic means for purposes of harming, intimidating, threatening, or defrauding another person is guilty of a public offense.” The law differentiates between impersonation of another person and a disguised persona.
Although this is not yet law here, a court case in 2009 required an unknown Twitter user anonymously posting under the same name as another blogger, and thus breaching the copyright and intellectual property of the blog’s owner, to stop posting and immediately identify themselves. The victim of the anonymous impersonation and the principal of Griffin Law, said: “This is an important step in dealing with online bullying. The scales of justice have been tilted in favour of innocent victims today.”
Such behaviour is unacceptable. It destroys trust between posters and ultimately damages free speech. LSN has a tradition of not censoring posts – it behoves anyone who posts here to respect that.
http://wordcastnet.com/2011/california-bans-online-impersonations/
http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_1401-1450/sb_1411_bill_20100927_chaptered.html
http://www.griffinlaw.co.uk/2009/10/01/griffin-law-makes-law-by-serving-via-twitter/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/oct/01/twitter-injunction
Do some more research on what an IP address is and how they work. There are many different types and they are unique to the generic server and not an individual. And also understand that there is ‘no victim’ here so get your facts straight. We are not in California – but if we were, the wording you use above says ‘actual person’. Peter Lago is not a real person and I have evidence to prove that. It is quite obvious who it is. I suggest you all stop getting so excited and melodramatic. You just look small minded, especially on a site that has more spin, bluster and innuendo than New Labour in its heyday.
Please can we all ignore Guest and anyone else like him. He is deliberately trying to distract from the real issue because he has no intellectual response. Same tactic as used for the Bolingbroke discussion.
The following is the reality of the sort of people you collude with on the AAA executive:
- “The present system cannot be patched up or reformed as the established Labour and trade union leaders say. It has to be overthrown.”
- “Only the mass action of the workers themselves can destroy the system.”
- “To achieve socialism the most militant sections of the working class have to be organised into a revolutionary socialist party.”
Thankfully we live in a democratic and free society so this will never happen. Perhaps North Korea would be a better place for you all to be?
Oh, can’t you just go away and annoy someone else please? I want to discuss a school that is going to open at the end of my road, not the whys and wherefores of the AAA, SWP etc.
I’m sure we can all make our own decisions about the merits of what someone is posting on here, whether that be you or anyone else.
You might do well to read the attached articles before being so dismissive?
http://edmundstanding.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-national-union-of-teachers-promoting-far-left-ideology/
http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/6228693/part_2/revealed-the-secret-war-over-englands-schools.thtml
“Until relatively recently, it looked as though the far-left had won the battle over the direction of Britain’s State education system, so it is no surprise to see them mobilising for aggressive action in the face of Gove’s plans for radical reform. It is clear that the NUT is much more than simply an organisation dedicated to protecting the rights of teaching staff, and is in fact seen by many in its leadership as a potential cadre to be used to force far-left ideology into the mainstream. This must be resisted, and resisted firmly.”
If you are content to bury your head in the sand and ignore the ultra-left agenda of Jane Eades, Alex Kenny, the AAA, STA etc etc, then that is your right. For those of us outside of the loony left cabal, we are a bit more circumspect about their not-so-hidden agenda. Time to wake up before we all sleepwalk into a 1984 totalitarian nightmare.
According to my email notifications, “guest” posted earlier that I should stop burying my head in the sand when it comes to posts by “the ultra-left agenda of Jane Eades, Alex Kenny, the AAA, STA etc etc.” That post doesn’t seem to be here any more (not sure why).
But my point remains. I’m not interested in other people’s political posturings or otherwise. I want to discuss this school in my immediate neighbourhood.
I think the point I was making Lynne was that politics and the potential new free school in your immediate neighbourhood are like it or not very much connected. Clearly this website no longer permits dissenting views to its left wing agenda hence why my past post that you allude to above was censored/removed. If nothing else this reinforces the very point I am making. As a chair of governors at a local primary school in Wandsworth you should be aware of the realpolitik of all this – from both sides.
There appears to be a change in the way this forum is moderated. Since my comments now appear to require moderation perhaps the moderator would be good enough to clarify why this new system has been introduced and whether or not it is being applied to all contributors to the forum.
It would also be nice if the moderator could confirm if they contribute to discussions as well as moderating them.
Can I just point out that none of the comments are moderated although they sometimes get held as spam or wait for approval if they contain a lot of links.
If that is the case, why has my post (that Lynne Mendoza refers to above) not been posted to date? There were only two URL links, far less for example than the average number Janet Downs includes in her own pro-LSN posts.
