Open Blog

Thank Derek, just had another post blocked in the Mail.

Have had seven posts blocked since xmas, none of them were picking on individuals and all were blocked.

It's a shame this site seems to have lost its valuable role of sharing info about whats going on inside the academy. The teachers are silent - is everyone happy now? (Idon't think so)

This site will never lose its valuable role, it is there and open if we need it. I have nothing of interest to report and I am not disappointed if I hear nothing.

I said that I didn't think everyone was happy - I just wondered why the silence - I'd like it more when we got some feed bac from the actual teachers inside but all quiet at the moment.........

It's because staff are stressed and trying to sort behaviour problems out.

I have many friends and colleagues at the Academy. A year ago, their views about the new academy were split - some thought it a good thing, others bad, some undecided. However, a year may be a short time in some things and not others. Views have changed significantly and not a single colleague I have spoken to - I'm talking over 35 people - hold the view that the present academy is any better than the education supplied by the predecessor schools. Indeed, all say that what exisits now is significantly worse. All share the view that attendance and punctuality are poorer than what went before - statistics confirm this view. All share the view that Leadership is either weaker or less effective. The most significant worry for them is how all of this - and the rapidly worstening behaviour - will have a major impact on GCSE results for the forseeable future. A school that has to resort to locking toilets to keep the learners out is on a downward spiral. If the Leadership Team have to adopt this measure, it shows that they are unable to keep a significant minority of students in their lessons. Now the toilets are locked, where do these students now go - do they wander around disrupting lessons or are they excluded. Perhaps I am being thick and it is a tactic to force the hand of this significant minority to ensure they are excluded.
The fixed term exclusion statistics for FA - which you will not see- allegedly show a very worrying picture - students who worked well and were integrated in previous schools now are being repeatedly excluded, further disrupting their education. Some might say this shows Doug's attempts to improve discipline, I say it shows a lack of understanding of the specific needs of certain groups of kids and an inability to design a curriculum and policies/procedures that are fully inclusive for the children of the people of Barrow.
What has and does worry me even further is that all policies - Learning Zones, Vivo miles etc are simply lack-lustre re hashes of existing policies which are ineffective at best and, at worst, have been lifted blatently from the DCSF's guidlines. Where is the innovation, inspiration and vision. Answer it has never existed in the sponsors or the principal's mindset. yes, I am being critical but I always hoped they were better than their lacklustre public performances have shown.
With my fine collegues getting increasingly bogged down with writing prescriptive lesson planning to prove to DCSF and HMI that Doug is actually doing a good job at turning things around, with their having to adopt a set of policies which they know do not fit the students, I can forsee serious staffing weaknesses in some subjects that is already manifesting itself. In four or five years, unless there is massive intervention and a thorough re-branding of what currently exists with something much better, I know without doubt that Special measures is on its way.
I respect my colleagues for putting the effort in because they care. However, some poeple higher up are simply seeing pound signs in front of their eyes and will have cleared off to pastures new long before they take the full burden of responsibility that is surely theirs.
Colleagues, parents, kids, I stand villified if I am wrong with the way things are going. Please post comments here which prove otherwise if you can.

Sadly your comments are all correct. It was the situation at the start of the academic year and has steadily worsened. Considerable effort was put into raising standards - have those standards dropped irretrievably in the face of meglomania, greed and arrogant superiority?

Sadly, nano, the opinion and allegation contained in chippy's post is an accurate reflection of reality.

I realise no-one has to do anything but bide their time before the whole catastrophe comes to fruition - but these posts do have a purpose - they can act as support to those staff stuck in a situation they think is beyond hope. My advice - get out as soon as possible. It's only when you do this that you can appreciate how a school should be run.

Fa is to advertise at least two new director jobs at 55 k to complement the existing management team of 20. The academy staff salary is amongst the most expensive in england.

Thanks Pauline - don't forget the not advertised posts being appointed internally. Also any of these posts filled internally - including the 4 assistant heads of houses (?) will mean reduced teaching time for these teachers putting more pressure on the rest of the teachers.

what is it with this new structuring - will a structure be published for all to see - have the staff seen it? I have heard that some of the administration structure is being "tweaked" but no one has seen the master plan - perhaps there isn't one

Changing the subject

The admission numbers into the academy, clearing show that ONE site is going to happen at the CCC meeting at the end of this month.

Furness Academy plus sponsors, Jack Richardson, Ann Burns plus other wasted TAX Payer money on a false promise of a World Class Education, on Two sites for the children of Barrow.

All you have created is a situation similar to down south, a lack of school places, families having the lie to get their children into a school near to there home, a school where their children want to go to.

You also wasted parents time into attending meeting, airing views when you knew it was never going to happen.

It was clear from doug`s presentation that no way was the two site wanted and you can scare people into not wanting it

How long will it be before Barrow council are `fining` people for wanting to get their child into a school of their choice.

What a country we live in --

We have one head on 135k, two vice principals on around 67 - 75k (actually one of them will still be paid the heads salary from Thorncliffe for 3 yrs but there you go). Also, 5 current directors on around 55k, 3 deputy directors on 48k, nine heads of department on over 40k, nine seconds in department on a similar salary, 3 or 4 heads of houses on 38k.
Doug now wants two more directors on 55k and a further four assistant heads of houses!!
No wonder he is making the remainder of the staff redundant - there are more chiefs than indians. In fact, there are enough chiefs than the other secondaries in the town put together!
Why is the man content with such a ridiculously expensive system? It is not fair on mainscale teachers who are losing their jobs, on the taxpayers and on ther kids - more managers does not equate to better standards as is plainly obvious in the present debacle!

I REST MY CASE
Secondary Headships, Deputy Headships & Assistant HeadsLEARNING ZONE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT LEARNING ZONE DIRECTOR

Furness Academy
Thorncliffe Road, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, Cumbria, LA14 5QP
11 – 16 NOR 1744
Website: www.furnessacademy.co.uk
Headteacher/Chief Officer: Tel: 01229 894605 Fax: 01229 894603
info@furnessacademy.co.uk

Required September 2010

Both posts: Permanent - Full-time

LEARNING ZONE DIRECTOR FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY

L18 – L23 (£55,669 - £62,919 per annum)

The core purpose of this role is to ensure the highest standards of teaching, learning and student outcomes in Science, Maths and Technology.

