Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

"I will never work for an academy chain again."

It sounds awfully familiar re a local primary school that was forced into 'academy' management.

I suspect the story is the same in every academy-ised school aka Learning Institution plc. Morale of staff spiralling down till they just leave - except the £150k+ heads, and no skilled outside body to help out. Anyone else remember Teachers' Centres?

Will this really be the best business model to gift the Technopark to ?

Tags for Forum Posts: academies, technopark

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Permalink Reply by Mavic Starfish on February 10, 2014 at 16:31

My hunch is this - Downhills Primary?

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Permalink Reply by maggie on February 11, 2014 at 12:54

My impression too.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on February 11, 2014 at 15:30

I don't see the point of speculating on which school. Especially - or so it seems - on zero evidence. Unless "Secret teacher" is a whistle blower who passes on hard evidence to outsiders who can try to improve things, his/her comments don't help anybody. Crucially, they are useless for children attending the school and their families who want to make the best choice for them.

I was particularly disappointed by Secret Teacher's parting shot: "Not to worry, those all-important results had gone up – how they did that is another story."

Well, if that's a way of hinting that the results were massaged or faked, then it wouldn't be the first primary school - council run or privatised academy - where that had happened. But actually that's a story I'd like to know. A story we should all be able to hear. Because without accurate and honest evaluation of a school's performance, we are all reduced to anecdote, guesswork, and deciding whether or not to believe the glossy brochures and website. Or just rolling dice.

(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)

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Permalink Reply by GillianM on February 11, 2014 at 15:50

"Not to worry, those all-important results had gone up – how they did that is another story."

I'm not sure if the secret teacher is making any suggestions about manipulation of results. More questioning the value of results in primary education. For example what is the quality of the teaching time if it is focussed on getting the children to achieve all important results. For me it's much more important that children are in a supportive and nurturing environment and able to learn at their own pace.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on February 11, 2014 at 21:14

Gillian, the "secret teacher" hasn't told us. S/he dropped a hint that the story has a part 2. But part 2 is unwritten. So you and I simply don't know. Parents don't know. Other teachers may not know.

It worries me deeply that we have a society where growing numbers of people seen afraid to speak up and speak out. Even - in this case - with anonymity offered by the Guardian.

I don't blame them. We know what happens to whistle-blowers. (In the St Ann's ward scandal, even the supporters of the whistle-blowers have been targeted.)

I agree with you about schools needing a supportive and nurturing environment. But that's not a bar to high expectations and a culture of achievement. Not does it stop teachers keeping accurate records of children and young people's progress - using these measures to ensure further progress. The best teachers I've met (including some headteachers) did both.

If you're saying that schools which teach to the test can damage the joy of learning, then we agree . Those who manipulate and cheat to get "good" results are also sabotaging their own professional "tools". Worse, they're probably teaching children to cheat. And showing them an example of grown-ups in authority who think it's okay to cheat.