I have no idea – some comments just get spammed and unless we know they are there we wouldn’t think to look for them.
Now resolved. Thank you.
I think this comment by “Guest” here needs challenging and rectifying because he is misrepresenting why his comments have been deleted. He has not been censored because of any “dissenting views to [this website’s] left wing agenda” but because it appears that Jake has been masquerading as Guest and Peter Lago by using their usernames in order to avoid commenting as Jake or to discredit the person whose identity he has effectively stolen in order to deceive.
On this thread, http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2012/01/michaela-community-school-doubles-your-chances-of-a-school-place-for-september-2012/, Fiona Millar explained:
“Hi Peter , We have checked this out and it would appear that the commenter who posts as ‘Guest’ and ‘Jake’ appears to have been masquerading as you since the comments come from the same IP address. We take this very seriously and will delete the comment to which you refer. We have always been reluctant to censor the comments, but if this happens again we will consider deleting all contributions from that IP address.”
And on this thread http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2012/01/dfe-denies-inviting-profit-making-firms-to-be-potential-providers-for-free-schools-so-were-these-firms-contacted-before-the-last-election/, the real Guest who has commented many times before said:
“Rosie, Janet etc
I am not Jake, Peter or Spartacus.
There should be a tweak to this website to only allow one person to register under each username. At the moment there are at least 2 people posting as Guest, however I will discontinue until the site administrator rectifies the issue.”
I assume that this comment here is by Jake/fake Guest and, if so, I doubt if even those who do not support the views of some of the people who comment here would find this conduct acceptable. Robust disagreement is one thing. Stealing other people’s usernames and commenting as them in order to deceive is completely repugnant and possibly criminal as Janet Downs highlighted above on this same thread at 5:20pm on 23rd January.
All I can say Butthead is that its a good job you are not easy to wind up and that you are not a pompous arse. As someone so opposed to the use of a pseudonym are you able to shed any light on who ‘Peter Lago’ actually is? A real man of the people/class warrior such a yourself would never resort to such underhand behaviour would you? Which is good as there are enough hypocrites on this site already.
http://collider.com/real-life-beavis-and-butt-head-images/139276/
I can’t shed any light on it, no. But the issue here isn’t the use of pseudonyms which is perfectly acceptable but, in your case, it seems you have been caught out by logging on as “Guest” and “Peter Lago” in order to deliberately deceive and discredit and you still attempt to smear by playing the martyr and mendaciously complaining of being censored because you oppose the views of some people who comment here.. This is beyond the pale and I am not at all surprised that other less enlightened and democratic websites have permanently banned you. I suspect that even people who generally support your opinions would find the level of deceit to which you have now sunk to be about as abhorrent as it is possible to be. You will not doubt want to have the last word, so be my “guest”, but you have condemned and discredited yourself and nothing you say now will ever have any truth.
If you are unable to shed any light on it Butthead then perhaps I can?
I have in my inbox an email notification from you (Allan Beavis) that for some odd reason never actually stayed up on the site. Can’t think why. Perhaps you might explain why you deleted it? Did you forget that such posts get emailed to anyone who subscribes to any given thread? But remarkably – and here’s the point – I also then have another email notification in my inbox from a ‘Peter Lago’ later that same night. This post uses virtually the exact same wording as your original comment that still sits in my inbox.
However as you have just denied being ‘Peter Lago’ then one can only conclude that it is no more than a remarkable coincidence that the two posts were near identical. As indeed it can only be further coincidence that the Mr Angry tone of all the other ‘Peter Lago’ posts replicate your own blowhard rhetoric that we all all so familiar with. Given your denial, it must all be just one big crazy coincidence. Which is good.
For as ‘Peter Lago’ wrote above “This is the behaviour of that worst example of mankind – the coward who hides behind anonymity in order to make disgusting and menacing attacks on other people”. Sounds like someone who likes to dish it out but can’t take it back?
So I think its really great that you are unable to shed any light on who ‘Peter Lago’ is. After all, you would not want to be found guilty of the same things you accuse me of would you? Because that would mean you are a liar and hypocrite of course. Which you are not. Awful to think you might condemn and discredit yourself amongst your own Luddite chums.
And last but not least I must also apologise to Peter Lago, whoever and wherever he is. Clearly a very real person. In fact, a man after your own heart Butthead.