ASSISTANT LEARNING ZONE DIRECTOR FOR NUMERACY

L7 – L12 (£42,542 - £48,025 per annum)

The core purpose of this role is to establish the highest standards of Numeracy across the Curriculum and to take a key role in leading the specialism.

Furness Academy is a newly established 11-16 academy based on two campuses in Barrow-in-Furness.
The Academy is a specialist Sports College and has Applied Mathematics Specialism, but aims for excellence across the whole curriculum.

These posts provide an opportunity to join an excellent and forward thinking team in an academy committed to the highest standards of success for its students.

We are looking for enthusiastic teachers and senior leaders with the drive and energy to make a real difference.

For further details and an application form please email Sarah Caine, Office Manager via the email address above, or download the details and application pack from our website.

Closing date : Monday 19th April 2010

Interviews : w/c 26thApril 2010

A Criminal disclosure check will be requested for any applicant who is offered a position.

Disability Symbol User: YES
Cumbria County Council Equal Opps Policy: YES
Catholic School: North West Catholic Diocese Equal Opps Policy: NO
Closing Date: 190410
Description: Deputy/Assistant Headships - Secondary Schools
Date Advertised on Website: 23/03/2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PERMANENT - FULL TIME DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND STANDARDS

L18 – L23 (£55,669 - £62,919 per annum)

Furness Academy
Thorncliffe Road, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, Cumbria, LA14 5QP
11 – 16 NOR 1744
Website: www.furnessacademy.co.uk
Headteacher/Chief Officer: Tel: 01229 894605 Fax: 01229 894603
info@furnessacademy.co.uk

Required September 2010

The core purpose of the role is to lead the Heads of House to measure student engagement and standards (personal and academic) and link the Academy’s vision, core values, mission and ethos.

Furness Academy is a newly established 11-16 academy based on two campuses in Barrow-in-Furness.
The Academy is a specialist Sports College and has Applied Mathematics Specialism, but aims for excellence across the whole curriculum.

This is an opportunity to join an excellent and forward thinking team in an academy committed to the highest standards of success for its students.

We are looking for an enthusiastic teacher and senior leader with the drive and energy to make a real difference.

Closing date : Monday 19th April 2010

Interviews : w/c 3rd May 2010

For further details and an application form please email Sarah Caine, Office Manager via the email address above, or download the details and an application pack from our website.

A Criminal disclosure check will be requested for any applicant who is offered a position.

Disability Symbol User: YES
Cumbria County Council Equal Opps Policy: YES
Catholic School: North West Catholic Diocese Equal Opps Policy: NO
Closing Date: 190410
Description: Deputy/Assistant Headships - Secondary Schools
Date Advertised on Website: 23/03/2010

May I refer you all to the pearls of wisdom which Mr. blackledge originally made about a two site acdemy back in May 2009 in his first North West Evening Mail Video Interview:

"Obviously we have to bring three schools together under one Academy on two sites and that makes the project quite unique in all Academy projects throughout the country.
In terms of the challenge of leadership in two sites that is a challenge and something that is new for me. It doesn't daunt me as it is something that is not unique by any means."

Nuff said really!!!!!!

One of these posts is currently help by a well respected senior staff member known as mr parkview, neil tippins. Why has doug removed him from his post?

So thats 3 new jobs at between 55k and 62k alongside all of the others?! Astounding, truly astounding.

We all know that hmi have told doug that teaching at fa is below standard and must change for the better asap. These new jobs are his way of trying to ensure he keeps his job.

Four teachers from fa got the sack via letter yesterday. Obviously to help fund these new fat cat posts. Unions are involved.

Sadly unlike other schools, neither the head or vice principals teach. If he gets some good external applicants with good ideas, they will do the job that neither he or the current team can - raise standards. If so he will keep his job.

How can you justify a school costing not much short of £2millon ON JUST MANAGERS

This must the most expensive school around as no running costs or teaching salaries etc have been taken into account yet

How much is this school costing to run, teachers salaries, admin, cleaners, stationary, heating etc,

It would be a joke if it was cheaper to run the previous 3 schools,

Who is paying for all this exactly.

If you look at acompsarable size secondary, with a head on around 85k, a single deputy on 55k and two assistants on around 43k, you are correct. Furness academy spends at least four times on the salaries of the leadership team than other sedcondary schools!!! Sadly, it is not trasnslated across to results and standards. The government made a recent visit to FA and were very concerned at the low level of teaching - quite the opposite to what they expected. They also were concerned at the lack of strategic planning at leadership level. The school staff know nothing about the school improvement plan and the liones of communication are very poor. It comes to something when we can count on a single hand how many times Doug has been seen around the building since xmas, that's 4 months. Four staff have been given the push this week and it is having a negative effect on morale. They are now a French teacher down, an ICT teacher down and an art teacher down. meanwhile as the staff and student numbers continue to fall the size of the top bosses - and their pay packets - is going up nicely thank you very much!

Four staff have indeed been given the push this week - no consultation - just a letter!!! They were subjected to an improvement plan and some of them actually thought their job was continuing until Doug's panic tactics following the HMI visit. This is no way to treat people and no way to run a school. There is union involvement.

derek - are you still around?

As far as I know, (and I work there) four members of staff have been told to improve but no one has been sacked - yet. Be careful about spreading false info. people. The Academy is over staffed in some subject area so everybody is aware that redundancy is possible.

I feel so much sympathy if the talk of staff being shown the door is correct. Has the mistress still got a position?

Yes GM still around.
Derek

My understanding also is that all 4 staff on friday got letters terminating their employment.

We cannot have it both ways.
It is sad but even if there were no downsizing in September, some teaching standards are low so some teachers will have to go if we want a first class school. I don't know how you get a first class school without doing this. This unfortunately means that good teachers feel needlessly vulnerable. This happens in all jobs in all walks of life.
I do believe we have some brilliant teachers and management who have been given an enormous task by our local politicians. You cannot blame people who were part of previous management teams in the previous schools, that were according to us, run well. Yes, there are always flies in the ointment but we had some of them before and things were improving all the time. Just think what a b****** of a task they have been given. It is no wonder there are problems.
We should be directing our anger at CCC, John Woodcock (Hutton) and John Gough not the people who are trying to set up a whole new system that they probably do not even agree with themselves.

