We see Gordon Brown making a promise, he's very good at that as he does
it all the time but he doesn't keep many, making a promise to give
parents a vote on whether a struggling school should be run by a
different organisation.
Well how big of him.
What he is actually doing is saying to parents,
"Look the state run school has failed. It's owned by the state, run by the state, tested by the state but it's failed, sorry about that.
It isn't the state's fault it failed it's the people that work there's fault.
It isn't the state's fault for employing them as the state employees were advised by private educational consultants who are experts in their field. It's their fault the wrong people were hired.
The state manipulated the intake to try to ensure no-one was excluded on any grounds whatsoever.
We have provided and extra £XX million pounds but sorry despite all this the school still failed.
We also provided some education in every possible subject that may cause harm or offence to the person, to the wider community to the global community, the environment, in fact anyone your children may come into contact with.
We have all but removed risk from every child's school days, except when they get bullied but we have expensive campaigns for that!
We tried to educate them about all the things we the state hold dear with equality and diversity, no losers only winners, we are all equal under the sun, we all have rights and should use them in the way we the state prescribe, they have a duty to pay etc, etc but they wouldn't listen and the school failed.
So now you parents can vote for another public state organisation, a private state organisation, a business or religion to run the school.
We the state will still pay for everything including all the experts and consultants needed to help this new organisation turn this school around but if they fail to achieve the state's aims aims it will still not be the state's fault.
It will be the fault of the parents whose children have now grown up and left the school long ago who selected this organisation from our state approved list!"
Think I've finally lost the plot?
The plan is to be announced by Gordon Brown in a speech on raising standards in which he will promise "parents a strong voice and real power".
Parents would be able to vote for a change of school leadership - with a list of approved organisations which could take over the school.
How do you get on Gordon's approved list?
What sort of organisation can apply?
What sort of track record in education is required?
What happens if the approved contractor (for that is all they are. No doubt Crapita will be selecting them) turns out to be worse that the previous incumbents?
This is simply a public acceptance that despite having 13 years of massive spending, a huge increase in meaningless targets, forcing schools to follow every government diktat, whim, dream to the letter no matter how much it cost or how irrelevant those targets and diktats are.
Kids are still leaving school uneducated.
Standards have not actually gone up.
None of their ideas have delivered.
Surely the "power", to use Gordon's term, is where it always has been it in the hands of parents. Many may realise it but few exercise it.
Link
What he is actually doing is saying to parents,
"Look the state run school has failed. It's owned by the state, run by the state, tested by the state but it's failed, sorry about that.
It isn't the state's fault it failed it's the people that work there's fault.
It isn't the state's fault for employing them as the state employees were advised by private educational consultants who are experts in their field. It's their fault the wrong people were hired.
The state manipulated the intake to try to ensure no-one was excluded on any grounds whatsoever.
We have provided and extra £XX million pounds but sorry despite all this the school still failed.
We also provided some education in every possible subject that may cause harm or offence to the person, to the wider community to the global community, the environment, in fact anyone your children may come into contact with.
We have all but removed risk from every child's school days, except when they get bullied but we have expensive campaigns for that!
We tried to educate them about all the things we the state hold dear with equality and diversity, no losers only winners, we are all equal under the sun, we all have rights and should use them in the way we the state prescribe, they have a duty to pay etc, etc but they wouldn't listen and the school failed.
So now you parents can vote for another public state organisation, a private state organisation, a business or religion to run the school.
We the state will still pay for everything including all the experts and consultants needed to help this new organisation turn this school around but if they fail to achieve the state's aims aims it will still not be the state's fault.
It will be the fault of the parents whose children have now grown up and left the school long ago who selected this organisation from our state approved list!"
Think I've finally lost the plot?
The plan is to be announced by Gordon Brown in a speech on raising standards in which he will promise "parents a strong voice and real power".
Parents would be able to vote for a change of school leadership - with a list of approved organisations which could take over the school.
How do you get on Gordon's approved list?
What sort of organisation can apply?
What sort of track record in education is required?
What happens if the approved contractor (for that is all they are. No doubt Crapita will be selecting them) turns out to be worse that the previous incumbents?
This is simply a public acceptance that despite having 13 years of massive spending, a huge increase in meaningless targets, forcing schools to follow every government diktat, whim, dream to the letter no matter how much it cost or how irrelevant those targets and diktats are.
Kids are still leaving school uneducated.
Standards have not actually gone up.
None of their ideas have delivered.
Surely the "power", to use Gordon's term, is where it always has been it in the hands of parents. Many may realise it but few exercise it.
Link
Question for Mr. blackledge on the web-chat:
Your name:
Wayne Chips
Email:
Question:
The intake numbers of the academy are much lower than the three predecessor schools. If Year 7 students from the academy catchment area, who would have previously got a place in Alfred barrow, Thorncliffe or Parkview, now do not gain a place in the academy, how will Mr. blackledge decide which students get a place and which students do not? Will he discriminate on ability or even set an entrance exam? And what will happen to those students that do not get a place in the academy, but don't get a place in their second choice school as it is over-subscribed.
Another question for "I don't tell the truth Blackledge"
Why is my child now on a 4th maths teacher if as, according to him, the figures regarding teachers leaving is being exaggerated?
More due to leave at Easter, but how would he know when he never bothers to do a day's work or attend either site. Would like a look at his attendance record but then again none are being kept. Hope Ofsted do their job but it will be another stitch up.
Yet again another lying lacklustre performance at consultation South Site. The lady that stood up and spoke certainly rattled his cage. I thought the colour purple only applied to the uniform.