More info here Lynne on the ideological battle for the classroom and the depths to which the AAA and others on the far left will sink in attempting to smear their opponents.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/columnists/all/7603398/status-anxiety.thtml
Testing
How big a catchment area should an urban “community” school have?
Apparently, the MCS has been leafletting outside Sudbourne Primary School in Brixton. According to Google that is at least 4 miles away by road. Does this demonstrate that there is no demand for the school in Tooting, or does it underline the unfairness of a 5 mile radius catchment area, enabling them to cherrypick students? If they are to have fairness in their applications, will they be leafletting outside all the schools within the area?
@ Leonard – my comments have been subject to moderation on occasion.
@ Jane – with respect to the radius, here’s a map:
http://bit.ly/yy8tXV
They should not be in a position to cherrypick students as places at the school will be randomly allocated within the banding system (once priority places have been filled).
http://www.proposedmcstooting.co.uk/admissions/admissions-policy.php
Lynne, thanks for the map.
On selection of pupils, it is all too easy to schools who are their own admissions authorities to “jiggle” the intake. For example, MCS is going to allocate pupils to 5 bands and select proportionately according to band. However, if the MCS administer their own test, how are they proposing to make sure all parents within their 5 mile radius know? The questions to which Wandsworth Save Our Schools is still awaiting answers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gdrYm6zlVlQH6A1nJxu9eVZHp0vdK33Xyv0NRxl_hM4/edit?hl=en_GB&pli=1
Jane – they will not be administering their own test as they will be using the Wandsworth test and selecting pupils by lottery from within each of the five bands.
“Our admissions policy will use a fair banding system. All pupils who have applied will be divided into five standard bands according to ability. We will then select equal numbers of pupils by lottery, from each of the five categories to ensure a balanced intake of pupils. Bands will be organised using the current Wandsworth Council admissions test.”
http://www.proposedmcstooting.co.uk/admissions/admissions-policy.php
However, since their intake will be from a 5 mile radius, at least half of which is not in Wandsworth, the issue is still how the MCS will administer the test and how they publicise it, not which test they use.
Jane – I’m not sure what you mean about the MCS administering the Wandsworth test. Many schools out of borough accept children from Wandsworth without particularly publicising themselves and it is Wandsworth who administer the test for those children at test centres on a set date. If they are from within the borough then they sit the test at their primary school.
However, it doesn’t appear that children will be required to sit the Wandsworth test for admission in 2012, so I don’t know how those from out of borough will gain a place for September.
Re comments being stuck in moderation. This has also happened to me and I have posted to that effect (see comments on link below). This can be frustrating especially if the debate has moved on by the time a comment is posted.
However, this seems to be caused by a computer quirk. I found that the problem happened when I posted a comment without logging in. Perhaps if all posters registered and logged in then they would be recognised. It would also make it more difficult for posters to steal someone’s identity as seems to have happened recently.
LSN exists so that people can discuss educational matters. Most posters do so without resorting to name-calling or political rants. The latter derail discussion and discourage moderate posters. But perhaps that’s the point. If an argument can’t be debunked by evidence then opponents resort to personal attacks, sweeping statements, straw men arguments, and meaningless abuse of the “can’t polish a turd” variety.
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/08/some-very-good-reasons-why-steiner-schools-shouldnt-have-state-funding/
Clearly Janet its a question of ‘do as I say not as I do’ for the likes of yourself and others on this site? So its okay for Jane Eades to promote the far left agenda of the AAA on this site (of which she is a member of the national executive) but not ok for me to oppose this ultra-left class war hogwash. And its ok for you to accuse someone of ‘stealing an identity’ when the truth is that ‘identity’ was not a real person in the first place – which was the whole point (see my post elsewhere on this). Not for the first time the odious whiff of double standards and the like on the Luddite Schools Network.
A representative for the MCS has commented on a local message board regarding the intention to not teach ICT as a discrete subject and the number of businesses/people currently in the Trident Business Centre:
“ICT won’t be taught as a separate subject, ICT will be taught through the other subjects but will not have its own discrete lesson. For instance, spreadsheets will be learned though maths lessons and the basics of coding will complement their learning of algebra. Digital photo software will be used in art lessons and films will be made, using complex technology in Drama and English lessons. Biology, Physics and Chemistry will all be taught as separate subjects. Re whether there are 400 businesses in the Trident centre – absolutely the management will know the numbers that there are inside there but my understanding is it’s people not businesses. Hope helpful”
http://www.tootingonline.com/forum/tooting-schools-education/69-new-free-school-michaela-community-school-open-tooting-page8.html
It’s been most instructive (and quite exhausting) reading through the comments on this site, and I’m amazed at some of the infantile behaviour on display on all sides of the argument.