How short are peoples memories. The good experienced teachers from Parkview were ditched because they were too expensive! The young pretenders are obviously struggling.There are politics of madness being played out in the Academy.We haven't even got the"Good News Bible" i.e. the Evening Mail to help in this crazy situation.
What a mess!

I think you will find that the experienced teachers from parkview that were too expensive were on a good 20 - 30k less than this new lot. They were ditched as FA wanted a new identity, a new way of doing things and that the Parkview staff would have stood up for what they believed and spoken out against ideas such as useless learning Zones which don't work and Vivo miles. Doug only had Gordon Wilson and Kevin Gill as a couple of yes men who would do as they were told. As it is, they are having to get on with it as they barely get to see Doug, It is the most expensive school to run of its size in the whole county.
FA is hoping that as they can now cherry pick the kids they want leaving Walney to take up the rest, results will gradually improve as they are shunning the students, apart from those with SEN, who are not able to get the best results.
Doug's latest attempts to throw money at creating yet more leadership posts in an already too large and too expensive model, plainly illustrate the fact that he does not think the present staff have the capacity to do the job and improve results. It also shows that Doug, nor anybody else associated with the academy, is able to think of real innovative and successful ways of improving things by raising morale and improving standards. This last point is even more worrying for me as it shows that nthings will not improve in the near future.

Now that FA has come to the attention of HMI and its health check revealed that, far from being an 'outpatient', FA needs to be placed in the 'critical care unit', there will be relentless pressure on FA to improve things rapidly. If DCSF do not believe, after time, Doug has the capacity to do this, he would be swiftly removed from his post before you casn say Semper Sursum!

Doug do you actually get it?! Downsizing I do not have a problem with, What I have a problem with is that one academy will be reducing from 1744 kids to 1200 kids, moving from a spli site to a single site - rather than actualy REDUCE an already TOO LARGE leadership team, Doug is going the other way and EXPANDING it with a further 3 senior managers AND 4 middle managers!!!!

Its the teachers who will be giving up their easter to work and host revision classes, messrs blackledge and aveyard will be off to foreign climes spending their huge salary. We must be daft to put up with this.

Quelle surprise.
Two week Easter holiday's begin.
The first Monday in those holidays and the biased evening mail lets itself be used yet again by the cynical people allegedly running a school called Furness Academy.
The sponsors and principal announce the one site decision in its pages.
The sponsors and principal are out of the line of fire. Attwoof and Kelly are running colleges and Doug is moving home!
Once the school goes back after the break its all done and dusted. Move along nothing to see here.

These people should be ashamed of themselves but sadly the remuneration they are all getting (sponsors are directors of the company on a wage that has never ever been revealed) means they are free to be as cynical as they want.
How do do they sleep at night seen as how they appear to be devoid of conscience?

What a load of absolute tosh...half known facts being banded around by people who should know better. There are SOME teachers below par and these teachers are always given notice to improve "competency". If they fail to meet standards despite intervention and training, then they do not fulfill their contracts. Lets get real - would you want a below par teacher educating your children - NO!!! the majority of the teachers in FA are good or better and trying their best to create a strong school identity and ethos in very difficult circumstances. Yes, 3 schools we all loved are now gone, but its time to get a grip and make our new school one that we can all be proud of. There are also new posts. These are intended to strengthen the current position and are worthwhile and worthy of their salaries. Teachers and School senior leadership work harder than the majority of you will ever know. How many of you can say you work 15 or more hours a day as a matter or course and work throughout your holidays as well. oh....aren't we all so badly done too.....YES! Despite working our hardest all day for your children, you insist on seeing the bad in everyone. All is better than we could have ever imagined! Shame on you for not having no faith in the staff who were already teaching your children well. Time for you to get a hold of yourself and move on. One site is the obvious choice for a better school - anyone can see that. Was it known beforehand - no! Decisions were made before it was known what land "up north" was available to build on!
Time to accept that FA is not the huge disaster you and I thought it was going to be!

Have just checked the academy website and the two staff representatives on the governing body have been named but no info regarding parent representation.

Reply to anon.
I always get suspicious when people put it about how many hours a day they work hard. 15 hours or more? baloney.
If it requires an abnormal number of hours to do your job, there is someething very wrong with the system. It is little wonder that there is an abnormal number of staff off with stress related illness. Stress is a killer. If you are overworked , suggest you ask for assistance.

The sad thing is that 12 months ago the teaching staff had it within their power to stop the academy. If they had shown strength and unity with the pupils and parents it could have been stopped. As it is they are suffering from their own naivety and have very little sympathy from the many parents I know who put so much effort into trying to
Stop this experiment with our childrens future.
The warnings were all there to be seen but too Many chose to ignore them and try and look after No. 1.

It would seem the education system in this town is only going in one direction and a generation of children will see their education and future oppurtunities ruined.

Longer term we'll probably come full circle with the creation of either another secondary school in Barrow or we'll see a 2,000 Pupil academy. This will be the only way to cope with the increase in population expected in this country.

Will the last person leaving the uk please turn the lights off on their way out!!!

the government makes clear the fact that all academies in England CAN decide their own admissions policies and admity who they want to an academy. This can be found in the RISE reports, I provide an extract below:
"
A significant proportion of academies and foundation schools select a proportion of children on the basis of aptitude/ability in a subject area. Fair banding across a wide area on the basis of the range of ability of children in the area or random allocation are likely to be more effective if the overall aim is to widen access to particular schools and create greater social equity.
"

Douglas STILL keeps saying that it is not his fault that some kids who are in the catchment area but not admitted to the academy and keeps blaming Cumbria County Council. The extract below shows this view from the recent webchat:

Question from Wayne Chips: 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.

Monday March 1, 2010 5:43
5:47 I will not be deciding which students get a place in the academy. This is entirely under the remit of Cumbria County Council's schools admissions department following the admissions protocol adhered to by local authority schools. The published admissions criteria will be applied by the council and details are available on our website. I can also confirm that there is no entrance exam or any form of discrimination, including on the grounds of ability.