Supply teacher - I usually agree with comments on here but there has only been 1 maths teacher leave south site since the academy came into being (and none at North) so how a pupil can have 4 teachers is beyond me (ok, they may have been poorly but anyone can be sick!!) Why exagerate to make a point? the issues are bad enough without 'extending' the truth!!!!
The head of maths from alfs and also from thorncliffe both left just before the academy opened to walney. Both hods for science also left at that time. The academy claims to be a specialist maths college!! Gcse results this summer are a cause of major concern.
Head of maths and head of science at Thorncliffe did not leave. Perhaps you mean Parkview.
Hi eric
I wholeheartedly agree there should be no exaggeration on teachers leaving.
I just want the school to know, that we know our children do not have full time permanent teachers for all the subjects. Don’t try and cover it up and claim over exaggeration, just do something about it.
I am expecting things to right themselves when year 11 leave. God help us if it does not.
I am not exaggerating. My child has had 4 maths teachers since September. I never said anything about leaving. I know one maths teacher has left south site and that the excellent head of maths left last Christmas to escape the academy. Teachers are being chopped and changed with no continuity of teaching. Heaven help us.
supply teacher - you need to read your first post again.....
'Why is my child now on a 4th maths teacher if as, according to him, the figures regarding teachers leaving is being exaggerated?'
I think you DID mention the word leaving.
ps the 'excellent head of maths' left for a promotion - she is now deputy head at Walney. Do you expect us all to stay at the Academy forever to teach just because it may upset the pupils???
ps- again i reiterate, how does one child have 4 different teachers? (unless they are poorly)
I know she left to be deputy head at Walney. The teachers are not "poorly" being changed all the time due to people going. If you work there you will know. I have many contacts on the "inside" and things are not good at all.
I do work there thats how i know that you are not giving the correct facts
Please name the 4 maths teachers that your child has had and then i will stand corrected (unless i can give a justification that explains the situation)
I could name the four maths teachers but will not do so as to not single out my child. Please do not have the audacity to say that I am not giving the correct facts. It is the academy, its leaders, sponsors and CCC who are the ones who are known to not give the correct facts and, in fact, lie at every opportunity they are given. I have been involved with Parkview School since 2000 and have never known such a shambles that now exists at this once excellent school that we all know has only been lumped into this monstrosity of an academy because of the wonderful green fields it sits on, or did.
Eric it is great that you work there now finally we might get some answers to the "rumours".Could you please answer the following:
Is it true that members of the senior management team are applying for other jobs(I'm led to believe it is the VPS)even though they have only been in their posts for 6 months?
Do staff have to teach a subject that is not a subject that they are trained /familiar with for 20% of their time?
Are staff off due to stress?
Are things running smoothly or are "the wheels coming off the bus"?
Did Doug Blackledge appoint his mistress without an interview and was this position advertised?
Why are there so many supply staff,is it due to staff being off sick?staff on courses?Staff leaving and positions unfilled?
I would appreciate your answers to the above.WE do want to know the facts not fiction.
ok here we go:
1. yes
2.yes (I know of 1)
3. not that i know of - but dont have access to sick information
4.off the bus
5.yes / no
6. dont know numbers of supply, main reason that i know of is unfilled places - interviews ongoing
does that help?
Yes thanks.I've heard/read of these things and have never really been sure if they were true or just "gossip".I appreciate you getting back to me.
3.yes most certainly
and plenty more stressed and hanging on by their fingernails poor things.
I can elaborate on your answers:
3. Yes they are and others are just about managing to hang on in school despite being severely stressed.
5. Concur with the answeres given. This is despite internal staff expressing that they would be interested in doing the job. They weren't given a chance. I could say more but you can join up the dots for yourself...
6. Staff are leaving and expect more this summer. And not all are leaving voluntarily.
As an ex employee, i have had many conversations with many friends who still work there. You will never get to see exclusion figures, which are the worst in the county. You will never get to hear of the attendance rates which are so bad even the dcsf is worried! Wait till gcse results day!
Can you elaborate on why staff are not leaving voluntarily?I thought people were protected by TUPE regulations.Thanks.
Why will we not get to see exclusion figures or hear about the attendance rates? Would these be published in an ofsted report?The education in Barrow appears to be in a complete mess and it seems will only get worse.Some of the major players have "naffed off"(Swann,Simco,Kelly).Who is going to be held to account,Blackledge?It is all very worrying.
Sometimes conditions at work are made so truly bad that you might not be able to sleep, you might become extremely stressed or you might be on medication. TUPE cant protect you then.
Tupe only applies in certain instances. Academies are able to work their way around legalities such as these. Four senior teachers from alfs and three from parkview were got rid of, tupe or no tupe.
That's appalling I was under the impression that people had employment rights.I suppose I'm not surprised though.I was once made redundant from a post(I did get another job in the same organisation)within 2 months my previous post was given to someone else when I queried this I was told that after a period of 6 weeks everything re-sets.It would seem where there is a will there is way!
Can identify with work related stress and the sleep problems.My heart goes out to any member of the academy staff in this situation and it's ruddy annoying when you find yourself in such a situation through no fault of your own!
Due to rapidly falling attendance and punctuality rates and also the increasingly worrying exclusion rates, I can confirm that Furness Academy, allegedly, has come to the notice of not only Ofsted but also Her Majesties inspectors of Schools. All staff know that HMI have arranged an emergency visit to the Academy which will take place before Easter. the Senior leadership team have glossed it over as a 6 month 'health check' in an attempt to alleviate staff anxieties and worries. In fact the only people that should be worried are the senior leadership team themselves.
they (hmi & dcsf) HAVE been in - no feed back to staff yet but it was not good,