My son starts secondary school in September and we have absolutely no idea where he will end up, but having been to the meeting last night in Balham, I would be very happy for him to go to the MCS. I have no political axe to grind, and maybe Katherine Birbalsingh is an ambitious, money-hungry opportunist, but I have not been set alight by any of the schools in the area where I live (Wandsworth/Merton border). The MCS team were an impressive group of successful professionals. Articulate, passionate, experienced and determined, they were inspiring, and I liked the idea of their rigorous traditional model, which promises to give such a good basic grounding. We have put in an application. There are more questions that we want to ask them, and they have made it clear that their lines of communication are fully open, so I am in the process of compiling a good list to lob at them over the next week or two.
To those who say that it is elitist or ‘selective’, covertly or otherwise, then I can only respond that ALL schools are, to a greater or lesser extent. My son is hardly eligible for any of the schools that would be deemed ‘local’. One is a faith school, and we are not church-goers. Another has a DT specialty (and from what I’ve been able to see, DT is either cooking or a bit of desultory woodwork – a complete waste of curriculum time frankly.) One has a ‘grammar stream’ at the top and then operates on catchment, and my son hasn’t a hope of getting in on his academic ability. Others are miles away and would take over an hour to get to. And finally our actual ‘local’ school, the one that is a couple of hundred yards down the road, has been a catch-all for excluded children from other boroughs, and is quite a scary place to go near. You might say that I ought to send my son there, and in a perfect world I would, because I would love for the closest school to be my school of choice. But walking past at 3pm, you would be forgiven for thinking you were in a dope house, so strong is the aroma of marijuana, and the foul language, brawling boys and shrieking girls would be enough to put off the strongest idealist. I wouldn’t dream of putting my son into that environment. Does that make me elitist? Perhaps. But if that school is an example of what can happen with the system the way it is now, then I’m guilty as charged.
The simple fact is, if MCS can offer my average son the chance to get a good solid dose of the 3 Rs, with a strong work ethic and an ethos that promotes discipline and a love of learning, then I’m all for it, and I know that it will stand him in good stead for whatever he wants to do afterwards, whether he goes to university or not. If they are being selective either covertly or openly, it’s no more than many other schools are doing. Why isn’t there more shouting about the elitism of faith schools? Not only are they utterly selective on the most spurious grounds, they are divisive too. If choice is what people want, then let us have it. No point bleating about schools being selective, when we are just as selective toward them.
Jane, I am rather surprised by your comments. On the question of secondary schools: the local Wandsworth schools are: Graveney, Burntwood, Ernest Bevin and Chestnut Grove. If you are accusing one of these of of the sort of behaviour you describe, I am astounded. I go past each of them at various times and have certainly not seen smoking, let alone dope, outside the schools. Other than a small amount of high spirits I have also not see brawling. All are deemed to be excellent by Ofsted and by results.
I have looked at the MCS curriculum and, it seems to me, that it is designed to discourage any students not up to the EBacc. The diet described for low attainers: “Pupils with exceptionally low attainment (with a reading age of seven or below) will be repeatedly taught the basics of literacy and numeracy to help them commit these to memory.” Apparently this is based on some unspecified research carried out in the US!
As an ex Maths teacher, I also have grave doubts about the KS3 Maths syllabus.
Perhaps you could let me know how many people there were at the meeting. My impression is that it was rather sparsely attended.
@Jane Eades. Hi Jane. I actually live in Merton, but right on the border of Wandsworth, so you’d think that I’d have a heap of choice, but Merton secondary schools are even further away from us than Wandsworth ones, hence my search in Wandsworth.
The school I referred to isn’t one of those you mentioned, and I have in fact put one or two of those on my list, but I’m reluctant to say the name of the school in case inferences are drawn from my remarks that I didn’t intend. I hope that makes some kind of sense.
As for the meeting, you’re right, it was sparsely attended, but I did like the line up they had in place. As a teacher, you would have a better idea of the syllabus and its implications, but I have no such knowledge and can only go on what I’ve been able to discover through talking to them, and keeping an eye on their website. They were very open, informative and willing to answer questions, but their presentation was marred by a local teacher being rather overbearingly strident at the end, which brought the whole thing to a rather sudden close. She didn’t do herself any favours, as people just thought she was rude. It was a shame.