THE PLAIN FACT IS, DOUGLAS CAN DECIED WHICH STUDENTS THE ACADEMY TAKES IN. GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION ENABLES HIM TO DO THIS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HIS COMMUINITY. HE HAS CHOSEN TO DEVOLVE ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS TO CUMBRIA COUNTY COUNCIL BY CHOICE. THE ULTIMATE DECISION IS HIS AND HIS ALONE. PARENTS, PLEASE READ THIS DO YOUR RESEARCH AND CHALLENGE ANY DECISION THAT IS STOPPING YOUR CHILD FROM GOING TO THE ACADEMY IF THEY ARE IN THE CATCHMENT AREA.

Yes people are going to be disappointed when the intake is half, THAT WAS WHY WE NEEDED THE TWO SITES CAMPUS TO CATER FOR THE CHILDREN IN THE ATTACHMENT AREA.

Doug is the Principle, he is paid a good wage to give our children the education they deserve and that of WHAT he promised. He should have pushed for the two site campus, instead of making very excuse possible, IT IS ABOUT TIME HE SHOWED US WHY HE DESERVES £135.000.

What does Doug actually do, as nothing seems to be his responsiblity and there has been nothing positive since he took over last september.

It is about time he took responsibility for the School he is employed to manage and run. Come on Doug please show us why you came to Barrow - hopefuly it was NOT JUST for the money.

Please doug, come out and meet the parents, be more approachable, lets see you running the school and meeting the community.
Be a Head teacher not just a name we all know.

If there are not enough places, the academy should be larger so to accomadate the children of Barrow, on two sites, but it is all down to politics.

I do not mind the wage that is being paid to the principle (it is the job not the person. But over the last few months I have Meet Mr wilson, who is very approachable and acts like what a head should be, but every question then has to be answered by the principle. Why does the princple not do the job that Mr Wilson has been assigned to do

If I was the sponsors, and the main principle has still not been able to sort out the academy and make the barrow people accept it, I would be finding out what he is doing for the money he is being paid.

To me it seems that the academy is run by Mr Wilson

The south and north site campuses as they currently stand can accommodate 387 children from year 6 this september. Parkview south site alone can take 220 year 6 kids moving to year 7.

Everyone needs to face the following facts:

1. There was only ever going to be a single school remaining in Barrow.

2. Walney was always going to be expanded to accommodate the need for school places by Barrow children

3. One of these sites will incorporate George Hastwell and at least one of them will accommodate primary school or school.

The reason? ECONOMICS. IT WAS NEVER ABOUT EDUCATION. Its always been about CCC needing to reduce costs and generate some income from land sales. Having 2 schools (Walney and a single site Academy) and having land to sell at George Hastwell, Thorncliffe, Alfred Barrow and part of Parkview (plus primary sites) meets all their objectives. It doesn't even come close to achieving my aspirations for my children.

This situation cannot be changed. The objective of parents must now be to make sure that those on massively inflated salaries do their job and employ the right level of TEACHERS not managers to get the quality of education to the world class level we were promised within 12months by Anne Attwood (this timescale has now passed Mrs Attwood and I cant see anyone who challenged this looking stupid). Demand an OFSTED inspection and demand accountability for admissions and standards from the Principal. CCC have nothing to do with it anymore - despite orchestrating the whole thing.

Here is the reason why the academy will remain at 1200.
CCC wanted all schools in Barrow to have reasonably equal intakes. If the academy was two sites taking 700 to 800 children, Walney school would be very small in comparison to all other schools in the area and therefore not getting as much money per pupil. They would be disadvataged facility wise and with the subject areas on offer etc etc. This would make Walney even less desirable and result in more leaching of children from Walney to mainland schools ending up with a non viable school eventually. This is why I believe the academy will never be more than 1200 intake unless numbers go beyond what all the schools in the area can accomodate. They will pack every available space to busting rather than alter the balance of the schools.

The plain facte of the matter are:
1. All academies are of as similar size due to DCSF regulations
2. CCC is controlling admissions - not Doug. Doug can take over admissions whenever he wishes due to the schools' academy status. Hw will ot do so, however, as he wishes CCC to take the negative press for this.
3. CCC will be keen to keep control of admissions since it has promised that not a single secondary school will be below 30% 5 A-C in English, Maths and Science by 2012. Alferd Barrow was below this level and Thorncliffe was in danger of going below the 30%. that is why FA is in existence IT IS A STRUCTURAL ACADEMY designed to share out those kids that will not reach the governments targets to all local schools rather than concentrating them in one area. That is why the numbers have to be 1200 and that is why CCC will retain admissions. Go to DCSF, speak to anyone in th know about FA. "AH yes", they say "one of our sturctural academies"!

With doug on this one?! Really. Please read his cold uncaring response to my question on admissions on the mail webchat. He should be concerned about the welfare of all the kids in his catchment area. He shows as much concern for their welfare as the many he excludes. Every child matters!

It looks like doug came to Barrow just for the £135,000 plus bonuses.

There are some very deep undercurrents running here.
The massive number of people objecting to sending their children to Walney are doing so for reasons other than travelling distance.
They are very aware of the precarious state that the Walney school is in, following the recent poor OFSTED report.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/(id)/116131
I suggest all parents whose children are being forced to Walney read this in full (not the NWEM edited version). It makes depressing reading.
The nightmare predicted 18 months ago is fast becoming reality.
A school already under pressure is being forced, or has opted, to take a disproportionate number of difficult pupils.
Walney School has in effect become the CCC dumping ground for those who do not fit the Academy “ethos and vision pattern “ and are unable to get into Dowdales or St Bernards who are already packed to the doors.
Only a very few of the many appeals that have been lodged have any chance of succeeding, as there simply isn’t the room in the mainstream schools!
The only solution is to force the Academy to raise it’s intake numbers, and only people power will do this.

Things are far from rosy at st.bernards presently. They have had to take some difficult kids via the furness inclusion panel and staff are finding it hard to cope with behaviour. The head is winding down to retirement and standards are falling quickly.

The facts of the matter i will now give, but some of you won't particularly like the truth so here goes.

Alfred Barrow spent a generation (or three) building up a coherent, sensitive and rigorous approach to dealing with the towns' most serious behavioural problems.

It gained kids from other secondaries in the town who could do nothing with them and they were excluded and they were inspired to achieve.

It also took kids from its own catchment area who were increasingly suffering from poor social backgrounds, awful homelives, drugs and abuse. Yes I am generalising but I taught there for many years and saw it first hand.