Comment forums like this are great for finding out what other informed opinion is, but really it only makes me confused again, after I had been feeling a bit better about having maybe found an answer! I just thought that the aims of the school seemed to be good, and as I haven’t an agenda, (ie being a local teacher or opposing politician) I can only take what I find at face value. Could you tell me more about your concerns regarding the Maths KS3 syllabus and what it weaknesses are as opposed to other schools in the area?
I do have my own concerns about the proposed site at the Trident Centre, which does appear small, and I wonder whether the team that we met the other night will indeed be staying on throughout and beyond the set-up of the school. I also have questions about what happens on offers day. For example, if we accepted a place at MCS, does that mean that we will have forfeited a place at the other schools on our list? I understand that as the student numbers and places shake down, offers at higher priority schools on anyone’s list can still come in as late as September, so I wonder whether the MCS school will really cause any more chaos than there already is? Maybe I’m naive, but I want to believe that this school is being set up in a true spirit of enterprise on behalf of so many local children who don’t get the opportunity to stretch themselves, whether they are considered ‘bright’, ‘average’ or of ‘low attainment’.
I am instinctively egalitarian when it comes to education and I think all children should have an equal chance to learn in the best possible environment, but it begs the question – what is ‘best’? From what I have been able to discover so far, this school could be wonderful for my son. If the MCS team can deliver what they promise (and they have a lot to lose if they get it wrong, so I imagine they are going to be making a big effort) then I’m interested in what they are offering. But I know that it’s controversial, so I’m trying to see all points of view.
Jane A – for the reasons stated at length above, I would take anything said by Jane Eades with a very large pinch of salt. As a leading member of the Anti Academies Alliance she is ideologically opposed to all academies and free schools. You will not get any degree of objective feedback from her on MCS or any other free school. If you want to see what your existing local schools are like then you can search the DfE link below for objective data. If you have further queries about MCS or free schools generally then it may even be worth contacting the New Schools Network to see what they have to say. Ultimately free schools are a new education model to this country so at the end of the day any parent sending their child to the first cohort of MCS or wherever is taking a leap of faith to a degree. Using this site for impartial advice is probably not a good idea.
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/
JaneA: the link to the KS3 Maths programme of study: http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/q/mathematics%202007%20programme%20of%20study%20for%20key%20stage%203.pdf
The description on the MCS website focuses on calculations, algebra and problem solving. This is a very limited view of mathematics and one which is not entirely appropriate to preparing for the future.
For once, I agree with Jake (whoever he is). If parents choose this school they are taking a huge leap of faith.
Another concern I have is that there is mention of streaming. On the website this is indicated as being all through. On questioning I was told that the streaming would only be for the first year and, thereafter, there would be setting. Streaming is where pupils are put in groups across all subjects. Setting is when they may be in different levels in each subject. The problem is that, if subjects are class taught, it is very difficult, in practice, for pupils to transfer from one stream to another, or from one set to another.
Those students who, for one reason or another, did badly on the Wandsworth test would be put into the bottom stream and would find it almost impossible to rise up through the “ranks”. There was a considerable amount of research done on the effects of streaming, which is why so many schools dropped it and adopted setting.
Jane A – Jake (above) has provided a link to the 2011 Schools Performance Tables on the DfE website. You will be able to type in the name of any secondary school and see the GCSE results for 2011 plus comparisons with previous years. You will be able to see how high, middle and low attainers are doing in each school. And you can find out if pupils in the school are making expected progress in English and Maths.
But the school performance tables only give you exam results. They don’t tell you anything about a school’s ethos or whether it provides a full-rounded education (ie one that doesn’t dwell exclusively on getting pupils through tests to the detriment of other important skills). You’ll need to look at the prospectus for each school – they should be available on a school’s website. But the most important thing is to visit, preferably at a time when the school is working. And always look in the loos – they’ll tell you volumes about a school.
As Jake rightly points out, it’s a huge leap of faith opting for a school that isn’t up and running and doesn’t even have a firm site. But his suggestion of the New Schools Network (NSN) as a source of information will not make you any wiser. NSN is for groups wishing to set up a free schools. A search for MCS on its website reveals little information.
I dont recall saying a ‘huge’ leap of faith as both Janet and Jane E have implied. My exact words were a ‘leap of faith to a degree’. There’s a difference, especially if ones own due diligence as a parent finds the existing state schools lacking. And certainly school visits are a given. Also, I was more thinking of emailing or picking the phone up to the New Schools Network to raise any specfic queries on MCS (as opposed to relying on a website). I am sure if they cant help directly then they will direct one to who could assist.
Apologies, Jake – you did indeed say a “leap of faith to a degree”. Unfortunately, you didn’t make it clear how large the degree was. There is indeed a difference between a small leap and a large leap – but it’s a leap nevertheless. I’m unsure of the connection between the size of the leap, however, and “due diligence as a parent finds the existing state schools lacking”.
As far as Jane A contacting the NSN is concerned, I think she might just end up going round and round. The NSN is likely, as you say, to direct Jane to someone who could assist but these will probably be the same people that Jane has already met.
However, perhaps the video below can help Jane A decide. It is Ms Birbalsingh, the future head of MCS, addressing the Conservative Party Conference after having been a deputy head for just 5 weeks. Jane A might be impressed by what she says but perhaps she could reflect on whether it is appropriate professional behaviour for a teacher to project a picture of a pupil, name him and then make a joke about “Mr Anger Management” to whoops of delight from an audience of several hundred people.
Thanks, Janet, for the link.
A friend of mine who worked at St Michael’s and All Angels wrote:
The kid she accused of ‘not taking personal responsibility for his behaviour’ (a vulnerable SEN kid) was – in fact – attending Place-2-Be (a counselling provision for his difficulties in transition to secondary) regularly and was making improvements. But, he never went back to it after being ridiculed (which is how he saw it) by her. So, she made her point at his expense… but her point could easily have been made without ‘using’ him.
Thanks for all the comments, which are very informative, yet which leave me ever more bewildered! I’m really sorry about the boy on the special measures plan who felt discouraged after Ms Birbalsingh’s address. I agree that she should have been more sensitive in how she used him as an example, although it doesn’t sound as if she’s putting words in his mouth. More as if she made what he said sound as if it was silly, and that’s not fair. I’m not against showing children on the screen per se, so long as it is with their and their parents’ consent, but they need to know how it’s going to be used, so that they can decide whether the child should see it. My son was on tv when the BBC came round to his school to do some vox pops amongst the children about a series of Strictly Come Dancing. (As I recall it was I who was embarrassed in that particular instance as he told the world who I fancied!) Apart from that it was fine and I have no problems with it. It does seem a shame that some schools won’t even let parents film their children in school concerts and festivities. I know what their reasoning is, I just don’t agree with it.
As for the question of schools and choices, I’m none the wiser. My list was sent off to my local borough last year, and I’m really just waiting to see what is offered. I’ve seen so many schools, looked at so many Prospectuses and studied so many Ofsted reports that my head is spinning.
Frankly, I’m thinking of moving abroad!
Jane – we don’t know what the boy actually said, or whether Ms B was putting words in his mouth. The fact remains that she acted unprofessionally in posting a picture of a pupil and using the boy’s alleged words to make him look stupid. She then used this anecdote to underpin her assertion that school pupils excuse their behaviour by using “trendy jargon”. It went down very well at the Conference.
Ms B says she had obtained parental consent but I don’t expect she told them she was going to ridicule the boy to the delight of her audience.
I wonder what the reaction would be if a doctor projected at a picture of a patient at a political conference (having got the patient’s consent first, of course) and then described the patient as “Miss psychological eating disorder”, or a social worker doing the same thing and describing the client as “Mr I’m Just Misunderstood”. Ms B’s actions were unprofessional, harmful and an abuse of trust.
The following link would appear to support what Janet says;
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23938492-tory-teacher-sent-home-for-mocking-pupil-and-not-for-her-political-views-academy-tells-tribunal.do
In addition, I have to agree with Janet’s views regarding Ms Birbalsingh’s total lack of professionalism. It is hard to imagine anyone else pulling such a stunt and remaining in their profession. A doctor or social worker who behaved in the same way would never be allowed to practice again.
Yet Birbalsingh has the chutzpah to now appoint herself to a post way above her capabilities, with the full backing of the DfE, it would appear.
You couldn’t make it up.
I think it would be very interesting to have access to the minutes of the decision making process that awarded Katharine Birbalsingh this school. Unfortunately the nature of the free school application process means that all this is kept secret even though local people surely have a right to know how the decision was arrived at and whether these matters were considered.
I’m trying to be open-minded and to look at all the evidence one way or another on both sides of this fraught issue, but apart from hearing about the personal strong dislikes of the woman and her methods, I am unable to glean from this forum exactly what is the real problem with the idea of this school. I am astonished at the levels of mistrust and suspicion, and I can only assume that there is some other more personal agenda at work concerning Katherine Birbalsingh and her methods. Some here seem to be actively looking for reasons to dismiss it out of hand.