With these kids that other schools labelled as 'no hopers', the talented teachers and leadership team turned the kids' lives around and gave them the qualifications to succeed. it was a thankless task as teachers from other schools were openly hostile to us when we went on courses and kids from other schools were also rude to our students on joint school events.

Far from being a sink school,Alfs worked 24/7 for the good of society and was so successful in what it did this was reflected in the schools' Contextual value Added which showed that the school was one of the most successful in the county. Yes special measures hit, but this was political and nothing else.

Forcing these kids into blazers and ties, making them walk to the other end of the town for an education full of rules which are purely draconian will only make their situation (and behaviour) worse!

The fact is that Parkview, St.bernards', Walney and Dowdales had it far too easy for far too long. They simply got rid of the kids they saw as 'trouble' to Alfs. Now that these teachers have finally had to realise what every other area of the country has to deal with, and understand that teaching is a little bit more difficult than simply walking into a classroom and teaching - they don't like it one bit. For the first time they are actually having to deal with the behaviour which has resulted from a fragmented society that Barrow in 2010 is.

I am not saying this to inspire a negative reaction, I know the other schools did have talented staff. But my message is simple, Alfred Barrow did a fantastic job that others will find hard to emulate.

As a result of the new reorganisation, sadly, many of these kids will now be lost into the ether and this will cause a further fragmentation in Barrow with the spiralling underclass at an increasing distance to everyone else. Teachers, either stop moaning and get on with it - your lack of opposition to the academy has helped cause this mess and teaching will now be harder as a result. alternatively, put an application in for Dowdales which is sifting off the fifth of the brightest kids and may as well call itself a grammar school.

As someone who knows how hard it is to have two or three poorly behaved kids in a class and the impact it can have, I take my hat off to the ex-alfs staff who had classfulls day after day. Linda Potts and Roger Titcombe did a good job in very challenging circumstances. Sadly, Doug is not as committed to ensuring total inclusion. I have heard that CCC is deeply concerned with the numbers of excludees from FA - mainly ex-Alfs kids. It ios also very worried at the fact that Newbridge House cannot cope with such numbers. Fortuitous perhaps that an ex-Alfs teacher, Lynne Myerscough, has set up her own private Pupil referral Unit inSalthouse, which will taker a lot of the Alfs kids - good on her - yet at avery high cost to the taxpayer.
sadly, I alos agree that the future of a lot of these kids is looking much less rosy sinbce Alfs closed. you can see many of these kids wandering round town all day - why is the attendance officer not picking them up. FA attendance figures must be truly awful.

According to the DCSF FA funding agreement, the Academy Trust (has this been set up) IS ABLE TO RAISE FA's admissions number from 240.

It states that the Academy Trust (chapter 25) can raise the number to a figure it thinks is appropriate for the local community. If the number is 26 above the 240 limit for 3 years, the academy trust can raise the size of FA.

If you doubt my words, Google 'Furness Academy', scroll down and the funding agreement is there.

DOUG IS IN CHARGE OF ADMISSIONS AND THE SIZE OF THE INTAKE. HE CAN INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE INTAKE TO MEET LOCAL NEEDS IN CONSULTATIONN WITH THE ACADEMY TRUST AKA THE SPONSORS.

HE WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE THE NUMBERS CAN'T BE RAISED-THEY CAN- AND HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!!!!!

Never had more than fourteen in my groups and two teaching assistants. Even then virtually impossible to cope

This 'my kids have got a place and i don't care about those that haven't' is not a very commendable attitude doug. What about those vulnerable kids who are split up from their peers and who take yearr to form friendship groups?

I have been one of the minority who fought for these children for the last two and a half years with very little support, if any, from most of the parents of the children in this situation. Building a supersized school is not going to help any children.
The people of Barrow should not have allowed it to get this far, but now it is we have to live with it and make the best of it, not inflict a huge school on ourselves, something none of us wanted in the first place.

You received as much support as I did from them when I was fighting to get them to atternd parents evenings, help their children with their homework, show an interest in their GCSE Options choice or anything else that is educational.
I've recieved abuse from these parents and when informing them that their child has either sworn at or assaulted a teacher I was often met with a 'you deserve it'attitude. Indeed, I have even been assaulted myself by parents on 3 occasions.
However, the very fact that some parents could not care less about their kids education or their futures makes it MORE important not LESS important that we should be doing it on their behalf.
I have been very alarmed over the past fifteen years at the rapidly increasing size of what was once a small sector of the community but now appears to be a significant minority.
I recognise that I have been like King Cnut holding back the tide, but just becasue it comes in ever quicker, it does not mean we should give up hope.

I suggest parents who want their son or daughter to go to fa read carefully rogers point above. Doug needs holding to account over admissions.

I said in my previous message only people power will force the FA to increase it’s intake.
With the elections both local and national imminent, aggrieved parents should be giving all councillors absolute hell about the scandal of school placings.
Show your anger. Don’t take the usual “it’s not us it’s the County Council” excuse.
The election in Barrow is going to run close. Now is the time to give Woodcock and Gough serious earache about this, to make it a local election issue.
Either stand up now and fight for your kids, or sit back and moan when your appeals are eventually turned down. By then the elections will be just a distant memory and the opportunity will be lost. .

The main focus of us fighting against the academy was its size, too big, but too small to accommodate all in the catchment. When it was two sites the academy could have raised its figures with little effect but 1200 is too big on one site, I don't want it any bigger. Our children, in the academy, are important too and they are to suffer enough disruption and anguish in the next 3 years without making the school a monster sized, impersonal, carbuncle.
I agree with complaining to politicians etc. about the situation, but increasing the school size is shooting ourselves and everyone who fought this mess, right in the foot...Don't you think it might be reverse psychology on their part? Don't you think this is the only way they could get us to accept an enormous school by making us fight for it in the end? Isn't a 1300+ school what they wanted all along?
If they did increase numbers it would be what we wanted wouldn't it?
They really have worked out this one to the finest detail. CCC etc have got everything they wanted and now we are begging for it to be even bigger than they could have ever hoped for. They must be rubbing their hands together in glee.

I must admit i had not thought about it from this angle at all and you may be right. However surely the extensions added to walney and st.b's would show this isnt true. Is it fair on walney to be sending over more kids if they can't cope with what they have. It certainky isn't fair on the kids.

Sorry to disappoint you but they would notice the difference. Nearly every single parent in Barrow is selfish, so selfish they could not be bothered to fight it in the first place. I had a hundred and one reasons why I was prepared to fight against the academy and I did. Most of the reasons were in support of those who could not be bothered to fight themselves. I recall many occasions the size being an issue, in fact that was one of the reasons we wanted two sites, so our children would not have to go to a huge school.
Sorry if I misinterpreted this, I was obviously duped into thinking that was part of what we were fighting for.
Yes we did not want it at all in the first place for many reasons....but one of the reasons was the size. This became a main reason in the fight for two sites, or did I get that wrong too.
Reality is there would have been a miniscule amount of opposition to the academy if there had been an academy on one site and one of the other schools left as a CCC controlled school. After losing the first battle we wanted two sites...surely that spells out that size did matter...to all those I know anyway. The only other reason I remember, that raised its ugly head in support for two sites, was the fear of the oiks at North site joining the oiks at South site.

How sad that we once had good schools at the heart of the community with places for all to a situation where we are scrambling for places in oversubscribed ineffective schools. Education in this town is not fit for purpose.

In 5 years time when there are a further 195 kids in year 6 what on earth will happen. A rise in the size of fa is inevitable. Why else is the management increasing?

CCC has been aware all along that the birth rate in Barrow means that the Academy will have to expand substantially in size in the next five years. It was keen to get the one site decision through first, however, so that its plans for the land at north site could not be disrupted by this argument.
FA Leadership Team is the size of an average 1,900 place school so it does not take a genius to work out the size that FA will eventually become.
you read it here first but don't say you weren't warned well in advance when it happens.
Nice to know lots of schools in Cumbria have been given millions in Building Schools for the Future money to build onthe good practice they already have, not take things apart.
Why, oh why did Barrow let this happen.

Rumour has it that Doug has increased the size of the Leadership Team as he knows at least three of the existing team can't cut the mustard. However, because they are popular with staff and kids he is keeping them on on their 62k salaries whilst getting in some serious professionals to do the job.
GW and KG have not succeeded in any of their applicationbs for other posts despite desperately wanting to get out, so they will stay for another year.....

This is exactly what he has done GM and it is why staff are increasingly resentful of senior management at the academy, we are all held to account for ouir work and the fact that they are not sends a definite us and them message.

My conversations with several staff were correct then. Sounds like some serious trouble unfolding at t'mill. This will only get worse if staff redundancies hit at the same time that he is increasing the size of an already too large Leadership Team. Hope staff will not tolerate it. Then again.......

I recognise these tactics from the world politics and world of pay rises. Make a crap offer then raise it to make people feel they have gained something. Take that something away through no fault of the politicians/employers. Then end up with the population/workforce begging for something they never wanted in the first place.
Classic.

The solution is for Thorncliffe or Alfred Barrow to be reopeneded as new schools. Alfred Barrow is the best choice because of geography and the superior quality of its accomodation (yes, ask those that know). The site on both sides of Duke Street (which could be closed and incorporated into the school) is huge with plenty of room for indoor sports facilities and there is plenty of space on the Parkview site for playing fields. It would need an admissions policy to ensure it only took its fair share of SEN and less able pupils. All this is possible under current rules. The county council should be put under pressure by county councillors to do this. Some hopes! An alternative is to approach another academy provider (they are not all crap) or best of all for parents and the community to demand a new community run school. Is there a core of concerned expertise to get this off the ground? This is possible under current legislation and promised by the Conservatives as a major plank of their otherwise appalling education policy.

The Conservatives willingly got us into this mess, they should be actively trying to get us out of it, by offering this alternative before all the land is taken up for housing and commercial use. But hey, the academy is the answer to Jack's dreams so don't get too excited.

Isn't it convenient that Alfred Barrow was available for St. Georges to move into...more meticulous planning to add to the list of others mentioned above.

The answer is there will be a one site academy and there will only be room for 1200 pupils.
Few academies have more than 1200 pupils no matter where they are in the country.
It will be 1200 for a couple of reasons;
Dave Kelly can crow about it being oversubscribed which he equates with success.
1200 has been decided by the Labour incarnation of the DCSF to be the ideal size for one of their flagship schools.
Ed Balls has signed off on a 1200 space school.
But most of all right from the very start of this process the Academy has been planned to accommodate 1200 pupils no more no less because the County Council has consistently peddled lies about pupil numbers in this town and they have to bring the 1200 school into being to save face.

It's utter chaos and Barrovian education is going to hell in a freight train thanks to the Labour Party but that's okay because at least when they leave with their basket of useless diplomas they can carry on their dumbed down education in the iconic college building that Academy sponsor Attwood is building on the steelworks site courtesy of another Ed Balls handout, thinly disguised as an election bribe to get the phoney John Woodcock into the phoney John Hutton's parliamentary seat before they all suck at the teat of the Labour Party's welfare state and keep those evil tories and nice but clueless liberals away from the oh so precious shipyard.

in the complete guide to Council Tax and non domestic rates for barrow states

Capital Expenditure
2009/2010 2010/2011

Childrens Services £m 68.9 £m 81.4

Thats a big jump in expenditure What is £12.5 millom EXTRA TAX PAYER MONEY needed for.

Any answers Please

Academy staff wages of course!!!!! As if you needed telling this!! Think again is entirely correct, the accommodation at Alfred barrow is very modern and up-to-date with new science and humanities blocks, interactive whiteboards and new data projector equipment as well as new toilets and disabled facilities. Parent power opening a new school would certainly be a punch in the eye to CCC and the sponsors!! Then again, they couldn't get off their backsides to fight for the schools they had let alone open a new one.
Thinks will and are getting worse and I don't even want nto think what the next 5 years will bring.

Isn't it remarkable how Alfred Barrow which was not fit for purpose ( out of date, holes in the roof, water running down the walls etc ) according to our local politicians Guselli, Richardson, Burns et al, has now been transformed into a wonderful school for St George's infants.
These political cheats are no different to our scheming lying deceitful national politicians.It's only a matter of degree.
Rotten Parliament,Rotten County Council, Rotten Borough Council
What a disgusting legacy we are leaving our kids.

Don't forget the few honest independent councillors, (and lots of others behind the scenes) who fought this academy tooth and nail ! They've spent months and years fighting this campaign and tried by every means possible on the inside to stop this happening. In fact they are all still currently elected and doing their best for their ward!