If parents don’t like the idea they won’t apply, but they need to be allowed to hear all sides of the argument. Where I live in Earlsfield I talk daily to parents who are unhappy with the existing local schools, particularly if they would like their child to be stretched, and it would have been excellent to have had a chance to meet and talk rationally to anyone who didn’t support the idea of the new school at the meeting the other evening. What we got was a very shouty teacher who invited no discussion and made us all feel quite uncomfortable. I can understand why a teacher might feel threatened, but I don’t get why any local parent would be so violently against the idea of an alternative to a system that seems to be failing so many children? Or have I misunderstood what they mean by a ‘community school’? And if you say that they are using a system of covert selection, then please apply some of your considerable energy to all the ‘overtly’ selective schools in this country. Particularly faith or sect schools. Now there’s an argument worth having.
The problem Jane is that this is not an ‘open minded’ forum. It has a socialist ‘one size fits all’ agenda. As such free schools, academies, the concept of greater parental choice – basically anything that does not have a left wing bias – are dismissed out of hand.
JaneAwdry: if you live in Earlsfield then you must be aware that all your local secondary schools are producing results which show above average progress for students. The DfE is currently spending a considerable amount of money on encouraging “free” schools to be set up. Put this into the context of the cut in essential building work, is this money which should be spent on increasing the number of empty chairs in classrooms?
Personally, I would prefer that my money was spent on improving tried and trusted schools, rather than on something which, at best, is untested and, at worst, is poorly thought out.
I do feel very sorry for parents trying to make responsible decisions about their child’s education. One of the main problems is that the league tables are very deceptive and, this year, the DfE has released so much information that the problems must seem even greater.
@Jane Eades. The trouble is, there aren’t really any local secondary schools for which my son would be eligible. Graveney is too far away so we’re out of the catchment area, St Cecilia’s is a faith school, as is Wimbledon College. Ashcroft is a possibility, but again, we are out of the catchment area. Chestnut Grove wasn’t even on my radar until it was too late, mainly because it’s miles from us. Ernest Bevin might have been, but my son isn’t sporty and would not really fit in well there. Rutlish is in Raynes Park – way too far. The only other realistic option is Southfields Community College, and I simply will not send my son to a school where over 50% of the children don’t have English as a first language. Its ofsted report is wonderful, but that’s because of the value added. Which is great, but not what my son needs.
At least I’m quite open about wanting this option to be available to everyone. Not like Harriet Harmon and Diane Abbot who want one thing for the masses and something else for themselves. Everyone is banging on about choice, but we don’t really have any. I would bet that a lot of the empty seats in schools are due to people giving up on the state system and selling everything to put their children into the private sector. I know some. They can’t afford it, but they don’t want their kids to be part of a system that reportedly allows 22% of school leavers in this country to be functionally innumerate and illiterate. So they batten down the hatches, downsize and take the hit. I used to live in the West Indies – they use the old traditional method, and their literacy rate is way higher than here. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see any improvement coming from money being thrown at discredited system.
The new MCS claims it will be a community school, and I hope that it truly would reflect the community but if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be doing anything that a faith school doesn’t do, ie cherry-pick the students it wants. So what’s the difference?
There are many schools, even if you take out value added, which are doing a great job by all the pupils they serve. Have you asked the local head for more info or are you only going by the simple view provided by the tables? My son goes to a school which is 60% EAL – he is a native English speaker, and is making 4 levels progress a year (double the expected rate) – so EAL level doesn’t necessarily have a single thing to do with the progress and attainment of children at the school.
@Tracy. Your son sounds self-motivated and determined it’s great that he’s doing so well. But I suspect that he’s an exception…
With respect Jane A, I think that it is a common misconception that children are being failed by the education provision in Wandsworth. I know many children who are thriving and being “stretched”.
I’m beginning to wonder if it would be beneficial for parents of secondary age children in Wandsworth schools to meet and tell it how it is to those parents in primary schools who have the same concerns as you Jane.
I suspect that Tracy’s son is far from being an exception.