Veteran is right on the money this whole three tier system of control, it doesn't deserve to be called government, needs to be swept away as quickly as possible as it is totally corrupted.

Turns out that Labour may have seriously, really seriously messed things up if this chap is onto something.
http://worldreports.org/news/282_all_uk_legislation_passed_since_2000_is_null_and_void

Bet you won't read that in the Evening Mail, nor the Times!

Finally for now get over to this website and really depress yourself.

http://www.voterpower.org.uk/

Thorncliffe also seemed to do everything they could to keep children in education. They had more than their fair share of disruptive children.

The parent governor is called Gary, but I cannot remember his surname. His child is at North site and, according to his wife, he got involved because he believed that North site was the poor relation in the academy and was concerned about his child's future. Events have shown his fears to be well-founded.

Good on him, it sounds as if he is in it for the children, not to toady to the academy line.

We need to be asking ourselves two key questions. Firstly, why did it take Furness Academy over 4 months AFTER it opened to set up its governance when legal advice dictates that the Academy Trust must be set up BEFORE the academy comes into being. Government advice stipulates it is the Academy Trust which is responsible for appointing academy staff - not the subjective panel of 3 which we were accountable to last year. Yes, the only interviews I have been to where the interviewer could hardly read the pre-prepared questions let alone understand a complex answer.
Secondly, we must also be asking ourselves why the predecessor schools (sad term given to us by CCC before the academy came into being to convince our poor minds that it was unstoppable) had no less than fifteen parent governors between them and at least ten staff governors, compared to the present one parent and one governor. Actually, and very sadly, we know what the answer to this is - THAT IT IS BECAUSEV THE ACADEMY IS PAYING LIP-SERVICE TO COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND BY HAVING ONLY TWO REPS FROM PARENTS AND TEACHERS, THE PRINCIPAL AND SPONSORS CAN DRIVE THROUGH THEIR PLANS.
In a normal school, Governors would be asking why on earth non-executive leadership posts carry a 67k salary, why they are currently increasing the size of this already over-inflated team when the academy is getting smaller and moving to a single site and why the Principal is not as high profile round the buildings and in lessons as much as one would expect.
Looked yesterday at the academy website - the academic calendar is embarrassing and contains no information whatsoever, never mind information on the up-and-coming GCSE exams. If the exam results are good-and I hope for the teachers and kids they are- they will reflect the hard work put in by parents, students and teachers from the 3 predecessor schools, not the work of an over-payed, under-experienced executive principal.

I haven't been informed by the academy that a parent govenor has been elected nor did I receive any information regarding interested parties and consequently have been denied the opportunity (and my right) to vote for who I want to represent the parent voice on the academy board of govenors.Friends and aquaintances did not receive this information either.While I'm sure Gary forwarded himself for all the right reasons and will probably do a good job the fact is that this has not been a fair or democratic process.It is appalling that I and others have found out who the parent govenor is from this blog - we should have been informed by the academy.I wish Gary good luck - he'll need it!No matter how strong a character he is, as a loan parent on the board he will have little influence(nothing personal to Gary this would apply to whoever was the parent rep).

This lack of democracy is exactly what mr chips post was saying. Why does the academy not see its key stakeholder is the local community. It exists to serve us.

You lot need to wake up and smell the coffee. What you are seeing happen in your town is happening in towns right across the country. State education is being dismantled bit by bit and replaced with unaccountable, expensive, publicly funded, ineffective, private education. The purpose of which is to implement the madness called the national curriculum. This curriculum has nothing to do with giving each child their best possible opportunities but has everything to do with the Labour state being able to say they gave every child the same curriculum and therefore the same opportunities no matter where in Britain they live. They do this because the Labour party thinks all Britons are equal unless you belong to the Labour party. How many Labour ministers went to state schools?

The Labour state is lying which is the one thing it used to excel at although today it even does that badly.

In town after town perfectly good and often improving schools are being destroyed because the compliant councillors, many of whom follow the red flag, roll out the falling roll, schools not fit for purpose, once in a life time opportunity, arguments to carry confuse and delude their local populations. They in fact lie to and hoodwink people who only want the best for their children, parents. In the Labour state's world cash equals improvements but sadly the way they spend our cash rarely ever leads to lasting improvements but no councillor wants to be seen to be turning down a government cash handout even those who realise it is just a bribe plain and simple.

So we end up with a two tier system where publicly funded state schools are seen as the mops to soak up the kids that the publicly funded private schools which Labour happened to call Academies don't want as these kids will be unlikely to achieve the required level of GCSE/Diploma success to allegedly prove that the Labour state is 'good for Britain'.

On the subject of the tests used to decide if a child is bright or not which have long been called exams the diplomas have one purpose and one purpose only and that is to ensure as many kids as possible can get a piece of paper proving their commercial worth to a potential employer. GCSE's were dumbed down O Levels and diplomas are just dumbed down GCSE's. Assessment is in a downward spiral and this reveals itself in the number of kids getting A's and A*'s. There is so much pointless endeavour taking place in all schools there isn't enough hours in the day to give the kids the education they really need but especially in the Academy schools as they owe their existence to the Labour state so they enforce as much Labour state diktat as they possibly can to ensure the Labour state keeps playing nice.

Barrow is not alone. For every Academy that crows about how great their dumbed down results are there are ten more whose results are worse or no better than the schools they replaced despite the dumbing down of the assessment tests. Most of these Academies have a revolving door of teaching staff and a bloated management structure that would do the NHS proud. They are all extremely expensive to run, far more so than the schools they replace and they all choke intake to enable them lie about how oversubscribed (successful) they are.

Barrows Academy principal is the most expensive in the country. His team of managers is larger than any other Academy and he is still adding to it. The teaching staff is one of the most disillusioned in the country. This is because they believed the lies and many had to put mortgage before happiness and common sense as they could see there was a recession coming and the Academy was the only game left in town.
Nothing will change until radical action is taken to force change but this radical action will never occur when each parent simply acts in their child's best interests.
No Academy yet created has ever returned to the publically funded state sector no matter how bad its got but that doesn't mean it will never happen. Most Academy heads would love to be back under the control of an elected governing body rather than having to dance to the tune of despotic sponsors who are in league with the Labour state.

Worst of all no matter which division of the political class gets their turn at the helm after May 6th they will do nothing to turn this position around. People can but the people across the country are so cowed they are terrified of raising their hands or speaking out in case the big bad state jumps on them and locks them away. Good job Gandhi didn't think like that.
Wake up people of Barrow. Go and knock on your councillors door and demand answers. Do the same with your MP and any one who fancies sticking their nose in the Parliamentary expenses trough, if you can find them, and demand answers from them.
You won't get answers they are all politicians after all trained in the machinations of lying and cheating but you may attract enough to the cause to get the attention of the national media and then even the Labour state will have to take notice because it doesn't like bad press.
It's either that or stop moaning and just accept what the Labour state has decided is your children's future even though you know that it isn't good enough.

What's more when the Academy was created it had a population of almost 1800 kids. The sponsors/ccc had always stated that the school was to have a maximum roll of 1200 by 2012.
So from Sept 2009 to Sept 2012 the school has to lose 600 places. The only way it can achieve this is to actively prevent children within its catchment are from joining the school by lowering its intake.

The private Academy school lowers the intake not CCC. CCC have no say in this process at all.
With the intake lowered in this fashion and the three 'big year groups' leaving in the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012 the private Academy will have lowered its population to its preordained design size of 1200 pupils accommodated on a single site new build.

If there are more children wanting places than are available then the private Academy can 'prove' how popular, aka successful, the school is.
The expansions going on at Walney and St Bernards are to take the children who live within the Academy's catchment area but will never get a place at the Academy as there will never be room for them.
Walney and St Bernards are not being expanded because their catchment areas have produced more children whose parents want them to attend. The two schools they are being expanded to fix a problem that doesn't really exist.

There is no logical reason why the Academy has to limit itself to 1200 places. It is already in buildings which can cope with 1800 children. If the cash marked down to build the single site 1200 place Academy was spent on the two existing sites then they would be more than able to deliver the much lauded 'world class education' to 1800 children instead of 1200.

But then there would be no iconic new build to prove to the people that only the Labour government delivers on its promises. You cannot see inside totally refurbished and re-equipped old buildings. You can see easily a bright shiny glass and steel wonder building. To the government we are all children no matter how old we are.
If the Conservatives get in and take the Academy scam by the scruff of the neck and return it to some form of democratic accountability then something may be salvaged but I for one am not holding my breath. If anything they favour more of the same.

"The sponsors' vision is for Furness Academy to have very strong links with the community and the sponsors believe that parental influence in the governance of the school is a key part of this."

If this were really true why is there only ONE PARENT GOVERNOR Mr Kelly, Mrs Attwood, Mr Blackledge?

I know this is a small sample but they were taken at random from a list of academies I found. Some do not openly advertise their admissions on their websites.
If this small sample is a reflection of the average academy size then Barrow's 240 intake is really big in comparison and most academies have 6th forms included in their figures.

Harris Falconwood Academy 800 in total including a form
Havelock Academy 900 students in total including a form
John Cabot Academy 1000 in total including a sixth form
Kettering Science Academy 210 year 7 intake, has a sixth form
Lambeth Academy 180 year 7 intake, has a 6th form
Madeley Academy 900 11-16, no 6th form
Manchester Academy 180 year 7 intake has a sixth form
North Oxfordshire Academy 180 year 7 intake has a sixth form
Harris Academy Purley 180 year 7 intake has a sixth form

Looks like someone has been messing with Furness Academy homepage.

http://www.furnessacademy.co.uk/

Homepage has now had the foreign type person's picture taken off.
It just shows that despite the lack of info going onto the website, someone must be checking it....or perhaps they read the above comment.

I see the Westmorland Gazette are reporting major financial problems with the University of Cumbria.
Debts approaching £30M : 200 staff to go : Having to ask for a sub to pay staff wages.
Read the full story in this weeks Gazette, you won't find it in the North West Evening Comic.
Is this the "successful sponsor" of the Academy? Surely not.

However you look at it, the expansion of the fat cats at a time of downsizing is a total hypocritical disgrace.

I myself as a parent have had many run ins with the teaching staff and Mr wilson at the south site. My son has a number of exclusions but now feel he is being pushed for him to react and consequently be excluded. His EWO cannot do any thing apart from make recommendations which incidently he has done and is still doing he continues to fight my corner only to fall on deaf ears. I am sure i am not the only parent to be going through this and forever hitting brick walls.

The draconian rules at the academy are completely removed from the old policies which were designed to positively re-inforce kids behaviour and include them. Kids were calmed dow, given choices and take-up time. Consequerntly there were very few exclusions.

In the academy,rules are re-inforced in a way in which kids are wound up, get angry and as they are no longer listened to and treated with respect, they are faced with a fight or flight situation. Either one of these will result in an exclusion in which a childs education will suffer.

You try asking directly how many exclusions there have been since September - you won't get anywhere but sources suggest they are the highest in the whole county.

The rules are allegedly being implemented unfairly, with only certain kids being targeted in order for them to vote with their feet.

Parent, I feel for you and what you are saying has been told to me by many other parents and also teachers.

The only way to solve this is to complain directly to Ofsted and make them trigger an Ofsted inspection. Alternatively vote conservative and set up your own school (I am apolitical but how can such a complex process be so simple).

I cannot see any way for any parent to improve anything at the school by triggering an Ofsted visit. They are part of the DCSF and are used to enforce government policy not standards.

It's up to parents to accept that the lone sponsor, there used to be three but that seems to have been a smokescreen like everything else, has now got full control of Furness Education via the Academy and the College that bear the same name. Odd having the same name don't you think?
Definitely not.

She appointed Doug
She lambasted OSANFS in the Mail at every opportunity
She accused parents of brainwashing their children again in the Mail
She promised a world class education in the Evening Mail
She defended Doug's appointment in the Mail up until the twin site school was allegedly signed into existence.

She is right and that's the end of it because she is in full control of this school, its management, its staff and the implementation of the DCSF aka government policy.
She was given millions by the same DCSF to rebuild a large part of her college as well. Coincidence?

Given the fact that so few colleges countrywide got their rebuild cash and yet Barrow received DCSF cash for an Academy and a College build it does make you wonder.

Normally I would like to see one person being made responsible rather than a committee but that person has to be competent and responsible. Whatever may really be going on inside the school it cannot be good because if it were this lady would be shouting her success from the rooftops and she isn't is she?