@ Lynne Mendoza. That’s a great idea Lynne. In fact I have been quite astonished at how much I didn’t know up until the whole secondary preparation process began, even though I had been round the schools a year early, and I thought I was so far ahead! The whole thing then turned into an extraordinary cloak and dagger affair as people withdrew and became secretive about their choices and stopped talking to each other – not in a nasty way, but just because suddenly you’re all competing for places at the secondary schools. (It’s been hilarious to see the huge increase in church-going for the few years leading up to secondary applications – I wonder how many will keep it up after they’ve been accepted at the faith school of their choice. And let’s not forget that this kind of selection is without a doubt all about middle class anxiety). Anyway, you’ve been great friends with all these people, sharing all the ups and downs of school life for the past 5 years, and it’s strange to suddenly be in this position, because schools frown on competitiveness amongst the children, and the adults had become all become slack and flabby too.
Then the competitive tutoring gets going. I was absolutely against the idea of cramming my son for tests, but then I realised that everyone’s at it, and I felt that if I didn’t do it for my son, that I would be letting him down. In fact, of course some people are starting it as soon as their kid hits reception. So the idea that our education system is in any way egalitarian is rubbish. The ones with money are buying their children the extra boost from the get-go, even in the state sector. It makes a mockery of SATS results. In my son’s primary they have as much to do with the work that’s being done by tutors as by the teachers. Almost everyone in my son’s year was being tutored. It’s a great big open secret, and I honestly wonder what teachers make of it – they must surely know that’s what everyone’s up to, but it’s never mentioned. Talk about the elephant in the room!
I tell everyone I know with younger children that they should start looking at all relevant secondary schools as early as possible, because it’s just too much to take in during the few months run up to the 11+. And I never mention tutors, but you know what – they already know about all that, and they’ve booked in advance.
The present system was created to crush out competitiveness. No grammar schools, because that might show some children to be brighter than others. Medals for all on the games pitch, so that no child has to face the harsh reality that some people might be better or worse than others at running, or jumping or throwing a ball. And stickers and accolades for improvers, but nothing (outwardly at least) for those that excel.
But look what’s happened. Everyone pays lip service to the great ‘level playing field’ and then they quietly go about trying to gain an advantage on the sly. What a fine bunch of hypocrites this great educational experiment has turned us into.
Jane – you have brought up so many relevant points it’s hard to know where to start. So I’ll just consider a few.
1 English state education suffers from inaccurate, misleading and sometimes untrue coverage (see link below for one example).
2 The excessive emphasis on exam results is having negative effects on children’s education (see link below).
3 Parents who suddenly become churchgoers before the schools choice season are sending the wrong message to their children – that it’s OK to lie to get what you want. What’s worse is that these parents are asking their children to collude with them in this deception. This puts children in an invidious position – balancing respect for the truth with loyalty to their parents.
4 Tutoring has its place – in helping a child struggling with a subject for example. But tutoring for the sake of a place in a selective school misses the point of what education is really about. It is not just about passing exams or parents being able to boast that one’s child has passed the 11+ (and basking in reflected glory).
5 The best-performing school systems globally tend to be those that do not segregate pupils academically, socially or by virtue of where they live (see link below).
6 There are not 20+% of illiterate school leavers (see link below for evidence).
Most of the articles on this site are linked to evidence from reliable sources (e Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the Sutton Trust, the Education Endowment Fund and so on. But don’t just take my word for it. There are sites, such as FullFact and Channel 4 Factcheck which regularly investigate claims by politicians and the media about, among other things, education. Again, their reports are accurate and backed up by evidence (see links to their sites below).
And keep returning. You can always check out the evidence in case you think that there is a particular bias. You can also check out any evidence provided by those who accuse this site of bias if there are any links given (which is not often).
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2010/12/state-education-suffers-from-biased-media-coverage/
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/06/too-much-emphasis-on-grades-is-cause-of-concern-say-oecd/
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/09/inclusion-is-the-key-to-successful-school-systems-says-oecd/
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/09/inclusion-is-the-key-to-successful-school-systems-says-oecd/
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/10/zombie-stats-for-literacy-given-new-life-by-guardian/
http://fullfact.org/
http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/
Just for reference, the 11+ that I think Jane A is referring to, is the Wandsworth Test. All children who wish to apply to a Wandsworth secondary state school have to sit this test in November of Year 6.
You can read more about it by following the link below (a pdf of the “Choose A Wandsworth Secondary School” booklet:
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/downloads/file/4966/choose_a_wandsworth_secondary_school_2012/200086
Doing a bit of research – the new “proposed” Deputy Headteacher was head of maths a south London school for all of two years. As this was a new school he probably had little chance to show leadership and management skills as it is likely that there were only other one or two other teachers to manage in the two years he was there. How can you go from being a head of department with only two years experience to deputy headteacher? A massive jump up in my experience – I will watch with interest.